in 25 years - each and every doctor will change your diagnosis!!!! That is why they call it "practising medicine" LOL

Meds treat symptoms now what disorder the pdoc of the week sees or convinces us!

Its excellent to research and learn, challenge and grow - but be careful reading most that shit, as being "Sick" we start seeing things not there, and ignoring things that are - because it was a GREAT ARTICLE!!! LOL

To answer your question without the babble - I am Bipolar, I have been Dx with all and every, so - for me, if I get less sleep and go UP, UP and UP - that's manic stuff. IF I can't get up and want to die, that is the depression.... Manic Depression didn't have so many slices of the pie!!! haha I didn't realize that till just now typing!!!!

I'm sure you'll get much better replies, its a great thread!

Lol. Love your reply. I actually did a paper on bipolar disorder for class and it hit me that maybe if they'd stuck with manic depressive it would have been easier. I get that breaking it up into different categories based on the symptoms makes it somewhat easier to treat but man it makes it hard for us the patients. I haven't seen any other docs yet but it's bound to happen soon. Wonder what they'll say.

Upon returning to my hometown,I moved back to visit Grandma daily till she passed, 96 and ill - well, she lived till 101! Yesterday was her birthday, she would have been 103 - I'd have an estate LOL

When Grandma passed, I had a nice comfortable house I could afford - back in a place I ran from...... tis life.

In the 6 years I've been here - I had 3 Horrible Pdoc's - they didn't listen, prescribed the same meds to every patient, over medicated.... 3 Bad docs in a row - did a toll.

I now as of July have one of the best pdocs in the state - but trial and error in pills still sucks.................

What I learned is now all pdoc's are good, and its hard to change doctors, they assume You are Non-compliant, versus the pdoc sucked.....

I think a huge stigma with society and even ourselves, is if we find a good doc, he gives magic pills and life is better.... NOT!!!!

Some pdocs suck - don't hang your hat, if it feels wrong, or gets worse - don't always blame yourself!!!

Now why in the fuck haven't you been to a pdoc? : )

I've been to one. She gave me benzos as PRN and Prozac to take once a week. I think the dosage is silly but then if I take more I might blow out, right? Since that's what generally happens to beepers when they take ADs with no stabilizer. The day after taking it I'm hella hypo but then I go back down after a while. I still get depressed but I won't be seeing her til next year so...

ah, hypo from AD's does not generally happen!!! LOL It DOES happen a lot, but many, many, many people CAN take AD"S : )

Watch that research!!!! : ) On the Right bottom corner of the home page is a list of drugs Bipolar's say work the best - the top 10

Half are AD"s : )

I've never taken any of those.Prozac, Xanax and Klonopin are the only psych meds I've ever taken. My pdoc says not to pin my highs on my meds cos that's just part of me- highs. I dunno. Guess I just gotta roll with what she says.

as gina says ad's dont make everyone hypo. i take 100mg prozac daily - the usual dose is 20 -60 and I have no problem with it. it is mainly to help with my obsessive suicidal ideation and cutting, the ocd stuff rather than the depression but that too. I'm also on chlorpromazine prn and topamax with xanax also prn. I I also take a large dose of vitamin d3 which is really good 3,200/day. best med i have ever taken. and eltroxin as an adjunct because studies have shown that a boost to the thyroid is good for bp. I have found this to be true. I hope you find the combination that works for you and if i were you i would make an appointment with a pdoc as soon as possible. you dont need to suffer this without professional help. big hugs.

I take 20mg of Prozac weekly. You don't need a stabilizer? I tried making an appt to get a second opinion at the University Hospital but they canceled it cos they didn't want to 'step on any toes'. The usual policy is that if students come into the hospital for certain illnesses they're sent back to the health centre. A private doc is way too expensive though. I'm thinking of visiting the psych ward at the hospital in my hometown when I go home. I don't feel like I'm getting any better, if anything I'm getting worse. New things are popping up and I just want to make sure i get the best treatment possible. This semester was awful. I'm afraid of what my GPA looks like. I can't do this again next semester.

That is exactly what I always ask myself

daily, monthly, etc

Am I getting better or worse? Not the whole picture, one step, once choice....

((((BIG HUG)))) I'd want a shrink/pdoc - not a nurse or someone quessing

I actually heard that the pdoc at the hospital is really good so it might be worth a shot to hear what someone else says. I just want to be better next year than I was this year. Christ, if I get any worse I'm seriously screwed.

I have never in my life heard of someone taking an antidepressant once a week. It takes 4-6 weeks to work taking it every day. Usually they are out of your system entirely in 5 days. I would so question that one. I had a health center psychiatrist for a while but I got "too complicated" for her eventually (I have bipolar NOS, mostly mixed episodes) after I was checked into the hospital. So maybe a visit to the ward is indeed one way to get on a better track.

To answer your question, I battled severe depression for many years before being dx'd bipolar. I had my first manic episode because of an antidepressant, but it evolved from there even without an antidepressant. Ironically, the AD I take now is the one that made me manic, just in about 1/4 of the original dose.

Mood stabilizers are always a good idea. I take an antipsychotic which doubles as a mood stabilizer. I've been on it for 5 years and it's a freakin' miracle, let me tell you.

Yeah, the once a week thing was puzzling to me too. I'm happy you found a combo that works for you. Sigh. Why can't this just be simple?

I wasn't diagnosed until I was 38 ( I'm now 40) and I never asked nor cared about was it BP 1 or 2 or whatever. What I knew was it was BP. My pdoc feels that I was just born this way. Now when I was younger it may have been diagnosed as cyclothymia if I ever saw a doctor. In one of my hospital stays I saw a copy of some of the paperwork the doc wrote up on me and it said BP NOS. Im still learning about bipolar too so not 100% sure what that means. I read somewhere, sorry don't remember where that bipolar does get worse as you get older. Don't know how true that is. Sorry, I don't think I answered your question.

Pagan - BPNOS is Bipolar not otherwise specified. Which basically means that you have some of the symptoms of bipolar disorder, but don't fit the diagnostic criteria for either type.

It helps to know about other's experience with it