Posted by ed_uk2010 on March 22, 2010, at 19:52:13
In reply to Educate me on Dysphoria, posted by Petrucci914 on March 22, 2010, at 19:12:14
> Sooo...a light-bulb went off in my head at my last psychiatry appointment. We were discussing all the medications I've tried, and the paradoxical reactions I've had to most of them, especially stimulatory ones. They either did nothing or made me more tired, irritable, angry, and fatigued. My doctor told me that a lot of times mania can be noticed in the form of dysphoria. I always thought that mania was when you were really happy with a lot of energy. We now may think that I have some bipolar tendencies.
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> Can someone school me on Dysphoria? Is my doctor right? And is the fact that I haven't experienced any positive effects from my antidepressants be because I have Bipolar disorder? I'm now on Invega and some days I think it is helping me which is partly why my doctor thinks I may be bipolar. I'm not really happy with the sexual dysfunction. If I do have a bipolar subtype, where would the next recommendations be? My doctor hates lithium.Dysphoria is a vague term which can refer to a variety of unpleasant emotions. In dysphoric mania, typical manic symptoms such as overexcitement, pressured speech and racing thoughts are combined with feelings of distress.
Lithium is the best established treatment for bipolar disorder, it would be foolish to 'hate' it. In some cases, it can be problematic because the dose is too high. The drug that you doctor has chosen to prescribe (Invega) is far from being problem-free.
It sounds to me like your diagnosis is unclear. I think it would be wise to look into this more closely before jumping to any conclusions. Many people do not benefit from antidepressants, this does not mean that they are bipolar. Antidepressants can be particularly problematic in bipolar disorder however, because they tend to induce symptoms of mania and sometimes rapid cycling of mood.
Best regards
poster:ed_uk2010
thread:940449
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20100318/msgs/940452.html