Posted by catmint on November 9, 2002, at 21:46:49
In reply to Re: Me too, perhaps?, posted by Lyn on November 9, 2002, at 3:58:49
>When I'm anxious I'm most likely to cut or burn myself or to attempt suicide. I get obnoxious and argumentative and sometimes violent - to the extent of breaking windows
Lyn, many bipolar people have anxiety. I too have felt this way. Just tonight I was so agitated I wanted to break a mirror. I am also argumetative and hostile. Makes it extremely difficult to relationships.
>When I feel really depressed I sleep most of the time; when I am anxious I barely sleep and, sometimes, not at all. It's when I don't sleep that I feel most energetic.
Bipolar depression is experienced commonly as just that, wanting to sleep all the time and appetite changes. Conversely, when hypomanic, there is a need for less sleep and your mood is elated.
>Sometimes I go on spending sprees or I binge eat. I make dreadful decisions or blurt out a statement and really regret it later. However, I don't associate any of this with mania, which I understand to be a feeling of being on top of the world. In the last eight years I have had three days which were ok (not great, just ok); the rest have been hell.
Mania can be feel great but there is often a really uncomfortable edgy feeling along with it. It sounds like you experience mixed states which is mania and dpression at the same time. I'ts like you are depressed but have a lot of energy. Some psychiatrist believe that mania is really just a form of depression.
>Most medications have made me feel worse; Prozac gave me migraines; aropax and nortryptilene together didn't help (I was depressed, got anxious and then depressed again); moclobemide made me very, very anxious but it wasn't until I got into one of my deep dark depressions again that they acknowledged that it wasn't helping; seroquel gave me freaky out-of-body experiences and worsened the PTSD symptoms; doxepin made me a zombie; olanzapine and aropax together made me gain over 40 kgs in less than six months, made me so agitated that they prescribed a second AP to try and control the agitation, my face broke out in boil-like eruptions, I couldn't think to save myself and couldn't move to get out of my own way - my friends said it was as if no one was home when they talked to me; an extremely low dose of seroquel also made me feel like a zombie. I've tried a few other ADs and APs that I can't recall the names of, as well as ECT, but nothing has helped.
Have you ever been on a mood stabilizer? Even though olanzapine is approved bu the FDA as a "mood stabilizer" It really just makes people zombies. THe key treatment for BP is anti-seizure meds.
>Does this sound like BPII?
Lyn, It sounds like from what you described that you could very well be bipolar. I hope you get the care you need at the new clinic. I write down all my symptons so I don't forget. Keep us posted.
Amy
poster:catmint
thread:126351
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20021108/msgs/127081.html