Posted by detroitpistons on January 31, 2009, at 21:28:16
In reply to Re: Bipolar II + Anxiety = dysphoric hypomanias? » detroitpistons, posted by Garnet71 on January 31, 2009, at 13:40:28
What you are saying makes sense. Doctors don't know what our personality traits are, and it doesn't seem like they care to know. If you are naturally a fast talker, they might automatically think "mania." I sort of feel like impatience, for example, is just part of who I am...Also, could be ADD/ ADHD, but that's another thing that I'm struggling to figure out.
With my situation specifically, I did have a bad reaction after starting Effexor. There was no doubt that something was wrong. Something had to be done. My doctor treated my symptoms. He didn't slap a label on me. It looked like hypomania and he treated it that way. I actually think he handled the situation pretty well.
The question in my mind is this: Could what happened to me simply just be a bad reaction to Effexor or does it necessarily mean that I have a bipolar disorder? This is a question that is up to debate. One of the prominent researchers, can't remember his name, is of the opinion that, if antidepressants make you hypomanic or manic, then you definitely have some kind of bipolar disorder. I'm not sure what the consensus is though.
BTW, as far as too much serotonin/ anxiety, I understand Wellbutrin is a very activating drug and is probably not good for people who are prone to anxiety.
I just don't know. I go back and forth. I go from extremes of overidentifying with my condition to underidentifying with it, and so on. Sometimes I think the doctors are good, and sometimes I think they are full of sh*t. I probably overanalyze everything. Being prone to anxiety definitely complicates things.
Just to keep things in perspective, sometimes the doctors are right. Sometimes they see something in us that we don't.
Taking drugs sucks and thinking that there's something "wrong" with you also sucks. It pisses me off that I can't just have a stable life like other people I know, but I guess I just have to deal with it and make the best out of it. I had been in denial for a long time, but with each year that goes by, I get more and more convinced that I have mood disorder(s). I think I'm tired and probably just rambling now, so.....goodnight.
> Hey Detroit.
>
> I have/had a similar situation with the depression and anxiety; laced with the irritability or impatience.
>
> I quit taking SSRIs about 10 days or 2 weeks ago; the irritabilty has diminshed and I have not felt better in many months. Starting to feel more like myself moodwise; my inner 'sparkle' is coming back - but the anxiety has also returned; my symptoms are mostly physical though. I don't feel mental anxiety, if that makes any sense (I am not saying this isn't derived from my brain, it's just that I don't notice the anxiety until I get the breathing problems/hypoxia symptoms - then I am aware I have anxiety).
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> Sometimes I think I had too much seratonin in my brain - from the SSRIs (was taking Zoloft but also started Wellbutrin) - as the cause or irritability. I know Wellbutrin causes irritability in some - but it did not seem to make these symptoms worse from when on just the Zoloft. I only can guess though.
>
> Only a month ago or so, I went to a new PDoc who prescribed me Lamictal. I can only assume he suspects I am bipolar II. He seemed to jump to a conclusion right away when I mentioned my family history (grandmother with schitzophrenia; bipolar sister; abusive father; ill brother). I can tell a lot from observing a person's body language, eyes, etc., that when speaking of the family history, he seemed to make his mind up; of course I do not know for sure..I did not know his thoughts about my treatment, despite my asking many questions, until I got home and looked into Lamictal and found out what it was prescribed for. I never got the script filled or went back to him.
>
> In the past, I've never experienced mania either. Never had a diagnosis of Bipolar before; only suspect new PDoc thinks I have it. Of course I realize this is only 'discovered' after people have been treated for say, depression, for a number of years.
>
> What I want to say though, aside from telling you my experience, is that if you read about Bipolar II - it seems anyone in the entire population has it. I question the diagnosis itself. Technically, you could say I am experiencing hypomania right now. Just yesterday I was thinking about this while in class. When I was joking with friends, and talking about going out and other things (things I didn't feel inclined to do just 2 weeks ago while under the influence of SSRI & Wellbutrin) - I realized my mood and behavior was just like theirs. Normal peoples'. Everything I was doing was so normal; I feel so much more like myslef. Loving music again,blasting the radio in my care- when I wasn't the least bit interested in listening to music for months on end. Irritability is diminshing too. So - a doc might say my behavior is 'hypomania' - but I say it is just being NORMAL. I compared my relapsed confidence with others', my mood, well-everything, and I think I is more 'normal' now then when not 'hypomanic'. But because I have been entangled in the mental health system - I could be said to have Bipolar II. Am I making any sense?
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> As for the irritabilty and impatience I have experienced in the past - when not under meds, I was under a lot of heavy, chronic stress at the time. Wouldn't that be normal? I also was rather type A- very ambitious and was accomplishing a lot at the same time. I'm not so sure that is part of an 'illness'. Of course, years of chronic stress has caused major problems - but I look back and see my reaction as normal, rather than part of "bipolar II"
>
> Sometimes it even sounds like astrology. Look at any sun sign personality description(I am Scorpio) - and it is so easy to say "that sounds like me". That's what I think sometimes of psychiatric diagnoses - the DSM.
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> So-I question people being diagnosed as Bipolar II, rather than having other underlying issues or just a personality no more or less unique than any other's.
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> Effexor ruined my sleep quality. It also ruined my sex life at the time more than any other AD; I would never take it again, although I hear it helps some who aren't helped by other meds.
>
> I think in general, those of us with anxiety and depression tendencies are difficult to treat. About the Bipolar II, I'm not so sure I would trust that diagnosis w/o further insight and experimentation. I think once you are seen through the psychiatry lens, rational, common sense conclusions can be missed.
poster:detroitpistons
thread:877319
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20090104/msgs/877455.html