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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
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Posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 23:15:10
Hi to all,
I have been diagnosed with chronic dysthymia with episodes of major depression. However, a couple people have said they think I am bi-polar. I have never been manic or hypomanic that I can recall. But, I do get extremely irritated and downright mean when fighting with my boyfriend at times. And I guess I can get pretty paranoid too. Tony(my boyfriend) said he thinks I am bi-polar because I act like his uncle at times, who is bipolar. Someone on this website said maybe I could be bipolar after reading one of my posts.
This evening tony and I were fighting and I started hitting him and would not stop going on and on about something I was paranoid about. I know i should stop when I am yelling and carrying on, but in a way I can't. Is being violent and irritated a sign of bipolar. What about being paranoid. I will bring this up to my pdoc next visit. Any thoughts on this behavior? thank you
Posted by lalaland on December 4, 2002, at 0:50:46
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? Please help, posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 23:15:10
I am certainly not an "expert" but I have been diagnosed with BP. According to my MD it is more euphoric highs and low depression in cycles not really Anger. It sounds to me like you have an anger problem which is a different beast all together. My boyfriend does the same thing. He gets very angry and starts yelling and cannot be settled down(he doesn't hit me though)Anger is a different problem all togehter. It's good that you are aware and want to change. It is very hard on the recieving end of those types of arguments. As far as being a diagnostic component in BP though it doesn't sound like it. You may be depressed and moody without being BP. Hope this helps a little :-)
Posted by oracle on December 4, 2002, at 2:01:10
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? Please help, posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 23:15:10
Sounds BP to me. At the very least check it out.
The meds for depression will make BP worse.
My BP friends always speak about the anger before meds.
Posted by shar30906 on December 4, 2002, at 22:28:34
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosis of depression? Please help, posted by oracle on December 4, 2002, at 2:01:10
HI I have had depression for over ten years now, and taken so many different meds it really isn't funny. I have many of the symptoms of bp and have been reading about Bipolar type III, I've not had mania but definaety hypopmania in the past. My question is this, I've recenty started taking depakote and know it's for Bipolar, it seems to be helping more than anything ever has, would it help if i weren't bp. I don't have a deffinate diagnosis yet from my Pdoc, she has said atypical depression and cyclomania, the second i dont agree with because i've had several bouts of severe depression, but anti depressants don't work or make me worse,
wondering about Bipolar meds for depression,
shar30906
Posted by JaneB on December 5, 2002, at 7:31:20
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? question re: bp med , posted by shar30906 on December 4, 2002, at 22:28:34
> HI I have had depression for over ten years now, and taken so many different meds it really isn't funny. I have many of the symptoms of bp and have been reading about Bipolar type III, I've not had mania but definaety hypopmania in the past. My question is this, I've recenty started taking depakote and know it's for Bipolar, it seems to be helping more than anything ever has, would it help if i weren't bp. I don't have a deffinate diagnosis yet from my Pdoc, she has said atypical depression and cyclomania, the second i dont agree with because i've had several bouts of severe depression, but anti depressants don't work or make me worse,
> wondering about Bipolar meds for depression,
> shar30906Hi shar,
I am seeing my pdoc soon and am curious about depakote. What dose are you taking, how long, side effects? It seems that ADs make me worse too. My previous dr. mentioned cyclothymia once but I was unwilling to try depakote because a friend did and she gained a lot of weight and felt like sleeping all the time. I am wondering if I should reconsider. Any input would be appreciated.
JaneB
Posted by shar30906 on December 5, 2002, at 23:07:54
In reply to Need answers re/depakote » shar30906, posted by JaneB on December 5, 2002, at 7:31:20
> > HI I have had depression for over ten years now, and taken so many different meds it really isn't funny. I have many of the symptoms of bp and have been reading about Bipolar type III, I've not had mania but definaety hypopmania in the past. My question is this, I've recenty started taking depakote and know it's for Bipolar, it seems to be helping more than anything ever has, would it help if i weren't bp. I don't have a deffinate diagnosis yet from my Pdoc, she has said atypical depression and cyclomania, the second i dont agree with because i've had several bouts of severe depression, but anti depressants don't work or make me worse,
> > wondering about Bipolar meds for depression,
> > shar30906
>
> Hi shar,
> I am seeing my pdoc soon and am curious about depakote. What dose are you taking, how long, side effects? It seems that ADs make me worse too. My previous dr. mentioned cyclothymia once but I was unwilling to try depakote because a friend did and she gained a lot of weight and felt like sleeping all the time. I am wondering if I should reconsider. Any input would be appreciated.
> JaneBJane, so far my diagnosis has been a typical depression and cyclothymic, I do not agree with the last Dx, at all; as I think I stated in my previous post. With every medication you have to rember that it will not have the same effects on everyone. For me Depakot has changed my life dramatically, Before I started taking it I had no appitite due to other meds I has been taking, so at this point the increased appitite has been a good thing. It does make me sleepy but I have a very hard time falling and staying asleep becuse of back pain and also "mind noise" so that has also been a welcome side effect, it has worked better than most benzo sleep meds I've taken. The only side effect that I'm having a problem with is heartburn, which has been severe, but controlable with acid reducers. My Pdoc put me on the depakot after trying all the usual AD that i've taken over the last few years, and saw for her self that they don't work and in some cases make me worse. I started at 250mg twice per day and she has changed that to 150 in the am and 500 at night, I have to go for blood work and see what my blood levels are to make sure that my liver is handeling it ok. Gaining too much weight is a major concern for me because of my small body ant additional weight means more stress on my body and in turn more pain. I also am hoping that the tierdness in the day will wear off as i get used to the med, the ratigue is killing me but it is better than the dramatic mood swings and agitation and crying I was doing before taking depakote.
If i were you I would give mood stabalizers a chance to work if you've not had any luck with anti depressants, I wish my doc would have tried them sooner, the last 10 years of my life would have been so much more bearable! It may take awhile for you doc to find the right mood stabalizer for you, I was on topamax before, and didn't see the same dramatic results. I will have to deal with the side effects the best I can until they become a problem, I'm, hoping that my doc will perscribe an appitite suppressor my next visit. !
wishing you health and happiness this holiday season!
shar30906
Posted by Ritch on December 6, 2002, at 9:36:44
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? Please help, posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 23:15:10
> Hi to all,
> I have been diagnosed with chronic dysthymia with episodes of major depression. However, a couple people have said they think I am bi-polar. I have never been manic or hypomanic that I can recall. But, I do get extremely irritated and downright mean when fighting with my boyfriend at times. And I guess I can get pretty paranoid too. Tony(my boyfriend) said he thinks I am bi-polar because I act like his uncle at times, who is bipolar. Someone on this website said maybe I could be bipolar after reading one of my posts.
> This evening tony and I were fighting and I started hitting him and would not stop going on and on about something I was paranoid about. I know i should stop when I am yelling and carrying on, but in a way I can't. Is being violent and irritated a sign of bipolar. What about being paranoid. I will bring this up to my pdoc next visit. Any thoughts on this behavior? thank you
Hi, it sounds like dysphoric hypomania to me. It especially sounds suspect given that you are having recurrent major depressive spells as well. Simmering and ruminative irritability with occasional explosive temper spells (and feeling guilty about them later) are the worst symptoms I ever get. It just seems like everybody is doing their damndest to piss you off! Depakote has worked the best for me in that deparment.
Posted by Krysti on December 7, 2002, at 15:59:57
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? question re: bp med , posted by shar30906 on December 4, 2002, at 22:28:34
Hi Shar,
Good question. I don't really know the answer though. I've wondered that myself - what these meds would do to a person who feels normal. I have heard people who have been prescribed Depakote for things other than Bipolar though (well, epilepsy obviously, but also anxiety).
Before I had a manic episode, I was in your position also - wondering if I was Bipolar, but not quite sure. After I had the manic episode, it was MUCH easier to see. Some things that had started to convince me even before that though were responses I got from other people (who I considered "normal") when I asked them questions. I started asking around about how they feel from day to day. Like, do you get down for no reason or happy for no reason? They would tell me no, there was always a reason. At the time, I actually thought they were lying, lol. I would ask if they ever felt like they couldn't shut their minds off - were constantly thinking (I'm not sure if this is a part of Bipolar or just the anxiety that I also have) and they would tell me no. Also, if they ever felt euphoric - they definitely did not. So, I would do searches for euphoria on the internet and the only disorder that would come up is Bipolar. One of my friend's who I talked to pretty much every day had also asked me if I thought maybe I could be Bipolar. I was always in a different mood whenever I talked to her. Some days I was really really happy, then the very next day I'd be really really down for no apparent reason.
When you are Bipolar, AD's alone definitely make it worse. That's actually what sent me into a manic episode (not that they do that to everyone), but they can definitely make the cycling worse. Some mood stabilizers are better than others for the depression side. I have heard Lamictal has an anti-depressant property. I got depressed when taking Depakote and Gabitril. When you find a mood stabilizer that seems to work to make you stop cycling though, you can also try to add an AD on top of it for the depression.
If you recognize you have been hypomanic, then it sounds like a form of Bipolar. Your best bet is to find a good pdoc who really listens to you and is proactive in finding the right med or combo of meds to help you. There are a lot of them out there and it may take a while to find which ones are best for you, but a good pdoc will keep trying.
Good luck to you : )
Krysti
Posted by ST on December 7, 2002, at 21:32:03
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? Please help, posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 23:15:10
Angel1,
Bi polar illness manifests itself differently in everyone. Everyone. It truly is amazing. My sisiter is bi polar and gets so angry she can't see straight. She's held a knife to my throat, hit my mom, yanked on my other sister's hair...so many other atrocious things. Some bi polars never experience a down swing. Some bi polars almost always just are depressed with almost no hypomania (like me). Often bi polars become very angry and agitated at the end of a hypomanic or manic episode. It is very likely that you could be bi polar. You need several opinions. And you might want to be on a mood stabilizer in addition to an AD. If you're just on an AD, that will make you agitated if you are, in fact, bi polar. Seek other doctors. Learn as much as you can about bi polar illness from the web and from books. It will empower you; you will not feel so "in the dark" about your diagnosis. Please get at least three opinions from reputable doctors and choose one you click with the most. Good luck!
Sarah
Posted by bookgurl99 on December 12, 2002, at 22:16:55
In reply to Misdiagnosis of depression? Please help, posted by Angel1 on December 3, 2002, at 23:15:10
Just from reading what you read, I don't think it sounds like you're BP; I think it sounds like you probably have PMS. Is this anger connected in any way at all to, say, your period, or sleeping less because of changes at work or school? All kinds of things can make people disproportionately angry -- my gf gets really moody when her asthma gets bad, for example.
The paranoia is it's own thing; sounds kind of like me during a bad anxiety/ocd spell.
I just want to make sure you're being treated for the right thing, not just that your bf wants to 'help' you out with a label -- and remove himself from HIS responsibility in your arguments by doing so. 'Difficult women' are in danger of being mislabeled just to make things easier on everyone.
good luck, hope you find out what's wrong and get the help you need,happy holidays!
bookgurl99
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