[mossanimal]

you are really ADD/ADHD and not bipolar? What would all these meds do? Lamictal, Latuda, Abilify, etc? Obviously the Wellbutrin I'm on should help... and it seems to with regard to focus. But the depression is worse than ever. I have no creative drive.. everything is empty and hopeless. I miss my 'distractions'.... at least I wanted to do SOMETHING.

The thing is .. is that the mania part has always been hard to nail down. So I always question the bipolar part of things. I mean I definitely go through periods of excessive enthusiasm over some new endeavor... always re-making myself somehow and creating disaster in the wake.

Anyway... mostly I'm curious about what happens when somebody is misdiagnosed with bipolar and how the meds should affect somebody like that.

[vernl77]

That's weird because I am concerned about my son who is diagnosed as ADHD but who I actually suspect has bipolar. He is being medicated - it's only been a couple of months - and I notice he is less hyper, but angry and distractible. I only think this because I have bipolar disorder and maybe he inherited it.
From my experience with bipolar medications they do affect the creative drive. I used to paint and play guitar all the time when I was a kid. When I started medication I slowly lost interest and now do neither. That makes me sad but I have been successful in other things so it balances out I guess.
I expect that if you have ADHD and are treated with bipolar medications you would still have some attention and hyperactivity issues. But I'm not an expert.

I would think that if you had ADHD and not bipolar, and yet you have significant depressions then one wouldn't just have ADHD. They'd have at least ADHD with major depressive disorder. Depression, to my knowledge, is not a symptom of ADHD.

My husband has the inattentive type of ADHD (ADD) and a history of major depressive disorder. Both of his dxs are definitely accurate. I don't believe my husband has EVER been hypomanic, and definitely not manic, at least not since we've been together these last 21+ years.

I do see how some symptoms of the hyperactivity type of ADHD could be confused with hypomania, but not all. I would hope a good psychiatrist could figure out what is what, at least if they have the opportunity to see the patient in the hyperactive or "elevated" state. I'd also think that a good psychiatrist could figure out which medications serve the patient best. I'd hope that if there was any doubt about the diagnosis that they would use medications as a means of figuring it out.

• Lamictal - it can be used for anger management. Kids with autism can use it, for example, as my psychologist once told me.
• Abilify - it can be used to treat mood disorders in general, not just BP.
• Latuda - same as Abilify. Especially useful for treatment resistant mood disorders.

Do you have a therapist or psychiatrist you can talk to? (I don't know if you're getting meds from a GP or someone else.) You can have a great discussion about your concerns with respect to BP. I've had these discussions with both my psychiatrist and my therapist a couple of times.

[mossanimal]

Thank you... there is no doubt lamictal killed the anger/irritability. Abilify did nothing.. but on the other hand I never tried anything over 5mg due to akathasia.

And yes... I have both. It's just I was feeling so bad today I needed to talk about it. My pdoc is calling later today and I see him next week.

Originally Posted by bluebicycle

• Lamictal - it can be used for anger management. Kids with autism can use it, for example, as my psychologist once told me.
• Abilify - it can be used to treat mood disorders in general, not just BP.
• Latuda - same as Abilify. Especially useful for treatment resistant mood disorders.

Do you have a therapist or psychiatrist you can talk to? (I don't know if you're getting meds from a GP or someone else.) You can have a great discussion about your concerns with respect to BP. I've had these discussions with both my psychiatrist and my therapist a couple of times.

[SorryShaped]

Missed diagnosis and misdiagnosis happen very frequently, for me a total of 21 years. You could get another eval at another psych's office if you think it's warranted.

[still_crazy]

hi. the tranquilizers/antipsychotics are sometimes used in ADHD, more for "behavioral control" (read: shut that kid up!) than treating any core problems.

The thing about "mental illness" is that there are no brain scans, lab tests, etc. for diagnosis. Its subjective. I say this as someone who takes Abilify and Lamictal every.single.day and benefits from "standard treatment" (Bipolar I).

The anti-seizure drugs generally have a calming effect. They're not the best drugs in terms of cognitive function, though. Not all ADHD/ADD people are treated w/ amphetamines or ritalin. Other, "off-label" treatments include: high dose effexor, some tricyclics, Provigil, NuVigil, Wellbutrin. I seem to recall reading that some shrinks have used the "less addictive" stimulants marketed as diet pills for mood disorders and ADHD/ADD. Kinda makes sense...less paperwork for them, since those can be refilled w/o a new, written prescription.

Anyway, I don't think its either/or. Plus, some people are prescribed stimulants w/o a diagnosis of ADD/ADHD. Older people w/ depression, depressed people on multiple meds b/c of health issues, etc...are often given stimulants, as are other people w/ "treatment-resistant" depression.

I have a friend who takes Lamictal and Adderall. Works well, covers all the bases. A good psychiatrist should be able to adjust treatment w/o having to rework the whole diagnosis.

[bioChE]

I’ve got diagnoses for both BP and ADHD. The BP is pretty well controlled with Lamictal, and the ADHD with Vyvanse.

Why do you claim the Abilify does nothing? A couple months ago you were saying the opposite, and praising the 5mg dose of Abilify that gave you your life back.

[emgreen]

IMO, if one is taking a cocktail of meds (as I am) it's pretty difficult - if not impossible - to determine which med is responsible for what. Sometimes it seems my depression & other symptoms of BP just have to run their course. There are so freakin' many variables involved with mood disorders.

If you feel you're misdiagnosed, someone else suggested you get another opinion. That would be kind of a no-brainer for me.

[Guiness187055]

I once heard how do you tell if your bipolar? The meds are working.

[mossanimal]

That is a great way to think about it...

Originally Posted by Guiness187055

I once heard how do you tell if your bipolar? The meds are working.

[mossanimal]

Good question. I think I was just hypomanic. Depression hit hard not too much after that. I'm the lowest I've ever been right now. I'm not sure about the Abilify other than two different doctors have said that 5mg isn't therapeutic. I'd have to agree based on how things went downhill.

Originally Posted by bioChE

I’ve got diagnoses for both BP and ADHD. The BP is pretty well controlled with Lamictal, and the ADHD with Vyvanse.

Why do you claim the Abilify does nothing? A couple months ago you were saying the opposite, and praising the 5mg dose of Abilify that gave you your life back.

[mossanimal]

I've been diagnosed at my local clinic and the mood disorder dept. at Mayo. That should nail it... but I can't help questioning it. Mostly because the mania side of things is so hard to accept... depression is not. The manic side of things is based mostly on how I answered questions rather than direct observation. I don't know... just break out of this depression.

Originally Posted by emgreen

IMO, if one is taking a cocktail of meds (as I am) it's pretty difficult - if not impossible - to determine which med is responsible for what. Sometimes it seems my depression & other symptoms of BP just have to run their course. There are so freakin' many variables involved with mood disorders.

If you feel you're misdiagnosed, someone else suggested you get another opinion. That would be kind of a no-brainer for me.

[SorryShaped]

Unless someone observes one all the time, they may not catch bipolar for a long time, in my case 21 years, or at all. Those questionnaires are more accurate than you might think. I really wish they would have used them on me.