Hi everyone, I saw my psychiatrist yesterday, my 3rd session with him, and he has now told me I have Bipolar I. It wasn't a shock, I was expecting it, and I am actually not too bummed about it because at least now I know what is wrong with me. He told me I meet all the signs & criteria for this & because I have had several severe manic episodes which have severely affected my life at times. I actually feel somewhat relieved because now I'm hopeful I can fight this & try to stay stable. The final straw was this summer when I had an intense manic episode that lasted several weeks that sent me to the hospital, paranoid delusions, having more risky sex than ever & getting by on hardly any sleep. Typically I get 1-3 severe manic episodes per year, and have since high school, so this is something I've dealt with for years and just wasn't aware what was wrong with me.

My doctor told me that it's not uncommon for people to have bipolar & also anxiety. He already gave me some Seroquel, I took it for about a week, up to 300mg but then cut down because it was making me SO tired & listless! He wants me to keep taking it. I didn't feel bad on it, just really foggy & confused. He said I need to give it more time. He is also starting me on Abilify. I don't know much about it other than the tv commercials I've seen. I wasn't aware it was used for bipolar treatment. He gave me a brochure to take home and read more about my diagnosis. He said the Abilify should help get me stable, & keep me there. I hope it works for me.

I asked him about Lamictal, because I had read about it, but he wanted to try the Abilify first because he said it's effective at preventing major mania like I experience from time to time. I don't have much depressive episodes, not nearly as bad as the mania. Can't remember exactly what he said about the Lamictal, but he dismissed it pretty much out of hand, indicating that it wouldn't be as effective for me since I have Bipolar I and not Bipolar II. Plus I'm already on Seroquel too which I think with the Paxil is what makes me feel so drowsy. I haven't had another manic episode since starting the Seroquel, knock on wood.

I'm also still on Paxil for my anxiety. It still isn't that great, it makes me feel out of sorts & weird. I am going down from 40mg to 20mg because I felt the 40 was too high for me & making me groggy, & he agreed. Plus he was worried being on just the Paxil would trigger a manic episode for me. So my new medical regimen will be Paxil+Seroquel+Xanax+the Abilify.

So yeah, I'm glad I can face this head on & hopefully keep myself stable. I'm sort of relieved someone has finally told me what's wrong with me & hopefully I can find a regimen that helps me. Hope some can relate on here to what I am going through. Has anyone had success/experience with Abilify/Seroquel plus an ssri for bipolar I? If the Abilify doesn't work out, I may ask him about trying Lithium.