[northern]

Hi, recently saw a Pdoc. Took months to get into see him. Apparently suppose to be one of our best in the bush. Took me a 2 hour drive across country to see him.

He told me there is only Bipolar and thats it. No such thing as type 2 or other variants. Told me if I believed I was Bipolar (and I had been say 2 right thru the session) that I needed to go on Lithium straight away.

I said NO! as I am not manic full blown Bipolar and I have Hashimotos Thyroid condition and mixing those drugs is very unsafe. Not sure what it actually does but I have read it, mostly like Bipolar for Dummies quite sometime back.

My GP of nearly 20 years in the City felt that I had always been Bipolar 2 but was coping & was able to do most things. When I last saw him it was in 2006 and we had moved away from the city to the country in late 2004. This was when I started to have more frequent episodes and further health problem due to thyroid & diabetes & heart.

Anyway the Pdoc latched onto the fact that my husband is away alot earning money so I can stay home with the dogs and try to get my health back. Even told me my husband was an idiot and then when onto say that all my problems stem for the fact that he is uncaring and I'm basically housebound living on my own with no car.

Advise: get GP to prescripe Prozac long term, and take the highest dose for depression like 3 times aday and go into family counselling!

This cost me Aus $285 just for 1 session not to mention the fact the cost of travelling there etc.

[Amazonmom]

I am guessing you are in Australia from the mention of Australian dollars.

That first Pdoc is a royal jackass. I Googled bipolar and Australia. Found the website for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. On that site are the clinical practice guidelines for Bipolar Disorder. The very first paragraph in that document refers to TWO types of Bipolar Disorder, type I (full mania), and type II (hypomania).

It looks like first Pdoc can't read, or doesn't care to read the guidelines he is supposed to be following. There are many drugs that can help Bipolar Disorder, not just Lithium!

I had Bipolar II for over 16 years before my psych NP diagnosed me. It's a long hard process to find the right help, but hang in there.

[northern]

I just couldn't believe he's attitude and blaming my husband for my depression etc. Been living this nightmare for years and just battling along, being the supermum. I'm very good at hiding my feelings until I hit a brickwall and I start ranting & raving and pulling the house apart.

I believe I have always had this problem since age 14 and at times it has nearly destroyed me and my marriage. My husband has always been there for me, in all of my mood swings. He is the calm one, and takes alot of crap from me. So I suppose in a sense the poor man is an idoit for staying for the past 32 years.

Once at aged 17 I was put on an antidepression medication and I totally lost the plot. Tried jumping out the back of a moving Panelvan as I thought everyone inside the car where monsters. I couldn't see anyone I knew after a nap, just freaky monsters. Screamed my lungs out and tried to dive out the back.

At the time I was just taking the prescriped meds, no funny fags, no alcohol, no party drugs etc.

[Slothrop]

No such thing as type 2? He just sounds like a reactionary.

It's OK to take lithium for bipolar II -- I take it for that, and it helps. However, if it is dangerous with your thyroid condition, then kudos to you for not doing it!

[Michah]

Northern, yes lithium will effect thyroid.......been there!! Lithium molecules and iodine molecules(essential for thyroid health) are similar in shape, weight and atomic activity. The thyroid gets confused and sucks both molecules up. The lithium and iodine fight for first chair and the thyroid suffers.

A very simplistic explanation......I was on thyroxine and lithium and made me thyrotoxic(at that end of the scale anyway with TSH). I was dx bipolar II but not so sure now. Sodium valproate and carbamazapine(I think) are not goiterogenic.

Sorry to say this, but your doctor is an idiot( I am a little counter productive today, sorry) and you need to see a proper psychiatrist.

Good luck babe.......

[JourneyUpward]

Hi Northern,

I agree with Michah and Slothrop, your Pdoc is either not educated concerning the bipolar variants or bipolar spectrum or he has formed his own theory and using it to treat patients.

Please find another Pdoc or perhaps you regular MD could recommend one.

Keep us posted on how you are doing.

JourneyUpward

[suze999]

I just love the elitist bipolar crowd (only hospitalized psychotic mile-a-minute talkers get to join, anyone else is a whiney baby pretender), but it's pathetic when it's a psychiatrist jumping on that bandwagon. As I understand it, most pdocs now see it as a spectrum disorder that ranges from severe depression to severe mania, and there's a window, a different size for everyone, that defines what it is for that individual. So the BP II window for me ranges from severe depression to mild hypomania, and a BP I window might be mild depression through moderate mania, if that makes any sense. Maybe I've got that all wrong, but that's what I got from what my psychiatrist said.

There are other drugs for treating BP, antispasmotics like Lamictal being common. A lot of people here aren't on lithium. Sounds like you really need a new pdoc.

[northern]

Update saw a new GP (same clinic as my own just he was unavailable as was in theatre all day) she was brilliant. Listened to my concerns about the Pdoc and his rubbish, she agreed. Wrote me another referral this time for a woman Pdoc for a second opinion.

Talked about meds and my other conditions. Even made sure and did look up drugs etc and how it might affect me. We agreed together to try Prozac on the lower dose for now until I can get into see the other Pdoc.

Made me aware that I could have an up swing on moods, so to take note of changes and if I felt uncomfortable with the meds to come straight in and see her or phone.

Finally someone is listening to me and not making me feel like an idiot. Lets face it none of us want Bipolar but if thats what this is, help me to decide what is the best treatment for me, is all I have ever been asking and if not Bipolar 2 then what? so I can get better.

At least she never thought my poor husband was the idiot that stays by me and he was all that was wrong with me.

[Rebound]

I'm really glad to hear you've found a real professional who will take you seriously. It took me many years to get the right treatment. Once that happened things really started to move in the right direction for me. I saw in another post where you talked about feeling very angry and so on and that echoes the sorts of things that I experience, i.e. long depression followed by a brief high and then agitation and anger for no apparent reason.

I just want to toss in my 2 cents and let you know things can get better. It may take time to find the best treatment for you, but try to be patient (no pun intended); I certainly hope the med your doc has prescribed works well for you but if not there are lots of others you can try until you find one that works. I had to go through several before I saw real lasting improvement. I'm having a rough time right now but I believe it's temporary.

Don't give up!

P.S. I totally agree with Suze. Depression meds never did anything for me but turn me into a zombie; in fact, it was the total lack of results on those types of meds that helped point in the direction of BP. Lamictal is all I take and it has worked really well up to now. I know that everyone reacts differently to different medications but I hope your doc will consider Lamictal as an option ahead of lithium.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by northern

I just couldn't believe he's attitude and blaming my husband for my depression etc. Been living this nightmare for years and just battling along, being the supermum. I'm very good at hiding my feelings until I hit a brickwall and I start ranting & raving and pulling the house apart.

I believe I have always had this problem since age 14 and at times it has nearly destroyed me and my marriage. My husband has always been there for me, in all of my mood swings. He is the calm one, and takes alot of crap from me. So I suppose in a sense the poor man is an idoit for staying for the past 32 years.

Once at aged 17 I was put on an antidepression medication and I totally lost the plot. Tried jumping out the back of a moving Panelvan as I thought everyone inside the car where monsters. I couldn't see anyone I knew after a nap, just freaky monsters. Screamed my lungs out and tried to dive out the back.

At the time I was just taking the prescriped meds, no funny fags, no alcohol, no party drugs etc.

What a crappy experience!! I'm sorry you had to go through that when you were already having a hard enough time without the jackass psychiatrist.

Call me paranoid, but I think all psychiatrists are lacking in proper education and/or oversight. Usually both. Secondly, their training in psychotherapy and clinical psychology is substandard to say the least.

I always say that you should see a clinical/counseling psychologist (PhD. or PsyD.). Do you have that option? They can refer you to a GP for prescription medications if you both think it might be worth a shot, but only in collaboration with the psychologist, and as a team approach. I'm American, and from everything I have heard from people here on PC about the quality of your mental health system in Australia frightens me. I thought America had problems, but it seems that you guys might have more problems in that area than we do... and that's crappy!

What is your next step? I always make contingency plans because I don't trust people based on reputation or credentials alone.

[Simcha]

Originally Posted by Amazonmom

I am guessing you are in Australia from the mention of Australian dollars.

That first Pdoc is a royal jackass. I Googled bipolar and Australia. Found the website for the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Psychiatrists. On that site are the clinical practice guidelines for Bipolar Disorder. The very first paragraph in that document refers to TWO types of Bipolar Disorder, type I (full mania), and type II (hypomania).

It looks like first Pdoc can't read, or doesn't care to read the guidelines he is supposed to be following. There are many drugs that can help Bipolar Disorder, not just Lithium!

I had Bipolar II for over 16 years before my psych NP diagnosed me. It's a long hard process to find the right help, but hang in there.

I couldn't agree more! What a condescending and ignorant doctor. Thank GOD he's not doing brain surgery, but anyone like him with prescription power and real authority over the direction of a person's life is DANGEROUS. He should back up his pathetic statements with clinically based evidence and follow the recognized authoritative guidelines, but obviously his ego is too big to do either of those things.

RUN FAR, FAR FAR AWAY...

[Amazonmom]

I am so glad you are getting decent help!

You deserve it.

[Simcha]

KUDOS for the contingency plan!
Glad you didn't just accept the crap and sought out appropriate care!

[Soidhonia]

Im glad that things finally started going in your favour Northern. I hope things keep going in the right direction for you. Take care Northern. PM anytime. Soidhonia