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Re: Cyclothymia stigma

Posted by Krysti on November 1, 2002, at 11:32:08

In reply to Cyclothymia stigma, posted by Liberty on October 31, 2002, at 20:19:05

Hi,

I'm not an expert or anything, but do understand what you're going through - I've been there. About a year ago I noticed signs of Cyclothymia and was scared to death. So much so in fact I ignored it and kept on in denial. Mental illness does not run in my family so I have no experience with it and certainly didn't want to consider myself as "mentally ill". However, I also had severe anxiety for about 6 years after going through a stressful time and no matter how hard I tried, I could not overcome it. I finally went on Paxil for it and ended up becoming manic and delusional (believe me - I NEVER thought anything like that could happen to me). I looked up euphoria on the internet and when I read the description of Bipolar Disorder (a.k.a. Manic Depression) and what mania was, there was no longer a doubt that that is what I had. I was officially diagnosed. When you are Bipolar, taking anti-depressant/anti-anxiety medication without a mood stabilizer can bring on mania.

To answer your other question, from what I've read, if left untreated - yes, it can get worse and did for me even before I went on the Paxil. Also, there are a lot of other mood stabilizers other than Lithium. The one I'm on now is Gabitril which has not made me gain weight. I have also recently added Lexapro (an anti-depressant) to combat the "flat" feeling or depression that can happen with a mood stabilizer alone.

It is scary and frustrating to go through this - I know. It is a life long thing and will not go away on its own. Yes, a medication can quit working for you and then you need to try something else. I don't really know a lot about Risperadal, but I didn't think that was normally prescribed for Cyclothymia (usually a mood stabilizer is the first thing prescribed). It sounds like you also need to find a new doctor - it's important to have one that works with you and listens to you and how you're feeling and answers your questions.

The up side though is when you are on the right medication, you get to feel "normal" :) And as far as the stigma that goes along with it, no one needs to know that you don't want to tell. I've actually told a lot of people (people I know and trust) and have had a lot of great support. Even my bosses at work know and are very supportive.

It may not be the easiest thing to accept, but once you do, you realize it's not the end of the world. You just have a chemical imbalance that needs to be treated just like if you had diabetes.

Take care and if you have any more questions or want to talk to someone who's been through the same thing, let me know.

Krysti


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poster:Krysti thread:126001
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021101/msgs/126081.html