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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 13 of 13. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
so, i wanted to get some feedback on my latest doctors appt. my history is that i have had GAD for over 8 years (i'm 25) but did not start meds till about 6 months ago. i got up to 40mg paxil/15mg buspar and became hypomanic. went down to 30mg paxil and the anxiety and depression came back. last week i started tapering off the paxil and started on 20mg celexa (also cause of weight gain).
basically i've had the most awful week ever, depressed, unmotivated, paranoid, etc. today at my appointment my doctor suggested that i may be bipolar and we might want to start mood stabilizers (he suggested wellbutrin) because the earlier you go on them the better the prognosis.
what do people think? is this the history of someone who's bipolar (he said i was young enough that i hadn't had a manic episode yet).
thanks!
kate
Posted by Cindylou on May 3, 2002, at 18:31:53
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
Hi Katie,
Hmmm ... it just seems kind of strange that you had only anxiety disorder until you started your meds, and then all of a sudden depression hits ... I'm wondering if the depression could have been caused my the medication??Still, I have no professional knowledge on this subject. I myself have just been diagnosed as being bipolar II after 13 years of being considred to have chronic depression. My situation is a little different, because my "bipolar-ism" seems to have been triggered by the birth of my daughter 2-1/2 years ago -- I had the postpartum anxiety/depression, and I haven't been able to stablize since.
One thing I am REALLY interested in is ... does your doc say that Wellbutrin is a mood stablizer?? I have never heard of that before.
Anyone else out there ever hear of Wellbutrin being a mood stabilizer?Anyway, I do wish you the best. There is a great online screening tool someone told me about on this board. It is under www.mindfixers.com It was very thorough (although it did NOT diagnose me as bipolar because I don't have manic episodes -- I just go back and forth between extreme fatigue and extreme agitation.)
This bipolar business can be subtle and tricky. Another sign of it is strange reactions to antidepressants, which may be one reason why your doc is thinking you may be bipolar ...
Take care, and keep us posted --
cindy> so, i wanted to get some feedback on my latest doctors appt. my history is that i have had GAD for over 8 years (i'm 25) but did not start meds till about 6 months ago. i got up to 40mg paxil/15mg buspar and became hypomanic. went down to 30mg paxil and the anxiety and depression came back. last week i started tapering off the paxil and started on 20mg celexa (also cause of weight gain).
>
> basically i've had the most awful week ever, depressed, unmotivated, paranoid, etc. today at my appointment my doctor suggested that i may be bipolar and we might want to start mood stabilizers (he suggested wellbutrin) because the earlier you go on them the better the prognosis.
>
> what do people think? is this the history of someone who's bipolar (he said i was young enough that i hadn't had a manic episode yet).
>
> thanks!
> kate
Posted by Geezer on May 3, 2002, at 18:41:36
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
> so, i wanted to get some feedback on my latest doctors appt. my history is that i have had GAD for over 8 years (i'm 25) but did not start meds till about 6 months ago. i got up to 40mg paxil/15mg buspar and became hypomanic. went down to 30mg paxil and the anxiety and depression came back. last week i started tapering off the paxil and started on 20mg celexa (also cause of weight gain).
>
> basically i've had the most awful week ever, depressed, unmotivated, paranoid, etc. today at my appointment my doctor suggested that i may be bipolar and we might want to start mood stabilizers (he suggested wellbutrin) because the earlier you go on them the better the prognosis.
>
> what do people think? is this the history of someone who's bipolar (he said i was young enough that i hadn't had a manic episode yet).
>
> thanks!
> kateHi Kate,
This is only my opinion based on my own experience. I can't offer a DX but based on your reaction to the drugs you have been taking I can certainly understand your docs. concern. The symptoms you mention all fit.
If you are Bipolar, I believe, the first thing that needs to happen is stabilize the mood. I can attest to the misery of living with an incorrect DX and treatment with ADs only. You probably already know Wellbutrin is an AD not a mood stabilizer (Lithium, Depakote, Lamictal etc.). The current belief is Wellbutrin does not destabilize mood as much as some other ADs and is not usually associated with weight gain.
Maybe a trial of a mood stabilizer (especially at your age) would be a good idea. Just my opinion.
Very best
Geezer
Posted by Uppendown on May 3, 2002, at 20:05:15
In reply to Re: now i'm bipolar!, posted by Geezer on May 3, 2002, at 18:41:36
Hi Katieb,
I'm no doc, so I'll "disclaimer" right up front... But I will say that I've been inlvolved both personally and "professionally" in bipolar issues... I've talked to MANY bipolars over the last 4 0r 5 years.. I'm a diagnosed bipolar... I've been on meds, worked with psychiatrists and therapists, participated in many bipolar message boards, and done alot of research into clinical studies and the multitude of issues surrounding "bipolar".
It is VERY common for "bipolar" symptoms to be generated by the inappropriate use of psychiatrict meds. In fact, you can view 6 different "catagories" of bipolar, one of which is defined as the result of med use. Also, even the DSM-1V, in its' diagnostic criterea, requires *excluding* symptoms that are the result of situational and/or from drug reactions.
Do some research on all this. If you need some places to start with, please feel free to ask me.. I have many references you can check out for yourself, and/or can print out to show your docs... There are MANY reasons for "mood swings"... and not all of them are the result of being "bipolar"...
I'm here to help, if I can.. I have nothing at stake, nor to gain... I'm not "selling" anything. I'm just concerned about people... You judge for yourself..
Best Wishes,
Uppendown
Posted by rainbowlight on May 3, 2002, at 22:16:48
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
Hi kate. I am bipolar. I would suggest you look into whether there is a possibility if you are bipolar. Bipolars aren't suppossed to take SSRI's without also taking a mood stabilizer. Being on Celexa alone sent me to the hospital (put me into a manic-psychotic state, and I never get manic). Not all bipolars get the manic high, some get a low level hypo-manic state, like me. There are online tests to give you an idea if you are bipolar. You can also look at the DMSR book at the library, it's the same book the pdocs use for diagnosis. Good luck to you and I hope you are feeling better soon.
Posted by Rathrbfishn on May 3, 2002, at 22:56:24
In reply to Re: now i'm bipolar!, posted by Uppendown on May 3, 2002, at 20:05:15
I second uppendowns' thoughts about psych drug induced bi-polar symptoms. I was put on doxepin and after about 3 weeks I started having brilliantly colored, elaborate dreams that would awaken me and I would be in a really startled state. I stopped taking the doxepin nightly, and have not had any more of those dreams. I brought this to my pdocs attention and he said that I might be bi-polar II. Put me on depakote. That was a waste of money and time. Lost my memory. I couldn't remember what happened or what I did from one day to the next. So we just stopped the AD's and mood stabalizers and stuck with xanax for panic. So many of these psych symptoms are interrelated it is hard to tell what's going on. Thus the jumping from one drug trial to another. I have found that if I just stick to using xanax to control the panic my moods stay pretty stable and I have no symptoms of bi-polar II. I occasionally will take a small dose of doxepin, 25mgs at night for insomnia, and it is quite effective, but I can't take it for more than a couple of nights before I find my moods during the day shifting more than usual and I'm usually unexplicably irritated. I have had several pdocs tell me I'm this and I'm that and they put me on a drug and for one reason or another it never works out. I always end up with the xanax and find that things return to normalcy. I'm not big on all these labels that pdocs are using now unless it's just blaringly obvious. Find a drug or combo that works for your symptoms and stick with it. I've had too many doctors tell me that the other doc was wrong and I should be taking a different med, none of which ever pan out and I end up at home with the xanax. Wishing you the best.
Posted by Ritch on May 3, 2002, at 23:16:58
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
> so, i wanted to get some feedback on my latest doctors appt. my history is that i have had GAD for over 8 years (i'm 25) but did not start meds till about 6 months ago. i got up to 40mg paxil/15mg buspar and became hypomanic. went down to 30mg paxil and the anxiety and depression came back. last week i started tapering off the paxil and started on 20mg celexa (also cause of weight gain).
>
> basically i've had the most awful week ever, depressed, unmotivated, paranoid, etc. today at my appointment my doctor suggested that i may be bipolar and we might want to start mood stabilizers (he suggested wellbutrin) because the earlier you go on them the better the prognosis.
>
> what do people think? is this the history of someone who's bipolar (he said i was young enough that i hadn't had a manic episode yet).
>
> thanks!
> kate
Kate,I have been dx'ed as bipolar for 20+years, then things got cloudy-anxiety disorder, ADHD, three way-combo dx, etc. Newer meds -SSRI's and Effexor can trigger hypomania in folks. I really doubt whether a hypomanic reaction to a med creates a certain BP dx, given the variety and potency of antidepressants available nowadays. OTOH, there are people that seem to be clearly unipolar depressive who obviously benefit from mood stabilizers which are typically given only to bipolars.
Mitch
Posted by Uppendown on May 3, 2002, at 23:29:17
In reply to Re: now i'm bipolar! » Uppendown, posted by Rathrbfishn on May 3, 2002, at 22:56:24
Hey Katieb,
I just checked back... and thought that you might find this URL interesting... Jane is very well educated in these issues, and this is a re-post of a new version of the revised DSM anyways... And *anyways*, it is just plain interesting ! What more do ya want ! LOLOLOL!
I hope you check out this site... just for your own peace of mind...
Best Wishes,
Uppendown
Posted by petters on May 4, 2002, at 1:10:07
In reply to Re: now i'm bipolar! » katieb, posted by Cindylou on May 3, 2002, at 18:31:53
Hi Cindylou and others.
Interresting information about bipolar and it´s somtimes subtle and tricky symptom. I think mostly about extreme fatigue and extremely agitation as you mention.
I hope you don´t mind me asking. Are you bipolar II ? What are the most typical and subtle symptom in this disorder? I have also heard that Lamictal is the choise of drugs in bipolar II
Sorry for bad spelling. I´m not from U.S
Thanks in advance.
/Petters
Posted by judy1 on May 4, 2002, at 15:27:52
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
Your doc is nuts!!!! You can't diagnose bipolar disorder w/o having a hypomanic or manic episode- Judy
Posted by BobS. on May 4, 2002, at 18:44:54
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
katieb,
If I read you post correctly, you were given Paxil for GAD. Were you ever depressed or suffering from any kind of mood disorder? If not, then due to the awful sh*t Paxil IS you reduced and/or eliminated it and substituted Celexa. The Paxil withdrawal caused you to feel awful. Paxil is notorious for withdrawal symptoms. If this is correct, get a new doctor immediately. Your current doctor must have been convinced by the Paxil people that Paxil is good for GAD. Marketing crap. I took Paxil for anxiety disorders and had a horrible experience with it for years. It took me 3 years to successfully discontinue Paxil. The withdrawal symptoms are so weird that you think you have every mental disorder except autism. Please help yourself by recognizing that your current symptomology is Paxil induced.
Regards,
BobS.> so, i wanted to get some feedback on my latest doctors appt. my history is that i have had GAD for over 8 years (i'm 25) but did not start meds till about 6 months ago. i got up to 40mg paxil/15mg buspar and became hypomanic. went down to 30mg paxil and the anxiety and depression came back. last week i started tapering off the paxil and started on 20mg celexa (also cause of weight gain).
>
> basically i've had the most awful week ever, depressed, unmotivated, paranoid, etc. today at my appointment my doctor suggested that i may be bipolar and we might want to start mood stabilizers (he suggested wellbutrin) because the earlier you go on them the better the prognosis.
>
> what do people think? is this the history of someone who's bipolar (he said i was young enough that i hadn't had a manic episode yet).
>
> thanks!
> kate
Posted by ST on May 5, 2002, at 4:49:17
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
Wellbutrin as a mood stabilizer? I'm on Depakote as my mood stabilizer and Welbutrin as one of my ADs.....
Posted by Marie416 on May 9, 2002, at 11:06:51
In reply to now i'm bipolar!, posted by katieb on May 3, 2002, at 16:12:40
Katieb,
First of all, I believe you should find a new doctor because Wellbutrin is not a mood stabilizer and he/she should know that. FIND SOMEONE WHO KNOWS WHAT THEY ARE GIVING YOU.
Second, for everyone out there. This bipolar thing is getting way out of control. Not to down play the seriousness of someone who has severe manic/depressive moods but for the type 2, type 3, type 4 down the line to type 50. My neighbor who has been classified for 20 years as depressive is now bipolar. It was mentioned to me before that I may be bipolar. I experience hypomania with antidepressants or too much caffeine. This Wellbutrin I am on makes me feel hypomanic. I am not creating severe debt from gross shopping sprees.....although I did just buy an entire bedding set (comfortor,blanket,sheets) because I felt "I had to have them" And for someone who is anxious or panicky doesn't the body have to collapse from the strain of the crazy energy created. I consider that depression, extreme fatigue, etc. I have not met tons of people with different disorders but if you are extremely depressed aren't you at some point anxious thinking it will never end. I say we are all "Off Balance- Type 1s " and leave it at that.
This is the end of the thread.
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