Posted by Behavioral Control on September 6, 2002, at 20:52:16
In reply to The causes of things, posted by Squiggles on September 6, 2002, at 7:01:18
> I may never know. It's been about 20 yrs
> since i've been dx'd BP. It was sudden and
> during grduate studies stress. The thing is,
> I had been taking Valium erratically for
> jitters at exams and such; I was not watching
> the dose so much or the time, or if I tried
> to stop suddenly - it was a popular drug then
> and I think my dr. just gave it to me as needed;
>
> It has been suggested to me that what presented
> as bipolar symptoms was infact withdrawal from
> Valium. I just don't know how to tell if this
> is true or false, but it certainly suggests
> that I may have just been taking all these
> meds for so long, and have gone through so many
> iatrogenic misadventures, for nothing. That,
> infact - the severe depression, anxiety, insomnia,
> rapid switch of one idea to another, anxiety
> attacks, all over a period of about a year,
> and ultimate breakdown - were all the result
> of withdrawal. It's conceivable.
>
>
> I am trying to find a criterion to know. Part of
> the problem is I cannot stop the drugs now because
> I have been taking them too long (e.g. Klonopin
> w/d almost killed me and I had to reinstate);
> and there is no way my dr. wants me off lithium
> (esp. with the Synthroid balance at stake).
>
> So, I was trying to think of a way to know;
> for example, whether a normal person taking
> lithium would feel the same way a bipolar one
> would - or at least during a Valium withdrawal
> (hypothetical), and then just get used to the
> drug;
>
> If you have any medical detective experience
> or suggestions, please let me know. It's something
> of a puzzle to me. I suppose at the end of the day
> it may not matter - what the cause was, if I am stable now,
>
> Thanks
>
> Squiggles
>
You have been pondering this same crap for years, even when you were a regular on ASDM youd post this idea. Im sick of hearing about it. If you dont think you are bipolar, then by all means GO OFF YOUR LITHIUM for a few months and see what happens!!!! Its the only way to find out. maybe you wont crash, maybe you will become manic and need to be hospitalized. But one way or the other you will find out and your curiosities/ruminations will be settled once and for all.That would be much better off than constantly asking others on a message board what you should do. Nobody here knows what you should do, we arent doctors. Stop asking for such specific advice online. Get a clue.
Either go off your lithium and give it a trial. Or shut up. Zyprexa Numb Tongue was right, youd probably benefit from an atypical anti-psychotic. Your thinking is "fuzzy" to put it best. An AP can help that
BC
poster:Behavioral Control
thread:118993
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020906/msgs/119111.html