Posted by polarbear206 on October 26, 2002, at 22:55:37
In reply to Re: Recognizing / Treating Cyclothymia, posted by fluffy on October 26, 2002, at 16:53:11
> Thanks Tabitha (sorry I don't know how to make the German double 's' on this keyboard)
>
> I guess that part of the problem is that this particular AD doesn't seem to be helping. i have been on it for 4 weeks....having trouble sleeping, feeling agitation, and tingling hands and what-not. Paxil seemed to help the last bout of depression, but I tried it this time and couldn't stay awake. My psychiatrist asked if I wanted to switch, but I resisted for fear of more side effects.
>
> Now I think that I should switch and tell him about my other more hypo-manic phases so that I can get a proper diagnosis. Problem is, I've been feeling so blind from the depression, that I was having trouble putting anything into words--and afraid of being hauled away in a paddy wagon.
>
> Now that I have some more info about my family history, I feel I could benefit from talking about it to him. It' s been a long, painful journey with my therapist in discovering these patterns, though.
>
> I'm hanging in there...Hi Fluffy,
Welcome from a fellow cyclothymic. This board has well educated people and will offer great support to you. You need to get on a mood stabilizer to even you out. Antidepressants used alone and in higher doses will just exacerbate your mood cycling. The mood stablizer should be the MAIN medication with a lower dose of an antidepressant if possible. I know EXACTLY what your going through!! My great grandmother was sent away to a mental institution when she was in her 30's. She died there. It's sad that there were no medications back then to help her. I have some web sites for you to explore about cyclothymia. This is a "softer" version in the bipolar spectrum.
Laura.
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
Scroll down the page to cyclothymia
http://psycheducation.com/depression/frameset.htmlHere is a good book to check out too!
"Why Your Depression Isn't Getting Better" by Dr, M. Bartos
poster:polarbear206
thread:125331
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021025/msgs/125373.html