Posted by quitasi on November 16, 2004, at 9:20:44
I am wondering what kind of luck any of you may have had in specifying which neurotransmittor to identify and treat, be it with psychiatric drugs and/or alternative treatment? And which treatment did you choose?
I've been on prozac, lithium, and trazodone (for sleep) for fourteen years to treat a bipolar diagnosis. This past month, depakote and buspar were added. The buspar (added for new diagnosis of PTSD) interacts with the trazodone (yep, which I need for sleep) so... I am having lots of fun juggling this act....
I was initially treated for depression, never having had a mania. A few months on prozac fourteen years ago and I experienced my one and only manic episode. (Which makes me question if I am actually bipolar, needing lithium?) Lithium alone left me too flat. So prozac came back into the picture, added to the lithium about 12 years ago.
Now I only live with frequent bouts of hypomania (which I am probably in right now, haha). The hypomania seems to be part of what I am discovering to be my cycling up and down, never staying long enough in a balanced space. The downs and the anxiety/obsessive, negative thinking are the problem for me. I see my hypomanias as my "treat" for staying alive through the depressions.
After more brain health awareness and self-education and continuous depressive cycles over the years, I've decided to make changes, specifically to treat depression/anxiety. This time I want to make an informed decision and don't trust my psychiatrist to care or to know enough. So until I find a better psychiatric match, I am learning what I can.... Of course, everything I read one moment, contradicts what I read the next moment. Hopefully here I can find some answers through your direct experience.
The most interesting thing that I have read has been at the following sites where they refer to high/low histamine (under/over methylated, respectively) as subtypes of bipolar to aid in defining treatment options.
Thanks for reading and thank you for any insight you can add to this question!
poster:quitasi
thread:416632
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20041113/msgs/416632.html