[bipolarcritic]

Hi:

I was recently diagnosed with bipolar disorder last year. I don't know how "intense" my diagnosis was. Honestly, I just told my psych that I was having mood swings and a history of depression and mania and they diagnosed me as bipolar I after 20 minutes and immediately put me on tegretol. My problem is that I can't really tell a difference when I am on my medication. I have problems with impulsivity (specifically sexual impulsivity) and the medication has done absolutely nothing to stop them. I still have racing thoughts, anxiety, sleepless nights. I have extreme difficulty concentrating at work and go from one thing to another quickly. I have periods in which I flake out and call in sick to work for no reason and I am constantly late even when on medications. I fidget quite a bit and make impulsive and rash decisions frequently- such as impulsive spending, horrible food choices, etc.

Is it possible to be both ADHD and bipolar? Could I have been misdiagnosed. I have been having problems concentrating ever since I was 12. I was held back in the seventh grade due to poor grades because of behavioral issues. That is also when my sexual impulsivity started.

[LacunaCoiler]

I'm diagnosed with both, so I'm assuming it's possible. I was first diagnosed with bipolar I and just this last year finally got diagnosed with ADHD. It could be a number of things, maybe the doctor did diagnose you wrong, or the meds your on aren't working. Either way, I'd suggest talking to your doctor about it and work with him/her to find the right combination. It took me 2-3 years to finally find the right combination to control my bipolar, so it is a lot of guess and see work when coming up with the right combination. The icing on the cake was the concerta for my ADHD. Now you wouldn't even know I have either. I'm a total different person then I was just a few years ago. I wish you the best and I'd start with talking to your doctor about your concerns.

[bipolar2man]

I also have Bipolar 2 and ADHD. I have my Bipolar 2 under control (Lithium + Lamitrogine) but am struggling to get the ADHD side under control. i have lost my job 3 times over 2 years due to ADHD. This is why I am here

[pinkflower17]

Tegretol isn't a great med. There are a lot of other ones out there that may be better for you. Your symptoms could be due to bipolar disorder or ADD or a combo or something else, like borderline personality disorder. I would get another opinion or at the very least, ask for a change in meds.

[elevatedsoul]

what medicine do you take?

it took a while for me to get stable evn on the meds, now that im stable im trying to attack the adhd

i think its important to treat the bipolar first
hang in there