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Originally Posted by scstateofmind
i went to my regular doctor recently and she suspects bipolar disorder. i was referred to a psychologist and given lexapro.
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Most psychologists technically cannot prescribe medication. Granted, there are some people in practice who are licensed to practice both psychiatry and therapy. By your "regular doctor" do you mean regular psychiatrist or general practitioner? Did you see a psychologist or a psychiatrist?
It seems to be standard practice to rule out (or dampen) depression, e.g. with small doses of antidepressants, before moving onto diagnoses like bipolar disorder and ADHD. The treatment of the latter may involve controlled and/or complicated substances. Perhaps this is what your doctor is doing. 5mg of Lexapro is a tiny amount, and is unlikely to hurt you (also, Lexapro takes about 4-6 weeks to kick in).
If you have concerns, please discuss them with your "regular" doctor.
Quote:
Originally Posted by kaliope
I was able to take wellbutrin, a different class without it triggering the manic side effect. take care.
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To clarify for any readers, it is possible for people with BP to have manic or hypomanic side-effects on Wellbutrin, even though its not a SSRI like Zoloft or Lexapro. I fared much worse on Wellbutrin than Lexapro or Prozac. Some people with BP, such as myself, take a small dose of an antidepressant along with a mood stabilizer.