Posted by blueboy on June 5, 2008, at 8:04:16
In reply to Re: Intrusive music in my head, posted by boltsdraggin on June 3, 2008, at 21:43:49
> blueboy, you have some good thoughts going there.... My primary doc, who is a master psychopharmacologist, had a working diagnosis of bipolar II, and had me on Lamictal for a while. That's what I was on when I snapped in early May. He is going along with the Paxil, but told me when I talk to the p-doc next, to make double sure that I don't have a type II diagnosis. He still think I do. Must confess I don't know much about that diagnosis, and will read up on it. A hypomanic state with anxiety and tunes in my head - hmmm, something to think about.
>
> I'm attempting to stop using the Ativan regularly because I want to be able to use it prn if I need it. I want to be able to utilize only the Paxil for anxiety - is this a good direction?I'm not a doctor. I'm not about to give you advice about what to take.
I will say, though, that I understand Lamactil is used primarily to treat the depressive symptoms of Bipolar II. So I'm not surprised that you might have a severe episode of hypomania while taking it, even if it was working as intended.
I've started Lamactil. If it works on depression but I'm still getting manic symptoms, I imagine my doctor might want to change meds (I know depakote is one choice) or give me adjunct therapy, whether pharmacological or not (talk therapy, meditation, I dunno').
You called it a "break". That's a word I usually associate with psychosis, in this case meaning Bipolar I. But it doesn't sound like you're psychotic to my layperson's mind. I just want to make sure you're not running down the street naked or buying a yacht or hearing voices. I think hearing voices is very different from having a tune stuck in your head.
As for the Paxil, here is a quote from:
http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/Anxiety.htm"Antidepressants can make bipolar disorder worse." My history with SSRI's is terrible. Unfortunately I didn't keep a log and they all kind of blend together in my head, since I was taking a different drug every couple of months for years and years.
One of them gave me seizures. One of them gave me clonic seizures, which REALLY makes you think you're going nuts, LOL. They were all really bad for me.
I would agree with the advice given at the quote from pscheducation.org. Make damn well sure that your are not Bipolar before you start taking SSRI's.
If you ARE Bipolar, you should treat that first. Then, once your mood swings are better controlled, worry about treating any remaining depression, anxiety, and OCD later.
Psycheducation.org, as I read it, seems to say that non-medical therapy can be effective for depression/anxiety/OCD once the Bipolar condition is successfully treated with medication. I'm hoping that's true, since that's my current game plan.
One last word about treatment priority. Substance abuse is quite prevalent for Bipolar sufferers.
I had bad problems with alcohol. It gave me a lot of temporary relief from the pain caused by my illness, but its addictive/destructive nature makes it a terrible choice for treatment. In the long term it just made The pain worse and worse, getting me into a destructive addiction cycle.
And another downside is that it can mask and/or aggravate the underlying condition, so that it makes getting successful medical treatment more difficult.
The best thing I ever did was go to AA and get sober. If I hadn't done it, I'd be dead today, either from alcoholism or suicide.
poster:blueboy
thread:830967
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080528/msgs/833048.html