Q. I don't care much for my psychiatrist. I am only taking Tegretol I take 200mg in the morning and 400mg at night and next week it will be 400 and 400...But you see with my husbands company changing insurance and I will now have to pay for the visits (half) I am not sure I want to continue. I am really unsure what to do and don't have a clue who to turn to for advice.
My mother has been on lithium all of her life (1200mg)...and I am so afraid to end up like her. My dad left her and took us kids ...yada yada yada....I am scared to death this could be me in a couple of years.
I wonder if I could quit taking this medication and turn to a herbal treatment so I don't feel as weird. Meaning having to see a psychiatrist. I guess I am being childish.. My other complaint is I have put on now about 30lbs since March of 1998 because of all the medications...my doc says well we have to take care of the mood swings before we worry about your weight...HE DOESN"T understand that this weight gain is stressing me out majorly.....
A. First of all, Tegretol very, very rarely puts on weight. More common is that Tegretol can cause a low thyroid condition (hypothyroidism) which can cause weight gain. This has been answered at length in another "ask the doctor" question.
You clearly need to have a thorough evaluation of all your diagnoses, and get them properly treated. You may have more going on than bipolar.
If you do have bipolar, and don't treat it, a mania spell could permanently ruin you life. I'm not aware of any good studies on any herbal treatment for bipolar. Depakote is another alternative medication for bipolar. Lithium is the one most notorious for causing weight gain.