Posted by undopaminergic on March 27, 2008, at 9:50:30
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosed.....ADD/Bipolar » twinch42085, posted by Phillipa on March 23, 2008, at 12:20:48
> And if a topic is uninteresting to you can a med make you find it interesting?
Not quite, but you can get pretty close to it (under fortunate circumstances).A medication that boosts energy and improves focus and motivation (including tolerance for frustration) is enough to enhance capability of dealing with the seemingly boring. If the drug also brightens mood and self-confidence, your attitude to the normally boring topic typically becomes more positive and open-minded. Finally, the drug might enhance aspects of memory and cognition, making it easier to learn about new topics and to see the usefulness of new information.
Stimulants, at their best, can do most, if not all, of the above. However, they tend to produce tolerance, and excessive doses can result in effects that are the opposite. There seems to be no known solution.
twinch42085 wrote:
> I have been treated for anxiety in the past. Mainly with benzodiazepines, but they did nothing for me. I just don't understand why I went from making A's and B's to making D's and F's. I was on the Deans List every semester. Now that I am supposedly stable with my bipolar why can't I get back on track?
My story has similarities. While I was never diagnosed with bipolar and didn't have much anxiety, benzodiazepines seem to have little effect against the little anxiety I do have. Also, my performance at "boring" subjects at school started to degenerate already in high school, and I eventually dropped out of college very near graduation because my energy, focus and motivation were all drained, and even my mood and self-esteem were failing. In the approximate 8 years since, only the latter two (self-esteem and mood) have recovered, while motivation and energy have worsened.
poster:undopaminergic
thread:819499
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080316/msgs/820126.html