Posted by ramsea on December 4, 2003, at 6:09:15
In reply to Re: Help! Calling Rapid Cyclers and other Bipolars! » mags, posted by Mr. Scott on December 3, 2003, at 21:50:32
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time. Try to remember that these terrible states do pass. I've had full manic episodes as well as hypomanias and Mixed Episodes, which officially means meeting the required criteria for Mania and then also Major Depression at the same time. People often enough have some variation of mood states, however, whether officially recognized or not.
All that you listed sounds very familiar to me and I am dx as Bipolar 1. Actually in the UK they call it by the World Health Organization label of Bipolar Affective Disorder. I believe there is less concern over which number to place next to the word bipolar. But the same confusion has existed for way too long---bipolar symptoms can easily be misread as agitated depression, side effects of a drug, a bad temper or personality disorder.
You are well ahead of the game because you seem to know, if I'm reading correctly, that YES you are bipolar. And that means it is easy to be disturbed by anti-ds and also to have paradoxical reactions to many other meds. There's an element of the crap shoot about it all, I agree. I just wish it were A-to-B-to-C. The sheer array and variety of symptoms means it will always be complicated to treat a bipolar whose illness process is active.
Some people have long periods of wellness marked by a few clear-cut episodes of either Mania or depression, and it's somewhat easier to treat these people. But the vast majority of bipolars seem to have a wild toad ride that leads hither and tither through panic pastures,the wild woods of anxiety, the road to nowhere, past nightmare hall, and well--you get the picture.
If the meds you're on seem to be helping, obviously good. If you are still in a disturbed state, I agree with a previous poster--let the professionals help sort you out. Prozac sent me into an irritable mania and near death, plus a two month stay as an in-patient. It also led me to drink alcohol again after 8 years of nowt. The urge was compelling and weird, and had to do with how hyped up I was, in an unbearable state. But they misdiagnosed the mania/psychosis and treated me for schizo-affective, giving me both an AP and a TCA. Sigh.
Years and much toading about, I am feeling pretty stable on lithium. Benzos now disturb my balance, no more ADs ever, no sleeping pills. I take Seroquel in very low dose for sleep (12 mgs) and prn in tiny amounts (6 mgs--bear in mind that many people take 400-800 mgs a day). I am quite med sensitive, but I have discovered that a fair few are on-line who are the same. It is always something to consider, whether one is taking too little or too much of a certain drug. Sometimes when we get the amounts just right for us, a med we thought was out of the picture can turn out to be just right.
Neurontin can cause mixed symptoms in ***some*** people, so it's worth considering if it is upsetting you. (Maybe it's great--I'm just throwing out thoughts). The Klonopin may also cause impulse problems in some people, such as myself, and increase depression. Lithium has an antidepresant quality for some people, fortunately I am one, at the same time that it smoothes things out.
I think some people take a reduced amount of lithium with their Lamictal, which is also a low dose---the two at low dose together seem to help some people more than either one on its own. As you can see, I am just trying to wave the Hope Flag, to remind you that you might not have the right med mix yet. In time most of us find something that works for us. Please hang in there.
poster:ramsea
thread:285727
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20031202/msgs/286431.html