[JustAnotherNutter]

Hi,

As the title summarizes, I enjoy attending AA and trying to make sense of the steps but my drinking seems to be worsening lately. I have had a tentative bipolar diagnosis in the past but I didn't accept it, which I gather is a good indication of its accuracy paradoxically. I'm trying to get access to better mental health care; my psychiatrist got fed up and banished me, well I suppose it was mutual, but it's difficult with the byzantine insurance paperwork. It reminds me of the movie Brazil, "Have you got a 27b-6? Is it stamped? No, there's no stamp on it!" Good movie by the way, Terry Gilliam I think. I've always had terrible sleep many years before touching a drink, and I've been complicating things by combining benzos and tricyclics for sleep which allows me to at least rest a bit but I don't think it's really treating anything. Anyway just wanted to get this out and see if anyone has any suggestions.

JustAnutherNutter

[Altered Moment]

Well you do have to have an honest desire to stop drinking. Maybe you just don't want to give it up. One theory. Maybe you are doing it to satisfy someone else. Two theory

I would say keep going. Doesn't matter if you are drinking keep going.

And definitely get the proper psychiatric care and stop self medicating.

[JustAnotherNutter]

Yes I keep going, and I don't drink every day. Maybe every third on average. I guess I'm just resigned to self medicating for now because I know from years of experience that I'm not going to be able to stop without real medication. Thanks for the input.

[MarkNoo11]

Originally Posted by zinco14532323

Well you do have to have an honest desire to stop drinking. Maybe you just don't want to give it up. One theory. Maybe you are doing it to satisfy someone else. Two theory

I would say keep going. Doesn't matter if you are drinking keep going.

And definitely get the proper psychiatric care and stop self medicating.

This is sort of off-topic but what does Lamictal do? My doctor mentioned that she might want me to take it. I read up on it a little bit and it says it is for epilepsy and bi-polar affective disorders. I don't have either of those. I have depression, ocd, and social anxiety (also anhedonia). Would Lamictal help or does she have me confused with another patient?
Our discusssion on this was through MyChart, so it was a series of email. For all I know she thought I was someone else.
Anyway, if you can give me an opionion on Lamictal I would appreciate it.

[Altered Moment]

No she is right. The mood stabilizers like tegretol and lamictal are anti convulsants that they discovered work for bi polar as mood stabilizers. They were approved for this. Now Lamactil is being used off label for uni polar depession. Off label I think. It definitely improved my mood and I have not had any side effects.

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[JustAnotherNutter]

I don't know what the rules on this forum are for talking medical advice, but I can say lamictal was a miracle for me. Really the only effective drug I've had for depression and racing manic anxious thoughts. Wonderful stuff. Gave me a sense of peace I tried for so long to find in meditation and yoga. Later I started having pinpricks of blood under my skin. The rash is serious stuff, so I stopped it. I was overseas at the time and worried about what kind of hospitals I could find so I didn't risk it. I think I would go on it again just to see what happens anyway but I want an MD to make that call. Tegretol I know has some anemia issues and I already have bad anemia. But again I Just Anutha Nutta not a doctor.

[thickntired]

Hi,

That's funny about the movie Brazil! I have had good results as well from Lamictal, but for my Bipolar I def need a mood stabilizer. After I got my meds and diagnosis correct I was able to get sober. And, my diagnosis has changed a lot because my pdoc knows drugs & alcohol are not the cause of my mental illness. When I was not sober they couldn't tell if the drugs were causing the illness or the other way around. Maybe AA is a trigger for you because most groups include comments about what we were like when we were drinking. There are many different support groups like The LifeRing Home Page | Sobriety, Secularity, Self-Help, https://rational.org/index.php?id=1, Drug Rehabilitation | Drug Addiction Treatment Center | Alcoholism | Addiction Mental Health | Directory Substance Abuse Detox Programs | SoberRecovery good info at Alcohol, Drug Addiction and Recovery News | Resources ? The Fix

Some alcoholics are able to get sober through religion or spirituality. I like AA because I know there are people who can hold me accountable, but I stay on the fringes. I personally don't want a 12 step group to become my life, but I do know that sobriety and mental illness are my life.

Good Luck,

tnt