to all on this thread.. and any passersby... it's normal to question your diagnosis... to doubt yourself & your responses to treatments... heck, to question if you need treatment... but don't think just because one medication works for you in a way that it's "not supposed to" ... indicates that you are or aren't bipolar... or that it is or isn't working... the worst thing about bipolar and the treatment of it (also the reason it's so widely misunderstood and so difficult to comprehend fully to those who don't have it), in my opinion, is that every person experiences it slightly differently.. for different reasons.. and every person responds differently to each medication (or the cocktail of medications some of us end up on)... while i would be off my rocker manic if i was only on effexor.. that is no indication whatsoever of what your experience of the drug and its effects means or how it actually speaks to of your brain chemistry...

regardless of what diagnosis you have.. if you find a medication that makes life more livable, *gasp*, even enjoyable... be glad... and don't take it for granted... enjoy the good parts as much as you can... as what works for you now, by whatever mechanism it works... may be completely ineffective eight months or eight years from now... all you can do is live your life the best that you can... and make the best of what you've got.. whether you're bipolar or not.