Posted by smylin on March 10, 2001, at 20:23:47
Hello,
I have been suffering from a type of mood disorder since I was 14. When I was 19 I was told I was having panic attacks and social anxiety disorder and diven medication ( I now know I was experiencing manic episodes) When I was 21 I had my first severe, life threatening episode of depression. I was medicated with Zoloft and stabilized for a while. I then cyled back into mania and took myself off the meds without consulting a doctor. So the story conutinues on this way for several years. Then I was stable by taking a combination of medications (sometimes 4-6 a day) for abouut three years . My doctor at the time had diagnosed me with Chronic Adult Depression and said I would need to be medicated for life for this.
Well, the mania seemd to subside (I now know I was probably hypo manic). Life progressed and I went off medications to have my son. He was born on 11/01/99. I have been rapid cycling ever since unable to find any medication to treat my diagnosis of "depression". So, after my family had relocated I saw a new Psychiatrist who conducted a thorough interview of almost two hours. We went all the way back to when I was a child and my parents called me the "emotional" one.
He diagnosed me as Bipolar Type II and I am now on track to starting medications. My question is this: I don't want "new" medications to make this all worse because I'm barely hanging on as it is. My doctor has put me on Serzone and will start Depakote on 3/16 once the serzone has had a chance to reach its proper level. From there he will introduce whatever is necessary. What advice do you guys have for someone like me who has been misdiagnosed so many times. What should I do about all of these medication decisions?
poster:smylin
thread:56157
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20010310/msgs/56157.html