Bipolar/ADHD

So... ADHD (inattentive) is starting to become a factor in my diagnosis. I’ve been on a lot of different mood stabilizers and most have essentially been placebos. I’m only on Wellbutrin right now and that by far has had the biggest impact on many aspects of myself. It has taken my creativity, obsessiveness, impulsivity, and tendency to hyperfocus. I’m very blah and flat. Boring. Reflecting on my past.... how often have I been actually manic versus simply hyper focused on whatever flavor of obsession was currently on my plate? Depression has been the other issue and that is why my pdoc has me on Wellbutrin... works for ADHD and depression (with Latuda hanging out in my cabinet if I do happen to go manic again... which is very hard to buy right now).

Does anybody else here have a dual diagnosis of both ADHD and bipolar? How have ADHD meds affected your life???

I’m about done with meds... I just want my old self back. I think my awareness can handle the negative aspects ... whether it’s mania or ADHD hyperfocus.

I do. Well, I guess the pdoc sometimes calls it ADHD and sometimes ADD. I never had that before or I wouldn't have done so well in school and been a model student (wanted to please the teachers, so my conduct was excellent).

Even before being on Wellbutrin, my attention deteriorated so badly, I could not read (my favorite hobby) or even concentrate to watch a TV show. I don't know if I really have ADHD or if it's medication induced. I do know once I got on Adderall, OMG I could read & watch TV again.

I have only been on Adderall a few months. Maybe I started around June? My new pdoc started me on it, and I only started seeing him at the end of March (old pdoc is retiring).

Well, I'm mixed and have been mixed ages, but the new pdoc put me down as BPI mixed at the end of March on the intake form and again a week or so ago on the disability form. Maybe mixed it my default setting, either mixed or depressed, I think.

People have suggested the Adderall and/or the Wellbutrin could cause the mixed, but I was mixed before I starting taking either of them. Whether they are prolonging the mixed episode, I do not know.

Being mixed sucks so much.

Mixed is what got me my hospitalization and bp diagnosis. But I was also on Zoloft and Adderall at the time when that happened. I most certainly have the ADHD... no longer sure about bipolar. I did fine in school and excelled in college and grad school. But I was into it. I can do well with anything I’m interested in. That ADHD hyperfocus. It’s all the boring stuff like paying bills, holding a job... you know... grown up stuff.

I can relate to this. "Adulting" is a big challenge, but interesting things? Bring 'em on! My previous provider had me dx'd ADD (inattentive), but current ones don't. I did find the ADD meds useful, but no longer have them.

I hope you can dial in a good balance.

It's good to see you again, btw.

I am trying to figure out if I have ADHD. I thought I did a few years ago, and was on Adderall, but it made me quite irritable. I was not officially diagnosed, but my psychiatrist at the time thought I was having some dopamine related concentration issues similar to ADHD. My current psychiatrist asked if I had these issues as a kid and I said no, but I was always pretty spacey and did have some attention issues when I think about it more, but just not on this level that it really impacted me. Well, I did fail out of classes for forgetting to do homework and not paying attention in middle school, then found ways to compensate when I was older. I also find I can either be on or off, and super spacey or hyperfocused, but now I am not sure if it is an ADHD thing or not, because it cycles with my moods and menstrual cycle. Also I don't have a definitive diagnosis of bipolar I/II... I have some sort of mood disorder and ended up in mixed episodes that started with an antidepressant, but my psychiatrist is just saying it seems like bipolar, but not giving me the official diagnosis just yet. So a lot of "maybe" diagnoses for me that are leaving me confused about how to proceed. Is the wellbutrin helping? My doctor said it might be an option for my depression, and I saw that it can be used for ADHD so thought it might be a good one for me to try.