new and really not sure

Hi everyone. I am in the process of being weaned off my current meds for depression so I can be put on limactil for "possible" bipolar II. I have asked my primary doctor to treat me in consultation with my therapist as finding a psychiatrist is all but impossible where I live. I say possible because I am just so unsure. I have struggled with depression most of my life. My depression has always in my opinion been directly related to a weight problem I have struggled with since early childhood. Picture one skinny brother one fat sister. I was a fat infant and have battled it all my life with periods of normal weight. I have never been extremely obese topping out at about 185 during my highest periods. Anyhow bipolar has been gently suggested as a possibility twice over the years. I have never agreed because I feel depressed most of the time except on "good" weight days when the scale was kind. Ive always seen it as that simple. Yet there have been periods of what seems in hindsight manic behavior. So I am wondering if you could offer some suggestions on how I might go about looking at past behavior to determine if I may really fit a bpII diagnosis.

Just so you know, if you have bipolar and take a mood stabilizer, like lamictal, then you can probably have an antideressant along with it. I take lamictal (in generic - lamotrigine) and an antidepressant, Emsam which is an older drug, an MAOI. I also take other things - Antipsychotic - Abilify to bump up the antidepressant, Ambien (hypnotic) and Klonopin (benzodiazopine) for sleep.

Many people become depressed over their weight. I do want to warn you that many psych medications, including antidepressants and some mood stabilizers can cause weight gain. I have taken Lamictal for years with no weight gain associated with it.

Welcome to PC. I hope this forum can help you. To have BP II you have to of had at least one hypomania lasting at least 4 days, although people who rapid cycle sometimes have shorter cycles. During the hypomania you might find that your thoughts speed up and are clearer, you get more work done, you are unusually positive about things, you spend more money, you have lots of ideas or you take more risks than usual. There are some online tests that can give you an indication if BP is likely for you but it is best diagnosed by a psychiatrist. If you have had depression that does not respond to normal anti depressants then you might find that the drugs for BP help even if you don't fit the definition of BP. This is because some people think of BP as a spectrum ranging from people with mainly depression to those with mainly mania. Hope this helps.