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Re: My Experience Mirrors Yours

Posted by dewdropinn on August 1, 2007, at 18:32:26

In reply to Re: My Experience Mirrors Yours » Netch, posted by linkadge on August 1, 2007, at 14:56:37

The only time I had anything remotely resembling a hypomanic episode occured while I was taking a superstar anti-depressive combo that included celexa, low dose selegiline and dexedrine -- I tended to spend money and party excessively, but given the superstar powers that selegiline and dexidrine can impart when taken together, I was about as even keeled as would be humanly possible. The combo would have lifted anyone remotely bipolar into the upper stratosphere. No one would ever expect that I had anything remotely resembling bipolar, and I think this was a big part of the problem with establishing the right approach to treatment -- the assumption was that I had unipolar major depression, and the course of treatment followed doggedly on the heals of that assumption.

My very soft bipolar diagnosis emerged because of a few of factors. The first was associated with the fact that I'd taken every antidepressant imaginable without attaining anything resembling sustained relief. The second was associated with one of my free-wheeling self medication experiments -- I found that low dose dilantin -- half of one of the 50mg Infatabs -- canceled out my chronic low grade anxiety, so there was clearly something positive associated with taking an anti-convulsant.

When I consulted with a more research oriented doc, he basically looked at the overall pattern of symptoms and reactions to drugs: antidepressants alone are somewhat effective but don't yield long-term benefits, anti-convulsants are beneficial, and depression with marked anxiety and insomnia. No mania, hypomania or anything of the kind. I do not know whether or not I have a bipolar spectrum disorder -- and I don't think it matters all that much. I think the value of the bipolar diagnosis is that it enables psychiatrists to explore options that hadn't been considered or tried before -- and many of the medications traditionally reserved for manic-depression are proving beneficial for a whole range of mood disorders that extend well beyond bipolar depression as it was once defined. I'm not entirely sure whether it's a question of bipolar being underdiagnosed or bipolar treatments being under-utilized -- either way, it means that doctors are exploring options, and the more options you have, the greater your chances of hitting upon something that works. So, I think there is value in being diagnosed bipolar, even if you technically don't fit neatly within the diagnostic parameters.

Drew

> >I think bipolar is an underdiagnosed disease. >Sometimes I get the feeling all mood disorders >are bipolar of some degree but it takes longer >time to perceive/acknowledge manic/hypomanic >phases as an illness since it's usually >associated with well being
>
> I think thats a pretty extreme statement. I also think that it is likey a statment that a bipolar individual would be more comfortable making.
>
> I really don't think there is anything I need to admit though. You can ask friends, family, teachers, classmates etc. I don't know of any who would know me as being a bipolar.
>
> Theres nothing I am really hiding. My initial response to SSRI's was nothing fantastic, it was just simply a drug which helped me get over the worst symtpoms of depression, and get back to school and certain daily activities. I certainly didn't feel great, and I thought about getting off of it all the time (hence the foolish self withdrawl)
>
> If you know somebody who has had a lifelong chronic unipolar manifestation, with no history of mania, hypomania, etc. I would hesitate to call them bipolar.
>
> Linkadge


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poster:dewdropinn thread:772375
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20070730/msgs/773392.html