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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by pretty_paints on August 7, 2004, at 20:21:26
Pleease please if anyone can caalm me down I'd be very grateful!
Ok, I'm being treated for depression & anxiety/mild OCD. Now, I know the "standard" info about bipolar disorder (it seems to be all the same on the internet), and never considered it really. I can't remember any obvious manic episode in my life. However I've just read an article that a girl who really thinks she has bipolar wrote and it totally freaked me out because it sounded it exactly like me :(
Now, of course, this girl may be wrong. But just to be sure, I thought I'd just describe some typical things I have, and see what you guys think. I know that I really should just GO TO BED right now instead of reading about things and panicking - but I cant help it..- Sadness/blacknes/emptiness/guilt etc
- No physical energy
- No interest in things or people
- Oversleeping
- No appetiteBUT also,
- Major anxiety and worrying
- Racing thoughts. Usually about health issues (hehe, this is a prime example!!) - that could be due to the obesseive in me though. Just generally never being able to switch my head off!
- Irritable
- Really bad temper/flying off the handle at really small things
- Saying totally inappropriate things and not caring (chatting graphically about sex with my younger brother or dad, unlike before)
- Sometimes feeling like I'm so much better than other people (but at the same time, feeling low), getting exasperated with people who dont understand things
- Yelling at people and thinking I'm the authority on everything (of course I know, you understand, that I'm not. So I still have that logic. But just now and again I loose my temper and think that I understand everything so much better than anyone else, hmm).Sometimes for example, I'll look in the mirror and think "wow, I look totally great", and am convinced for a moment I'm the most attractive person in the street - but at the same time, I'm feeling a baaadness inside. Its so crazy. Its like my body has depression (slow, heavy, no energy) and my brain has big fat panic. Arnt things supposed to move in slow motion when you have depression?? Mine seems to be all frantic and busy. *I* feeel slow. But the world looks like its moving fast. And my thoughts feel like they're jumping all over the place. Does that make any sense?
I dunno. Maybe I am just panicking and over-reacting. I'm on 300mg Efexor at the mo and that hasnt pushed me into anything manic - which it would do, wouldn't it, if I was indeed bipolar?? (I keep reading about people who only realised they were bp after being put on AD's). My pdoc has said that next time I see her she wants to add something sedating to the Efexor. So maybe this is all due to anxiety? And of course the slight OCD, which makes me even more focussed on finding out what could be wrong. I hope so.
However, a little while back, my pdoc said that if 300mg Efexor didnt work, she would add to it another AD or possibly Lithium. Now eeek. That threw me. Obviously, Lithium being a stabiliser. My GP said though, that adding Lithium might just be to augment the Efexor - to make it a more potent antidepressant. Who knows.
I was fine until I read that person's post, but now, grrrrr.
Anyway, anyone at all, please write back? I'm feeling a bit deflated coz I've done some posts today and no-one has replied at all. And people on here usually give good feedback, so thats why I'm trying again! ANYONE! Whether you're bipolar yourself and think "hey, I had that" or "No way, this girl is on the wrong lines" - or whether you just have an inckling or a view! Id be very grateful.
And for me, it is 2:19am and I really should try to go FORGET all this, go to bed, read a book and try to sleep (note: I only dont feel tired coz I slept most of the day). Kate
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Posted by SLS on August 7, 2004, at 20:51:02
In reply to Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by pretty_paints on August 7, 2004, at 20:21:26
Hi there.
You are not alone.
Don't worry so much about your diagnosis or what to label yourself as right now. Whatever you were yesterday you will still be tomorrow. There is no rush to come to any conclusions today. I think it is a good thing that you read something that has provoked you into questioning the quality of your medical care and motivating you to educate yourself.
Much of what you describe does sound like bipolar disorder. If you have not yet made your doctor aware of the things you have written about here, it might serve you well to help him or her better treat you by doing so. You do need a specialist, though. Determining bipolarity will help to make treatment choices with higher probabilities of success.
For now, you can go to bed and relax.
:-)
There will be plenty of time to work on this stuff later. Don't worry about it. The odds are in your favor that you will be treated successfully, regardless of diagnosis. Remember, there is always room for second and third opinions if necessary. It's a bit of a journey, but you'll get there.
Good night.
- Scott
Posted by qbsbrown on August 7, 2004, at 21:51:28
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by SLS on August 7, 2004, at 20:51:02
I can attest with your confusion about the labeling of these diseases. In many cases, i feel much the same as you. And to my surprise, a pdoc said i was bipolar, but i never get the highs. He said it was a new dx. Honestly, I'm not buying it, but im trying lamictal anyway, a stablizer. At least he was honest and said that the diagnosis of BP II on the first session, is only accurate about 20 percent of the time. How reassuring.
I think/know that anxiety is the root of all my probs, and u seem much like me. But then again we've never met, and im no expert, lol.
I think that many here would attest that effexor is stimulating and in many cases INCREASES anxiety.
Have u considered paxil? good for anxiety and ocd. Perhaps klonopin might be an option as well.
Keep working w/ the doc, and if ur not comfortable with him/her, don't hesitate to find a new one, until u find solutions and/or relief.
Wish u the best.Brian
Posted by linkadge on August 8, 2004, at 9:21:57
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by qbsbrown on August 7, 2004, at 21:51:28
Bipolar disorder is very complex, as can be unipolar disorder. Anger and rage can sometimes be symptoms of depression.
The only symtpoms in question are,
your view of your greatness/importance
beligerance impultivness etc.
Keep in mind that high doses of any antidperessants can sometimes be disinhibiting.
They may even provoke some hypomanic symptoms.You really have to look at weather these symptoms happened when you were not on antidepressants.
Did you go long periods of time where you felt great, better than others, impulsive/reckless?
If so, then you may have some degree of bipoliarity.If however this cluster of symptoms arose after starting the high doses of effexor, then they may be antidepressant induced, which is not uncommon.
For instance, high dose effexor has been known to make a lot of people angry/agressive.
One other think to consider is how long the symtpoms last, if they are just now and again, one time things then don't wory, but if they seem to presist for long periods of time then it may requare adjustments in meds.
Just something to keep in mind.
Linkadge
Posted by pretty_paints on August 8, 2004, at 13:13:10
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2004, at 9:21:57
Thanks guys,
I am feeling a little better today. I completely psyched out this morning coz I had next to no sleep (even though I tried) and went ballistic at my family again. ARRGH. I so wanted out of my skin. But I called NHS Direct (they were crap) and a mate's mum (who's a counsillor) and started to feel more calmed. She thinks its to do with therapy, issues coming out in weird ways etc. I dunno. I just feel very agitated and wired. I'll call the psychiatrist tomorrow though and see if I can get an earlier appointment.
Thanks all of you, and thanks Linkadge for what you put about the anger/rage. I think I needed reasuring that the sypmtoms were ok for depression. Of course, im not cancelling anything out, but at the same time I'm not a doctor, so I'll *try* and relax and let them worry about what it might be! I'll keep you posted.
Posted by linkadge on August 8, 2004, at 18:48:36
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by pretty_paints on August 8, 2004, at 13:13:10
The fact that it seems to hit you short after you do something that you feel bad seems a sign to me that you are not bipolar.
Depressed individuals can get angry but they tend to feel guilty about it shortly after.
Bipolar individuals can get angered/enraged but they tend to feel justified for *much longer*.
I would tend to think that the high dose effexor *may* be exasperating some anger symptoms. My suggestion is that you see the docotor and tell him that you feel slightly out of control with regards to your anger.
Linkadge
Posted by karen m. on August 11, 2004, at 0:01:24
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by qbsbrown on August 7, 2004, at 21:51:28
brian,
you sound so much like me with my diagnosis. i also never had the manic highs and was totally agast when the new pdoc said bipolar. he put me on lamictal too. so much the same story as yours. i am curious how you are doing with the lamictal?
Posted by Starlight on August 11, 2004, at 12:31:57
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me, posted by linkadge on August 8, 2004, at 18:48:36
I think you're definitely displaying some of the symptoms. Do you often go with little to no sleep? It could also be the effexor aggravating you. Are you on Effexor XR?
One thing I would do is, instead of lithium, ask about Trileptal or Lamictal. Both have been shown to be effective mood stabilizers but have none of the adverse effects of lithium. I had an old school pdoc and he wanted to do the same for me. I went into my appt armed with plenty of research, refused to take lithium or depakote and insisted that if we were going to do this it had to be trileptal or lamictal (which has been recently FDA approved for the treatment of Bipolar). The side effects of both lithium and depakote can be devastating.
You also might ask about trying lexapro instead of effexor. Lexapro is one of the newer drugs for treating anxiety. I find that effexor xl has done a great job of helping my angst, but I only take 75 mgs. Anyone in your family have bipolar?
starlight
Posted by qbsbrown on August 11, 2004, at 13:28:57
In reply to Re: Bipolar..? Please pleeeeease help me » qbsbrown, posted by karen m. on August 11, 2004, at 0:01:24
Seeing as I don't trust that pdcoc, or am just not comfortable w/ him, I'm seeking a second opinion. My counseler thought it sounded fairly odd too.
So the lamictal, I only did for 2-3 weeks. It was a fairly low dose of 50mgs. I had the HARDEST time in the world waking up.
One bonus I will mention, is that during the past 3 years, my sleep has been terrible. Waking up feeling like crap, never refreshed, and NO dreaming.
On the lamictal, I dreamt all night long. So maybe I was finally gettin some REM sleep.
So I couldn't officially comment on it. And he's a low doser, so I don't know if he wanted to go above the 50mgs.
I'll let u know what the new doc thinks.Brian
This is the end of the thread.
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