Bipolar 2

I have been recently diagnosed as Bipolar type 2 and I still don't quite understand why. I have never had a "manic" episode in my life; just depression, anxiety and racing thoughts. I do have most of the symptoms of adult ADD also. My Doc has prescribed me Lamictal, Wellbutrin SR, Ambien for insomnia, and I use Ativan occasionally for anxiety. I seem to be feeling a bit better (my social anxiety has lessened a bit as well).

Do I have Bipolar 2? I"m not sure what is wrong with me. Thanks for reading, and I appreciate any thoughts.

Here is a good site for explaining Bipolar II:
bipolar II

One of the criteria for diagnosis is precisely that you *don't* get manic, but do get irritable, depressed, etc. The site can tell you more.

Thanks for the link, candybear

I'm bumping this thread because this link candybear gave to a Bipolar II information website is the best of its kind I've been able to find - much better than anything I could find with Google.

Also, I'd really like to hear from others who are dealing specifically with Bipolar II disorder. I had never heard of it before my wife was diagnosed a few weeks ago, and I'm relieved to be able to put a name to her disease after over six years of frustratingly ineffective depression treatments. But there are some questions I have that can't easily be answered by websites like the one I linked to above:
<ul type="square">[*]Through my research it seems that Lamictal (Lamotrigine) is the most common and effective medication given to people with Bipolar II. How exactly does it make you feel? What I mean is, does it make you feel "not like you anymore"? Like some antidepressants, does it make you feel "emotionally flat"? [*]Have you ever gone off your medication completely? Why? What happened? We've been told by a psychiatrist that once you completely stop taking Lamictal for a period of time, it won't work nearly as well if you start taking it again. Is that true? [*]In your experience, can stress and anxiety trigger a relapse? What other things are triggers that should be avoided?[/list]

I've taken Lamictal for about 4 years...to tell you th truth I never felt a side efffet or feeling not like myself...I just felt less sad. (Not happy enough, I'm still taking losts of other things too)...

I also have Bipolar 2. I do not have many manic episodes a year, maybe 2 or 3 and they are mild and can only last a day, maybe 2. I can tell I have them mostly because I run out and spend money or do things on the spur of the moment. I take Lamictal, Wellbutrin, Ambien and Klonopi. I also take a couple others. I also have more depression and anxiety than I do manic episodes, that is why I am bipolar 2 and not 1. Good luck in your fight, know that you are not alone!

Thanks for this link. It’s very informative.

I have BP II also. Lamictal keeps me from hitting the extremes I did before, though I did go deep into depression once since starting it, but that was only for 6 days. For the first several weeks, I was slightly hypomanic with occasional spikes higher but not high enough to be very problematic. And it was all euphoric hypomania. Then I started to settle more and my baseline became the low key sulk; slightly down instead of slightly up. I added wellbutrin, titrating the dose carefully, to get back to very slightly up but not hypomanic. That kind of fine tuning is not uncommon.

I've only had two major manic episodes...but I rapid cycle between depression and hypomania...which in my case makes me very irritable and hostile. No doubt that I'm BP II...but my meds keep it more or less manageable.

I have bipolar 2 and have been on Lamictal for quite a while among other meds.
Lamictal is a good med with few side effects.
I don't feel like my old self but I believe that is the Effexor causing it.
I have hypo mania but the depression is primary and I can rapid cycle sometimes.

Violet - that is great to hear that the meds are working for you. That is what is important

I completely relate. When I went to college a few years ago, I started seeing a psychiatrist at the student health center for my psych meds, for the convenience of not having to have my pdoc at home mail me scripts. She promptly diagnosed me with Bipolar II. I had never had a manic episode but do admit to having bouts of high energy and positive thinking (I'm normally more of a realist). I have an ADHD diagnosis, so I had always sort of assumed that the high energy and ability to direct my attention were symptoms of the ADHD. I also was prescribed Lamictal.

Honestly, I think a little bit of mood liability is normal. People can't be expected to be even keel every single day for days on end. However, I also think that if the medication is helping, it doesn't really matter what label you have or don't have. Personally, I disagree with the Bipolar II diagnosis (and I've gotten a few second opinions). But I still take a lose dose of the Lamictal just because I feel like it helps my mood overall.

Lamictal has been helpful to me. I take great pride in my spunk and natural spontaneity and I was worried that it would make me boring. But it hasn't. I'm on a low dose and all it has really done is make it easier for me to manage my emotions. Before, I used to go from happy to irritable for no reason. I would just feel overcome with strong irritability and I felt like I couldn't turn it around once the feelings started to come over me. On the meds, I feel like I can sort of tell when I'm starting to feel out of sorts and I can readjust. It's hard to explain, and it's definitely not a fix-all, but it has helped. And in general, it has made those bouts of irritability less frequent and out of the blue.

I have gone off other meds completely and it did not go well. I unraveled and ended up in a residential treatment center. At the time, I was on Abilify, Luvox, and Straterra. As for going off Lamictal and starting it again, I'm not sure. I know that sometimes, you can get a very dangerous rash when you first start it if you raise the dosage too quickly. I know someone for whom that happened and their doc pulled them off Lamictal, waited a couple weeks, and restarted it. And it seems to be effective still. So I'm not sure.

I think that in general, stress can exacerbate a number of conditions, not just symptoms of mental illness. In general, it's good to try to eat a balanced diet, get enough sleep, and do some amount of exercise. Keeping a routine and a reliable schedule is beneficial for me.