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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Jady on August 2, 2001, at 23:04:53
Today I went to a new Psych. I've been on Effexor for a few years but at low doses. Normally (since I was a small child) I'm depressed but recently sometimes quite irritable and angry. The new psych has suddenly decided I'm bipolar! I've heard that Effexor and other antidepressants can cause mania or hypomania. Needless to say I'd rather make sure before starting on another, more potent medication (Depakote). Anyone else had hypomania (irritability, talkiness from subject to subject) as a side effect?
Posted by Else on August 2, 2001, at 23:25:34
In reply to It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by Jady on August 2, 2001, at 23:04:53
Well, I wouldn't necesssarily say that Depakote is more potent than Effexor. I felt fewer side effects on Depakote than on Effexor and my own story ressembles yours. I'm not so sure irritabilaty is a pathognomically bipolar symptom. It's a sign of frustration and perhaps bipolars are more impatient than, well... "controls" but what does that mean? I believe my irritability comes from frustration (related to my sucky life which I have described at length in other posts). Is there a history of bipolar disorder in your familly? It's a good way to make sure you are really bipolar. It does not *confirm* anything but it certainly points to that direction.
> Today I went to a new Psych. I've been on Effexor for a few years but at low doses. Normally (since I was a small child) I'm depressed but recently sometimes quite irritable and angry. The new psych has suddenly decided I'm bipolar! I've heard that Effexor and other antidepressants can cause mania or hypomania. Needless to say I'd rather make sure before starting on another, more potent medication (Depakote). Anyone else had hypomania (irritability, talkiness from subject to subject) as a side effect?
Posted by Jady on August 2, 2001, at 23:30:50
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by Else on August 2, 2001, at 23:25:34
> The Psych wants to add Depakote on top of the Effexor. It took literally decades of misery before I'd go on the antidepressents (First Paxil but that took away the one thing in life that felt good ;]. Then trazadone which was worthless.] Frankly I'm petrified to go on anything else, especially Depakote which I've somehow identified with illness more major than mine (talk about denial). And hey, I thought my life was the sucky one! But am I irritable and frustrated because it sucks or does it suck because I'm either irritable and talky or irritable and isolated (depressed) at least 2/3rds of the time?
Posted by stjames on August 2, 2001, at 23:36:52
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by Jady on August 2, 2001, at 23:30:50
It is standard to give an anti-mania med along with an AD in BP. One treats the depression and the other helps with mania while countering the AD's tendancy to cause mania in BP.
j
Posted by Jady on August 2, 2001, at 23:41:27
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by stjames on August 2, 2001, at 23:36:52
I think the thing that bugs me is that I was actually diagnosed as cyclothymic today for the first time after 10 minutes with a new Psych who found me extremely annoying (he gestured that I made his head explode). I'm still (a) worried that maybe it's just the Effexor making me a bit manic; (b) maybe I'm more "effed" up than I thought; and (c) oy vey, another med to worry about detoxing from someday if I ever want to get off of it.
Is this the normal drill?
Posted by stjames on August 3, 2001, at 1:07:24
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by Jady on August 2, 2001, at 23:41:27
I'm still (a) worried that maybe it's just the Effexor making me a bit manic; (b) maybe I'm more "effed" up than I thought; and (c) oy vey, another med to worry about detoxing from someday if I ever want to get off of it.
>
> Is this the normal drill?James here....
I really can't say but one thing is sure. The only way to know if meds work is to try them.
I don't think Dep is difficult to get off of. But then again, BP is for life, so if it works, why get off it ?I like this analogy: Why pay the hairdresser for a "new look" if you will not let them cut your hair ?
james
Posted by MM on August 3, 2001, at 2:40:30
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by stjames on August 3, 2001, at 1:07:24
Hey Jady. Hmm, I was NEVER what I think is hypomanic or manic from AD's, but I was irritable, panicky, agitated etc. and now I'm diagnosed BPII. It's an accepted dx because they think that you must have had underlying BP if AD's bring this out (don't ask me why). I tried many of them so that may be different than your case (if none of them work, she must be BP??). I don't know how COMMON it is to be dxd BP because of irritability (I would agree with Else that it could be frustration due to a sucky life), but I was, so maybe it's the new thinking, or maybe BP is a popular dx right now.
I've been off of AD's for about a year, and I'd say things have gotten a bit better, but... I sometimes wonder if they changed my brain chemistry for good (or I could really just be BP).
It's cloudy in your case. Anger and irritability don't seem to me to be definite markers of BP (but again that's why I was dxd). You could try a mood stabilizer (BTW depakote isn't the only one, even if it's the only one the pdoc likes) just to see if it helps right? (That's sort of what I'm doing. I'm trying neurontin since it seems to be a mild one.)
You might want to read more about bipolar and see if it sounds like you, and also about BP meds. If the anger and irritability are things you can't/don't want to live with, then you want to figure out why you're feeling that way and try to "fix" it right (whether that's through meds or therapy or w/e)? If you are doing well (and your husband or someone else thinks so too (because SOMETIMES BP's think everything's great when it's not)) then there's no point in switching meds if you don't want to IMO. Sorry this is so long, but I hope it helped.
Posted by Cam W. on August 3, 2001, at 10:04:55
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me?, posted by stjames on August 3, 2001, at 1:07:24
Why pay the hairdresser for a "new look" if you will not let them cut your hair ?
James - Cool analogy! Mind if I use it. - Cam
Posted by stjames on August 3, 2001, at 10:37:22
In reply to Re: It is the Effexor or just me? » stjames, posted by Cam W. on August 3, 2001, at 10:04:55
> Why pay the hairdresser for a "new look" if you will not let them cut your hair ?
>
> James - Cool analogy! Mind if I use it. - CamOf course !
This is the end of the thread.
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