[sewerrats]

i have had depression an anxierty since a little kid. ie lot,s of child illnesses put down to over sencetive to illness , were really they were brought on by anxierty. As entering my teens brought depression an elated happy fazes happened. before i was 22 had 4 kids with different women probably more. all the time then fed ativan for anxierty. o course down the years in well addicted to benzo,a an take antideprssants for life. I have never suffered mania i dont thik but every thing else points to bipolar.but i live in england an if you dont have a manic faze infront of the hospital phc team your not bipolar. So i never persued the matter.I have had incredable high,s an crashing low.s an remission. Been that way all my life, no ilaberate test only blood work . but if i am bipolar at least i never had to go on antphycotic meds an stupid diets , so mabye i am mabye im not. in england it dont make much defference ,your just a file in a million files. SORRY FOR THE SPELLING

[LittleBird]

I never really realised that I was manic cause the depression was so much worse. That is because I have bi polar II. My Highs brought irritability and also anxiety. I am not a pdoc though so I don't know if you have BPD or not. I never took anti psychotic meds. I think it is because my mania stages are not as intense. I hope you find out soon.

[PT52]

I have BP II also, and the manic phases can easily be mistaken for an energetic, outgoing personality. Especially when you learn to hide the depression. For me, being on an SSRI threw me into a long-term manic phase, so I finally got the right diagnosis and the right medication. Rather than focusing on a diagnosis, how about asking your doctors to treat specific symptoms when you have them? A lot of diagnoses come from which medications work and which don't.

[venusss]

Originally Posted by PT52

I have BP II also, and the manic phases can easily be mistaken for an energetic, outgoing personality. Especially when you learn to hide the depression. For me, being on an SSRI threw me into a long-term manic phase, so I finally got the right diagnosis and the right medication. Rather than focusing on a diagnosis, how about asking your doctors to treat specific symptoms when you have them? A lot of diagnoses come from which medications work and which don't.

But were you manic before starting on meds or was it induced by them?

[kitty004567]

I'm sorry you're going through all that. I don't really have any grand advice.

[BNLsMOM]

In my case, I went untreated for so long, that I just thought that periods of mania were me recovering from feeling depressed. It seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it, so I went from job to job, apartment to apartment thinking that if I changed my environmentand found the perfect sweet spot of balance between work and home that I would finally be happy.

Finally I went seeking help and from listening to my past behaviors and patterns, bipolar was put on the table. Also, OCD, Adhd, paranoid schizophrenia, borderline personality... They have all been put on the table. Right now we are working with bipolar and the meds that help with that.

It is so hard to know what the diagnosis is, and it is frustrating because I am a person who needs answers. Like others said the diagnosis is sometimes determined by which meds work the best.

I am on year two of trial and error and I am getting rather sick of it myself.

Originally Posted by sewerrats

i... Been that way all my life, no ilaberate test only blood work .

Wouldn't it be nice if there actually were a lab test?!

Originally Posted by BNLsMOM

In my case, I went untreated for so long, that I just thought that periods of mania were me recovering from feeling depressed. It seemed to have no rhyme or reason to it, so I went from job to job, apartment to apartment thinking that if I changed my environmentand found the perfect sweet spot of balance between work and home that I would finally be happy...

Cannot even tell you how much I relate to this. At one point I was self-employed. One time a client said something like... "wherever you go, there you are." I remember thinking, "DAMN!" That was years before diagnosis.

I hope you can get it sorted, sewerrats!

[blueoctober]

Hi sewerrats; I haven't experienced full blown mania, but I have experienced hypomania (milder than mania). A bipolar II diagnosis is a person that has suffered major depression and at least 1 hypomanic episode. For a bipolar I diagnosis the person must experience a full blown manic episode or a mixed episode.

For me the hypomanic episodes are normally quite subtle and presents as me being highly driven, happy, or irritable. My hypomanic episodes have always been short lived (longest was a week). I spend more time in a depressive episode and the longest depressive episode I had lasted 3 months.

[PT52]

Originally Posted by VenusHalley

But were you manic before starting on meds or was it induced by them?

I've had cycling all my life, but I hid the depression and everyone thought the hypomania was normal since my whole family is BP or some other disorder. When I went on Prozac, I had a manic phase that lasted two years, cost me two jobs and almost cost me my marriage..that's when I realized I probably wasn't as brilliant as I thought.

if you dont have a manic faze infront of the hospital phc team your not bipolar.

I guess I was thinking if they wouldn't treat bipolar, maybe they would treat symptoms and eventually come to the conclusion that it's BP..

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by blueoctober

Hi sewerrats; I haven't experienced full blown mania, but I have experienced hypomania (milder than mania). A bipolar II diagnosis is a person that has suffered major depression and at least 1 hypomanic episode. For a bipolar I diagnosis the person must experience a full blown manic episode or a mixed episode.

For me the hypomanic episodes are normally quite subtle and presents as me being highly driven, happy, or irritable. My hypomanic episodes have always been short lived (longest was a week). I spend more time in a depressive episode and the longest depressive episode I had lasted 3 months.

what meds do yoiu take for your condition.

[sewerrats]

i had one shrink years ago who said ,whenever you go into a manic type faze come an see me. when i was flying he was the last person i wanted to see, plus getting an appointment fast in england is like NOWAY. Little things what bugged other people were like you no if you hear a new song an you tell someone its cool.i would send them copies as if they should think the same as me. you know that buzz what gives you a massive headache, i often would thik why am i happier than every one else. then thought the low,s were normal.i never put weight on as my body was always on red alert . now i am over weight with meds that stablise me just. an have this life long benzo addiction, 4 mg ativan a day ,i can live with that though. i carnt really see any other meds apart from my sertraline getting me ina better place. i have been through enough hospital **** to last 10 life times. i just dont have any trust in english mental health. I even tell the p docs what meds i want out of the old fashioned med bible.They dont useually give you more than one med at a time.wellbutin is banded in england, give a little with a cool ssri an take away the sleepy feel without causeing anxierty would be cool.

[blueoctober]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

what meds do yoiu take for your condition.

I've been diagnosed since 2007 and have had med changes/adjustments. Now I'm on 200 mg of lamictal (mood stabilizer) and 300 mg of wellbutrin. I also use a SAD lamp in the fall and winter.

I think many people with bipolar are first diagnosed with unipolar depression. A lot of it is because a person will see their pdoc/gp when he or she is depressed, but not when they're hypomanic or manic. For me I was diagnosed at 31. I had symptoms since I was 8, but never sought out help until I was in a major depressive episode for 3 months. I went to my GP; was put on SSRI anti-d's which put me into a mixed state (depression and mania at the same time). I was found attempting and was committed to a Psychiatric Hospital for 6 weeks. By my 2nd week of hospitalization I started to get hypomanic and was in the best mood ever, but by the end of the week I was a raging B. I have a history of bipolar in my family (my mom has it) and my pdoc is excellent i.e. most of the psych nurses thought I had just gotten better.

I don't know if you do already, but I write in a journal and can see a difference in my writing style when I'm depressed as opposed to hypomanic. Another thing I would suggest is tracking your mood. I found a great free one on line at http://www.medhelp.org/land/mood-tracker

Perhaps you could print out the mood tracker for your pdoc and describe the symptoms you were/are experiencing. I would also suggest reading on the subject of bipolar. How the hypomania/mania presents for each person can be very different and I found when I educated myself on the subject I could see the pattern in my life. I hope that helps.

[sewerrats]

The 2 meds your on would not be an option for me in england , as wellbutrin never past the safe test, so not prescribed , an lamictal would be in generic form. An i read lots of gps in america dont rate the generic. I dont no how after 30 years they would think obout if i am bipolar or not.So long as i function in some way thats call that a win to them. To get a true result of my condition i would have to go private , go through test after test , costing megga money i dont have ,an then trying to convice the NHS of giveing me meds that dont turn me into a wreck through there cost cutting. I meen for exsample im on now sertraline , there is no way they would give you zoloft. PROZAC now is not much more than the generic but they wont script prozac.

[kitty004567]

Wow, it sounds like you're kinda caught in the system. I was originally "diagnosed" with depression by my T so she sent me to a pdoc to get medicated. He'd put me on antidepressants and I'd take them for a while with no results then magically be better and stop taking my meds. I moved so I saw several different doctors none of whom believed me (I just knew in my heart I had BP).

It took 7 years before I committed myself to a mental institution. I was going from depressed to manic about every 5 min. The pdoc there saw me once and knew. He made the diagnosis. I fired the pdoc I had been seeing off and on for 7 years because even when I came out of the hospital with a BP diagnosis he refused to believe it or treat me for it.

I got a new pdoc who liked to change my meds every 2 weeks... He left me unmedicated for 2 weeks so I, in my out of control (not to mention terrified) state threatened to report him to the licensing board for malpractice (leaving me unmedicated). He changed every one of my meds that day - it was the combination that worked. But I still changed pdocs. The one I've got now is great, he listens to what I say. I now take Seroquil, Gabapenten, Xanax, and I have a script for Ativan for panic attacks. But that's what works for me.

I hope you find the help you need soon :-) Until then we're here to support you. Well, and afterwords too *laughs at self.*

[sewerrats]

sounds like you had a rough ride to, one thing i dont get with your meds, xanax an ativan . why both , there both powerful benzo,s surely there a mistake giveing you the two . xanax is twice the strenth of ativan , you must have one hell of an anxierty prob, no doc in england would give you the 2 together, an i take the max ativan they script 4mg a day . how many xanax an ativan do you take a day

[PT52]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

The 2 meds your on would not be an option for me in england , as wellbutrin never past the safe test, so not prescribed , an lamictal would be in generic form. An i read lots of gps in america dont rate the generic. I dont no how after 30 years they would think obout if i am bipolar or not.So long as i function in some way thats call that a win to them. To get a true result of my condition i would have to go private , go through test after test , costing megga money i dont have ,an then trying to convice the NHS of giveing me meds that dont turn me into a wreck through there cost cutting. I meen for exsample im on now sertraline , there is no way they would give you zoloft. PROZAC now is not much more than the generic but they wont script prozac.

I'm on a generic Lamictal and it works fine for me. I'm also on generic Wellbutrin. A lot of people don't do well with SSRIs like Prozac, but do well on SNRIs like Wellbutrin - you may be able to get a prescription for one of the other SNRIs..

[crzyladee]

wow my pdoc had me up to 6 mg xanax a day and when I got burnt out on that she worked me up to 6 mg a day ativan. Anxiety can rule your life, I really hope you can find some satisfaction in all the chaos of life.

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by PT52

I'm on a generic Lamictal and it works fine for me. I'm also on generic Wellbutrin. A lot of people don't do well with SSRIs like Prozac, but do well on SNRIs like Wellbutrin - you may be able to get a prescription for one of the other SNRIs..

I dont do well on snris, cymbalta .good for pain not depression, effexor made my hair fall out, but i was put on to much to quick.It grew back but the effexor withrawl was a nightmare. generic wellbutrin i didnt no there was one. they have zyban or something , which is an anti smokeing drug but works like wellbutrin, an they wont give you that unless its for stopping smokeing. so whay is the generic name your on.

[PT52]

It's bupropion SR, I'm on 300 mg and 150 mg Lamictal. If you haven't done well on other snri's you probably want to ask for a different class of drug. Zyban and Wellbutrin are both used to quit smoking, but that's secondary to being anti-depressants. I'm surprised Zyban is only prescribed to quit smoking. Odd, really. And you're on sertraline, which is an SSRI but can't get prescribed Prozac or Zoloft? Maybe that's due to costs? I didn't do well on Prozac (hence the Wellbutrin), but my sister is exactly the opposite. My other sister is on Seroquel (she's BP I) and my brother is on Lexapro. All of us are on generic Lamictal. I guess we're a pharmacoepia family

[sewerrats]

Originally Posted by PT52

It's bupropion SR, I'm on 300 mg and 150 mg Lamictal. If you haven't done well on other snri's you probably want to ask for a different class of drug. Zyban and Wellbutrin are both used to quit smoking, but that's secondary to being anti-depressants. I'm surprised Zyban is only prescribed to quit smoking. Odd, really. And you're on sertraline, which is an SSRI but can't get prescribed Prozac or Zoloft? Maybe that's due to costs? I didn't do well on Prozac (hence the Wellbutrin), but my sister is exactly the opposite. My other sister is on Seroquel (she's BP I) and my brother is on Lexapro. All of us are on generic Lamictal. I guess we're a pharmacoepia family

SERTRALINE IS GENERIC ZOLOFT, I carnt get lexapro has its not generic yet, can get its older brother celexa but its not cool with me, an the sex life is nil. if i was cool on snri,s i could get cymbalta an effexor. but they dont suit , at least with ssri,s you can tapper at will, when one poops out its all down to cost in england

[PT52]

Originally Posted by sewerrats

SERTRALINE IS GENERIC ZOLOFT, I carnt get lexapro has its not generic yet, can get its older brother celexa but its not cool with me, an the sex life is nil. if i was cool on snri,s i could get cymbalta an effexor. but they dont suit , at least with ssri,s you can tapper at will, when one poops out its all down to cost in england

That's too bad...I know there are similar situations in the US..I'm fortunate enough to have health insurance (expensive, but for now we can afford it), and a great GP who really works hard to make sure I get the right meds. I hope things work out for you, too.