[allme]

Hi guys

Had my app with recovery team... they have assigned me a cpn who will come to my home, reduced my anti depressent to 20mg and put me on 300mg a day of seroqueal XL.

After 4 weeks, they will take me off anti depressent if no depression appears.

They say I am in remission man it has been a hard few months. Oct - december I was depressed (suicidal) and then early part of this yr I went manic.

Thing is, when feeling ok, I have anxiety about another episode and worry about what I will do... especially while manic.

Love to all

[Skully]

Glad to hear that things are looking up for you. Try not to think about having another episode. I know it will be hard to do but try your best. That should cut down on the anxiety and panic. I too sometimes worry about another attack but then realize that there are ways I can keep it from being as bad as it once was. Learn to recognize the early warning signs and seek help quickly and maybe another attack won't be as bad. Hope this helps some.

[shaggy dog]

Congratulations allme, you have reason to be proud. It sounds like you've worked hard to come as far as you have. Have you and your recovery team discussed coping skills to head off another episode so you don't have to worry as much? Thank you for sharing the good news and hang in there. shaggy

[Maxime]

That's great news! Amazing really! I wish you all the best!

[grizmom]

It sounds like things are going well; you must be relieved! I hope you are able to remain stable and not worry (at least not too much) about another episode.

[sugahorse1]

Awesome news. Please explain this process to me a bit more - we definitely do not have anything like this in South Africa.
You definitely are a front-runner in givin us hope that we can get better! At what stage did they decide it was no longer necessary to take meds? How are you coping?
I'd be so worried not to have meds to fall back on.

Strength to you, and keep in touch!

[WendyAussie]

It sounds like they have things in hand which is great. I relate to the anxiety though. I have Bipolar and pania and anxiety disorders and I'm also an 11 years sober alcoholic. I find that most Bipolars I speak to also do suffer from some variation of panic and anxiety too. I get the feeling that panic and anxiety will eventually be classed as party of Bipolar rather than an addition to it. Either way, it needs to be looked after specifically, as well as the Bipolar symptoms - bith through meds and therapy - and in my case the AA program really helps too.

[allme]

Hi and thanks guys

I was referred to the recovery team as they deemed me resistent to normal types of therapy.... cbt, counselling etc

The recovery team are there for the long term and I will receive home visits from them to ensure I'm coping with my BP and there to recognise if an episode is coming on... or I have entered one. It's long term support that I could have done with yrs ago, however, they're there for me now so this makes me happy.

I have not come of meds completely.... they are just weaning me off fluoxetine and have put me on Seroquel XL. 300mg a day is said to keep you in remission and the dosage can be altered if an episode comes on. They tell me this drug was only licensed last month (I'm from the UK) to be taken during "normal" phase as well as depressed and manic. So... fingers crossed!

I feel pretty angry at times that it took them 12 yrs of telling me I had dpression to actually listening to me and diagnosing me properly. I'm now 29 and for yrs they have fobbed me off with different anti depressants that never truly worked for me. I just wish they had diagnosed it sooner (diagnose october 2009) and maybe I wouldnt have done half the crazy things I have done. Its the manic episodes that have really caused me problems in my life and have got me into alot of trouble and caused ppl I love alot of pain and frustration. I never thought to tell them about these manic episodes as I never thought of myself as "manic" and just thought I was really happy. If I had been questioned then maybe, just maybe it would have been recognised sooner. It was only that a doctor last october questioned me about my mum's bp and asked more exstnsive questions that concerns were ever raised. I never knew bp could run in the family and never joined the dots, as like I said, never saw a problem with what I'd do during manice episodes. When I got depressed and felt bad for things I'd done, I'd shrug the doubts away about my behaviour being questionable and put it down to me being down about myself. Ok now I am going on. Sorry... lol it obvioulsy bothers me more than I thought.

Anyway where was I? lol yes so not off meds completely.... just swapping lol.

And yes I agree with the anxiety thing being a part of Bp... it seems, from what I hear, alot of ppl with bp also suffer from anixety problems. I have also been diagnosed with GAD.

Ok before I rant any further I will go lol

[WendyAussie]

I'm glad your recovery team is looking after you. I have something similar here in Aus and it makes all the difference to have a co-ordinated team.

Similar to you, even though I had a dx of Bipolar, I was mis-prescribed SSRI's for 6/7 years and it utterly destroyed my life. For some Bipolars, including me, SSRI's can exascerbate the Hypomania/Mania and then of course all the rest of the Bipolar symptoms of mixed states and rapid cycling, panic and anxiety and then the shocking plunges into Major Bipolar depression - and we know where that leads. And all of this reduced my functionality from being a high functionling (although with mental illness) person to a NO FUNCTIOING person. I lost my career, my house, family and friends who couldn't deal with a person in such daily deep Bipolar depression and much more. I was taken off the SSRI's nearly two years ago with a new psychdoc and it has been an extremely slow but at least positive improvement since then. I wouldn't have made it unless I was taken off SSRI's. Please note though, that for many Bipolars, SSRI's are a must in their meds mix, but for me, they are contraindicated.