Thanks, Phoenix. I see parallels in our histories.

I can't imagine ever giving up amitriptyline. It so dramatically changed how I feel (physically, as well as emotionally) and sleep. But I have read that it is contraindicated for persons with tendency toward mania. I'm wondering if it was hard for you to stop taking imipramine.

The one pdoc who thought I was bipolar seemed to base that on my having an episode of intense irritability that he got the benefit of. (He was minimizing a tough problem I had, and I got very upset.) I do seem to get upset beyond reason at times. It's like I can't regulate my emotional responses to certain types of stressors.

The other thing I wonder about is whether pdocs pick a diagnosis based on how the doctor feels emotionally about the patient. I have other experiences that lead me to think that pdocs are not very objective, but greatly influenced by how docile the patient is, or isn't, toward the doctor's own sense of authority.