Posted by Angela5 on June 20, 2000, at 21:12:44
In reply to Re: Depression and ADD » Angela5, posted by KarenB on June 20, 2000, at 19:14:27
Karen -
I just did the same thing you were talking about - I had this post halfway typed out and then I lost it - well, here goes again...
I have actually been doing a whole lot of reading on the subjects of ADD and ADD vs. bipolar. Of course, it's all a bit ironic, since retaining what I read is part of my problem... ;) I remember the main focus/point (mostly?), but I promptly forget ALL the details; it's a never-ending frustration.
Anyway, from what I've seen so far, the diagnosis of "atypical bipolar with no manic episodes" does not seem to fit me nearly as snugly as inattentive ADD does. What you wrote:
" Most often there is a high I.Q. with mediocre grades, trouble with long math problems such as in Algebra, learning to read music, keeping your mind "in the classroom." Have you always had trouble getting out of bed in the morning, even as a child? This is another symptom. I'm not a lazy person but I have struggled every day of my life to get out of bed - I always wondered what was wrong with me. "
You hit the nail on the head, so to speak, with all of those things. As far as getting out of bed goes, one of my most intimate relationships is with my Snooze bar, and always has been.From other research that I've been doing, as well as from my drug/no drug experiences, I'm not sure if SSRIs are right for me, either. Basically, my four years of Prozac, although with a bit of increasing "poop-out" (followed by dosage increases), did take the edge off of my depression. I was, at least, functional. I could get things done, basic everyday life. On the other hand, my short term memory went to hell - and I do mean hell. I feel like my IQ has dropped drastically in the past 4 years. All of the ADD symptoms got worse. Part of this is that it became increasingly difficult to arrange my life around them/compensate, I know, but they did just plain "get worse" as well.
You've seen from my previous posts that Serzone was a disaster, as was Celexa, though for different reasons. I know that serzone is atypical, but it does work on Serotonin mostly, right?
Currently, on nothing, I'm non-functional. Making phone calls can bring me to tears. Housework seems impossible. Packing is worse. (I'll get to that story in a minute.) So maybe, since I was at least functional on Prozac, an SSRI combo would be the answer - but with all that it made worse, I'm not so sure. Does anyone have any opinions on trying Wellbutrin as an idea? Also, how exactly do MAO inhibitors work/are they effective with this kind of thing/would they be an option?I'm going to see another pdoc tomorrow morning, but I don't know how that will go. From talking to him on the phone, everything seems to fall under the label of "depression," and while there certainly is that, there's more to it.
As far as moving back to Illinois goes, the jury is out, although I have to decide pretty much ASAP. This became even further complicated today, since the house I rent just got sold today - I have to be out in 30 days. In a way that's good, at least it narrows my options. If I decide to stay in Washington, though, I have to figure out if I find somewhere else on my own or look for a roomate ("Hello, I'm currently on short term disability for major depression. Want to be roommates with my dog and me?"). The roommate thing, although distasteful, would be the best financially, since I don't know how going back to work will eventually be, but... I keep wondering how I would think if I were well, but I just can't remember.
Hope this all made sense.
Angela
poster:Angela5
thread:37846
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20000619/msgs/37940.html