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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 5 of 5. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by chocamine on November 15, 2008, at 16:53:32
Hi everyone.
I'm posting here in hopes that I could get some knowledgeable information seeing as how most typical bipolar "support" boards are not of much help...
I am a 20 year old male and as far back as I can see, I have led a pretty damn good teenage life (I had some very minor bouts of depression but other than that, nothing really). I have NO family history of mental illnesses on either side.
In May 2008, I started becoming progressively hypomanic with delusions of grandeur and some signs of paranoid schizophrenia. I was not hospitalized because I was fully functional. In fact, it was the BEST time of my life. I felt like a messiah. It was pure euphoria. My social life exploded... I was living the rock star life. Had a solid job. Was well respected.
I didn't really know what was going on but I didn't care.. it was bliss.It all ended in August 2008. I started getting progressively more irritable and anxious and then finally I fell into the most horrible suicidal depression for no reason. No triggers or anything. Life was going perfectly and it seems like it happened almost overnight. I have had to quit my job, cut off contact from all my friends and Isolate myself in my house.
The depression right now is unbearable and has been relentless. It is melancholic, meaning that I literally can feel no pleasure from anything. Not even good news can make me feel different. It is indescribable to say the least. It literally feels like I got a lobotomy. My cognitive abilities are shot. I feel like a zombie (even prior to being medicated). My mind is ruminating over and over about it all because I don't know what the hell is going on. The whole thing feels like an unreal dream. I didn't even know human beings could feel this horrible. There is no "quiet space" in my mind or anywhere where I can feel at peace. There is literally nowhere to run and nowhere to hide. If it continues this way it *will* drive me to suicide.
I am currently seeing a psychiatrist and have been on Lamictal 150mg, Lithium 1200mg and Zoloft 50mg for 2 months now and I have not had any improvements whatsoever.
I am doing all the usual physical exercise, high-dose fish oil, light therapy as well with no improvements.
Something tells me, given that I have had no prior mental conditions and no family history, that this is some kind of freak case. My life was perfect and then all of a sudden BOOM. I really don't know what to think of it. I am scared and confused and it feels like I'm going to be stuck this way for the rest of my life.
Well... I don't know what else to say. Is there anything encouraging I can know?
If any more info is needed please let me know. I just want some improvement... :(
Posted by Tomatheus on November 17, 2008, at 3:05:42
In reply to Atypical case of bipolar... end of the line here.., posted by chocamine on November 15, 2008, at 16:53:32
Hello chocamine, and welcome to Psycho-Babble!
I'm sorry to hear about the manic phase that you went through and especially the period of depression that you're currently in. I have a long history of depression myself (with a current diagnosis of schizoaffective disorder), and I can certainly relate to the devastation associated with being severely depressed. It sucks big time, and it's even worse when the medications that are supposed to be helping you aren't.
I would definitely tell your psychiatrist that the medications that you're taking haven't helped your depression at all. He (or she) might be able to switch you to something that might be more helpful. As far as depression is concerned, there are a lot of medications out there that could potentially be helpful. Aside from the SSRIs, there are SNRIs, TCAs, MAOIs, Wellbutrin, Remeron, Serzone, and Deplin. There are also antidepressant supplements such as St. John's Wort and SAMe that you might find helpful. I personally have the best history with the MAOIs, even though I'm currently taking Abilify with tianeptine (a medication that I order from overseas). My point is that assuming that you haven't tried most of the medications that I identified above, you still have a lot of options available for the treatment of your depressive symptoms. I wish you luck in finding something that works.
Thanks for posting here. You might also consider re-posting your message on the Psycho-Babble Medications board (which gets more posts) so you could get more replies.
Tomatheus
Posted by B2chica on November 19, 2008, at 11:53:47
In reply to Atypical case of bipolar... end of the line here.., posted by chocamine on November 15, 2008, at 16:53:32
Definatly TALK to your pdoc, let him/her know what is going on you shouldn't have to feel this way. (that's why you pay em the big bucks)
your on a pretty low dose of zoloft, upping that to 100 could help a bit.
but i think a complete switch may help. have you tried any AP's? (antipsychotics) such as Abilify or zyprexa? i've had really good luck with zyprexa, its about the only thing that can help my psychotic depression, and usually starts working within 48 hours.
also i'd try a different AD maybe go with effexor or wellbutrin. Effexor has Terrible withdrawl symptoms and wellbutrin can be really energizing for some so weigh that out.************
probably the best ive had it was when i was on wellbutrinXL and zyprexa together. but wellbutrin has since pooped out for me.
i'm now on Pristiq, zyprexa and adderall. The pristiq seemed to help but it took like 6 weeks (or longer) to really start to notice change. i've heard others say the same.
and Pristiq is actually the metabolite of effexor, less side effects.and like Tomatheus mentions you may want to try the main 'Medication' board for better/faster responses.
Best wishes
b2c
Posted by JadeKelly on November 22, 2008, at 14:46:54
In reply to Atypical case of bipolar... end of the line here.., posted by chocamine on November 15, 2008, at 16:53:32
Hello :)
Your age (late teens) is said to be when Bi-polar I usually presents itself. In males, it typically shows up as aggressive, irritable, and angry mania/alternated with depression. This is what happened to my son. His "episodes" were scary, his depression, heartbreaking.
He was hospitalized 3 times for the mania. After so much he*l, I won't go into details, I'll tell you two things. There are drugs that work, it may take awhile to get it right; It DOES get better, possibly even a feeling of remmission.
What ultimatly worked, after many drug trials, is Depakote and Seroquel. We may add an A/D at some time, but this combo seems to help. Also realizing that your depressive episode won't last forever. We've had to cut back school, make some other changes so that he could recover without a lot of stressful things coming at him all at once. I'm definately not saying quit life for a while, that would worsen things. As soon as you can, see friends. Be outside as much as you can. Get enough sleep. ESPECIALLY don't stick with a med regimine for too long that ISN'T working. Just give each change a reasonable chance to work.
Given your type of mania, I'd say a mood stablizer should def be part of treatment. Seems as though you would need really good A/D right now as opposed to anti-psych meds, but that is just a geuss on my part. Just be careful to notify PDoc AS SOON as you feel mania coming on, you now know what follows, I'm sure you'd rather just be youself. Btw-if you want alot more info, move your post to med board. There are a lot of knowledgeable people over there. Just go to bottom of page and click on med board, I believe.
~Jade
PS-Parnate and Klonopin currently making my major deppression better. Not sure if appropriate in your case, but you could ask. MAOI's are serious meds, but if you're feeling suicidal, may be time to step things up, again just my opinion. Nothing wrong with getting different treatment plans that have worked for others and asking PDoc about them. And remember, Bi-polar generally means this depression will leave, but treating now is crucial. Feel free to babblemail me anytime, I've learned a lot about Bi-Polar and major depression over the last couple of years.
Posted by greywolf on December 4, 2008, at 20:01:11
In reply to Re: Atypical case of bipolar... end of the line here.. » chocamine, posted by B2chica on November 19, 2008, at 11:53:47
You might want to try a combo of Remeron and Abilify. Remeron will kick your butt a little at first with respect to it's sedating effect, but after a few days, you'll probably adjust. Abilify has no SEs that I can detect, but I respond oddly to some meds.
Greywolf
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