Posted by linkadge on July 31, 2007, at 12:24:40
In reply to Re: Why do all anti-depressants make me anxious, posted by Phillipa on July 31, 2007, at 11:35:17
Were you were diagnosed as bipolar because you were experiencing manic episodes, or was the diagnosis based on an agitated response to antidepressants?
Antidepressants are far from perfect. Certain animal models suggest that they can cause anxiety agitation and akathesia. Some people adapt to such effects, but other people do not.
Even some unipolar people cannot tollerate antidepressants for their agitating types of effects. Sometimes SSRI's are administered with antipsychotics (which block certain serotonin receptors) to ofset the agitation they can cause.
People who get such agitated responces to antidepressants may have different underlying biochemical abnormalities. Perhaps their serotonin is high but their dopamine is low. Driving this imballence even further in the wrong direction might be the cause.
I would tend to think that if the drug was exaserbating your own underlying bipolar disorder, then the activation might more resemble your own underlying disorder. If, however, you feel that the drug is superimposing a whole different set of symptoms, then it might more be a side effect of the drug itself.
I think that opiate based drugs would ulitmately come closer to the type of antidepressant that some personalities need.
Linkadge
poster:linkadge
thread:773047
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070730/msgs/773091.html