I haven't felt depression or mania in years. I tried many medications, and antidepressants really only succeeded in making me manic. It was moodstabilizers and antipsychotics that have eased my pain, and it was the moodstabilizer/antipsychotic Saphris that has kept me cycle free, but only after trying ECT.

http://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/electroconvulsive-therapy/basics/definition/prc-20014161

http://www.webmd.com/depression/guide/electroconvulsive-therapy

Hey Iam I am sorry you are feeling this way. I do not know what iots like to cut but I know what its like to feel like hurting yourself is the only way to make the pain stop. I am here all day if you want to message me to talk. Hugs to you my friend lots of hugs.

Iam, I'm so sorry to hear that you're feeling so bad. Clearly prozac isn't working for you, I wish the doc would give you something else to help!! Keep fighting, sleep if you have to in order to just pass the time. And keep posting here if it helps, we will help you through the best we can. Do you feel like your pdoc listens to you? Do you feel like you are getting adequate treatment from her?

have you an antipsychotic to take like risperidal or chlorpromazine which are good for quelling the desire to cut? can you call you pdoc? while prozac has a good half life and will remain in your system for a little while it seems insane to have told you to just stop altogether. chlorpromazine/clonactil also contains an antiemetic which would help the upset stomach and would do two things at once. I hate to see you suffer like this. have you xanax or ativan or klonopin that you can take in the meantime to help a little in getting over the worst of it along with relaxation techniques, music, baths, reading, anything that might ease your mind for a bit. keep posting here as much as you can and let us know how you are doing. go to your nearest emergency room if you need to. they will help. call a crisis line, they will also help. hugs.

You doc didn't give you a different AD????
I had to stop Prozac because of the nausea. It was bad and it took a year and a half to find the cause.
Hang in there honey, this will get fixed.

Just now going back to this post. I haven't got any other meds. And no, I don't feel like my pdoc listens to me. She's still 'treating' me for BPD so in her book therapy is enough and I don't really need ADs. Bull.

If you have Borderline then it is true that meds are not needed. If you have other conditions they may be required.

This goes back to the uncertainty over you diagnosis - I've forgotten again - you were going to get a second opinion but were waiting for that, did I remember correctly?

If your pdoc doesn't listen to you you need to try another. Sounds like you need to get a second opinion anyways. Hell, even a third one wouldn't hurt to help confirm the other two docs if they both have a different opinion...get a tie breaker if you will!

Yeah. It got cancelled. I was going through the University's hospital but they have a 'don't meddle' policy. If students go there they're sent back to the health centre. I'm going to have to go to a private pdoc, off campus. But then there's the possibility of that pdoc agreeing with my current pdoc and that would seriously suck. It's something I'll have to discuss with my mum thoigh cos I really can't afford a private pdoc on my own.

If they agree you need to consider that they are right and you are not bipolar.

I guess so. Though I think I'm gonna find myself leaning to what my tdoc has dxed me with on account of we spend more time together, we communicate waaay more, you know? But I do want some other opinions. I kinda feel like she wants me to have BPD and not BD cos she's anti-drugs but hey, maybe that's just my paranoia.

But a therapist isn't qualified to do a diagnosis.

I think something that we forget is that one advantage a psychiatrist is that they see alot of people with these disorders.

A therapist will typically may not have any bipolar patients even though they have seen some in the past. My late wife was a therapist of nearly 30 years - she had only a couple of bipolar patients in that time. A psychiatrist may see one every day or at least perhaps once a week - plus borderline patients.

I guess all that experience allows them to do the differential diagnosis between borderline and bipolar.

But definately get a second - or even third opinion. You can have both borderline and bipolar and then I guess it gets tricky but a good psychiatrist should be able to spot that.

Thanks Fish. I hope I can do that soon.