I was just diagnosed with psychothymic disorder, with some dysthymic features. I have now been off of meds for a couple months, because i want to start from a clean slate. My psychologist recently recommended me to a pdoc(who i dont really like) and he prescribed me a combo im unsure about. He put me on 30 mg of Cymbalta with 1mg of risperdal at night.I havnt started them yet, as i want to give it some time to think it over as these kind of drugs are so life changing. So, i guess my questions are:

Anyone here have psychothymic disorder? If so, do you have any adivce or just general thoughts about treatment, medicine, success, etc.

Anyone ever hear of this combination before? my doc says the risperdal will help me with the way i perceive things since i frequently have distorted perceptions.

Would anyone here recommend a natural remedy? I was researching Samm-E, and found that might be affective.

Thanks
Tman

I don't have psychothymia. The Cymbalta is for depression and is used in combination with other meds such as Risperdol which I do take. For me, the Risperdol controls the manic side of BP. It's also used for hallucinations, voices, sleep, as well as thought processes. You may want to check out the Cymbalta and Other Meds rooms for more information on both or Google them.

Natural remedies do not often work for everyone. Consult with your pdoc regarding homeopathic/natural products for mental health.
Sheepwoman

Unfortunately, I don't have cyclothymia (aka psychothymia) either, but here're my thoughts on the other 2:

Your meds don't seem overly unusual, although I've never used that specific combination. However, they're portions of standard treatment for BP, minus the traditional mood stabilizer.

I don't know of any natural remedies for BP that actually work. I do my best to keep mine under control with diet, exercise, and a general schedule (try to eat, work, sleep at the same time every day). That helps quite a bit, but is only a supplement to the meds for me. I've never tried any herbal meds or anything of the sort, but you should definitely talk to a pdoc before you try taking them (they may actually work against you're goals).

Cheers