[mydarlin]

I went to the pdoc today...oh joy..I am now offically dx with Bipolar I mixed episodes...rapid cycling - so what now?
Change in meds...btw is anyone on ambilify (sp?). He started me on it today and increased my Lamactil...going up to 200mg.

I am not sure how I feel right now with an official "crazy" dx.

Would love to get some feedback on this....

[dreamrunner]

Hi mydarlin....maybe now you can progess a little more knowing what your dealing with.
No exp with lamactil....sorry
Take care

[lenjan]

Lamictal worked the best of anything for me, but I can't take it anymore because it's contraindicated with my physical illness....sigh.

I know how you feel about the "officially crazy dx." I felt that way for a looong time after being dx'd bipolar. I still do, kinda, but I think it's the stigma of it getting in the way, and the fact that every time some article brings up "serious mental illness" they add in parentheses, "bipolar disorder or schizophrenia" . Don't really know how to help you with that one, but I do understand. Feel free to vent to me anytime!

Candy

I got the dx of bipolar 1 about 7 years ago & am doing pretty well on Abilify (25mg), Lamictal (300 mg) plus Concerta (ADD), Provigil (to help combat excessive daytime sleepiness), Trazodone & klonopin to help sleep.

Abilify helped a lot with paranoid thoughts & delusions. Lamictal is helping with depression. I guess with them all working together, I 'm doing ok, but was dxed with mixed-moderate at my last appt. on Tues. I've been having trouble getting over a traumatic event so I think it is mostly psychological & emotional that is causing me the trouble now. Something that probably won't be taken care of by drugs, but by therapy. Welcome to the club!--Suzy

[Shyguy88]

When I was diagnosed as being bipolar disorder when I was in the psychiatric hospital along with PTSD, I felt relieved because now I know why my moods changes dramatically and when I found out what bipolar disorder was, it described me so well and now I can get help with medications and therapy, although right now I need a big med adjustment, I wont be able to see my new pdoc til sept. 17th. There are times when im in my mixed/depressed mood where I think why am I the one in the family to have a "offical crazy mental dx" but I have it and there isnt anything I can do to get rid of it so I have to live with it. I admit though I am lucky to have a mother that I live with and when I am feeling down she is there to help me and gets me the help that I need. I also like that quote from the advertisement on the bottom of the screen that says, "Bipolar Disorder is what I have, but not who I am".

[Direction]

It's not fun getting a label...I do agree that it can help you understand things a bit better...

[mydarlin]

my gp had dxed me about 7 or 8 months ago...but this makes everything official. It's not that I didn't know that I was bp...I think I have known it for years...I have taken those quizzes that you see in magazines and such for years and said " hey...maybe I should say something to the doc" but I never did. It took a smart doc to put all my symptoms together and say...I think that you are bp.

What is hard to deal with is the fact that it is really official...you know...before it was that a gp said I was bp...could have been a wrond dx because he isn't really trained in mental health....at least that was a hope...but I really knew deep inside that it was correct...I am just hoping that all the med changes help...

[ConfusedOne]

I was dx bp a year ago and still don't believe it. I took lamictal for 2 months and it helped my depression within 2 weeks. I had to come off it because of a rash. I was on abilify too it made me shake so bad I was chewing my tongue and they took me off that too. I liked the lamictal damn rash.