Quote:
Originally Posted by BuggsBunny
Before you get all whacked out about not having a number assigned, think of this: When I was diagnosed, they still called it manic-depressive. Period. No numbers, no NOS, nothing. We were all lumped into one category. I was never given a number, I read it on my receipt a few years after the DSM (diagnostic and statistics manual) changed it to Bipolar 1 and 2. Be glad you don't have to wait that long! 
Seriously, tho, Our Nurse has the right idea. The insurance company is a lot more likely to pay for a wider range of drugs if you aren't classified. And if it really drives you crazy not to know, grab the most recent DSM (5?) from the medical section of your library and see if you can come up with a number. After all, it's not what number you are assigned, it's whether or not the meds work. |
You can say that again! And sometimes it takes
years to mix the correct bipolar 'cocktail'---a prospect that terrifies me because I'm just getting started with only five months under my belt. So I'm not in any huge hurry about getting a number.....I want to learn what works to keep me stable. Right now, it seems to be Celexa, Lamictal, and Zyprexa with Ativan thrown in for good measure; but who knows what'll happen come wintertime when the depression likes to knock my feet out from under me.
I really don't like the current definitions from the DSM-IV, because it is so strict about defining BP I and II, and the fact that I've had two mixed episodes and a manic episode would make me BP I. I don't believe I'm that bad off. But, it is what it is, and for now, I'll just float around in NOS land and let someone who is smarter than me figure it out.
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DX: Bipolar 1
Anxiety
Tardive dyskinesia
Mild cognitive impairment
RX: Celexa 20 mg
Gabapentin 1200 mg
Geodon 40 mg AM, 60 mg PM
Klonopin 0.5 mg PRN
Lamictal 500 mg
Levothyroxine 125 mcg (rx'd for depression)
Trazodone 150 mg
Zyprexa 7.5 mg
Please come visit me @ http://bpnurse.com