Posted by garylee on May 16, 2008, at 16:54:45
In reply to In need of answers! ADD/Bipolar/MDD?, posted by Londonboy on May 14, 2008, at 4:32:34
Londonboy
Wow, your life seems a doppelganger of mine! Except you are a year older than me...
The very fact you become hypomanic after taking antidepressants, particularly SSRI's pretty much say you are Bipolar, probably type II or NOS as you haven't had any psychotic/manic episodes.
As a Bipolar, STAY AWAY FROM ANTIDEPRESSANTS! Search on Google, there is lots of evidence for this. I'd recommend that you look into 'Mood Stabilizers' I highly recommend Lamictal as a general mood stabilizer (work up to around 200mg a day), Sulpiride for any anxiety and social phobia (also helps as a mild antidepressant) and if you have trouble with sleep, Seroquel 25mg - 50mg and around 0.5mg - 1mg of Clonazepam, it's a very good sleep combo.
Also if you have been a substance abuser in the past or even the present, I'd say you probably feel 'normal' on them? If you don't mind me asking, what was/is you drug of choice? Mine's always been MDMA (but serotonin drugs are a no no) and especially Cocaine. Anything Dopamine has a great effect on me and I have done some of my best work whilst being 'high'. Therefore Dopaminergics such as Pramipexole and Ropinerole are a good choice. Pramipexole almost brought me into remission, I'd say around a 70% improvement all round. Though I came off it to try another one and it didn't work second time round, so IF you did try it and it worked, DON'T come off it!
I am also trying opiates right now, Tramadol to be precise and I feel ever so slightly hypo, which I like as things get done and I feel good, hence this long reply, lol. Omega fish oils in high does are also a must...
Anyway, I'll leave it that for now... Feel free to ask more questions. Always like to help! :O)
Gary
P.S. I started an Architecture course last September but dropped out due to this f**king disease. Have to plod on though.
poster:garylee
thread:829018
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080510/msgs/829506.html