Bipolar Support Group

Someone just mentioned to me that people who are bipolar and have difficulty staying on task or focusing may also have ADHD and need to get another med to get that under control. Do you know anything about that? I feel like I'm on enough meds already!

yes...i have bipolar disorder and ADHD. there is a large amount of people with bipolar disorder that have it, i can't remember the exact percentage. stimulants are dangerous to someone with bipolar disorder (sometimes induce mania), so make sure your pdoc really knows what he/she is talking about with it. i would even suggest getting tested for it, just to have that reassurance. if you don't really have ADHD, a stimulant can be ugly.

but i'm telling you, the stimulant helped me feel stable more than anything. my pdoc didn't seemed to be too concerned about the risks. and don't let something like being on too many meds hold you back from getting it taken care of.

I agree with what has been said and also Omega 3 (fish oil) is really good for your brain and after a couple of months might improve your concentration too.

I liked Vyvanse best of the stimulants that I tried. It had the fewest side effects. I could not get stable though, so they discontinued it. I can't tell you for sure if it was the Vyvanse causing my problem or not. I am finally stable now, but they added Lithium, so who knows?

I did a lot of research on ADHD becuase my 11 yr old son has it. With my bipolar symptoms, esp. not staying on task or completing things as well as others, I thought I probably had it as well. I talked to my pdoc about it and he vehemently said No! You do not have ADHD. It is commonly misdiagnosed in people with bipolar. I agree taking stimulants can be very dangerous for people with bp. My son is on Provigil which is not a stimulant and it works well for him. He can't take the others because they cause his heart to race. Good luck with your dianoses and maybe ask about Provigil if you're ADHD as well. Take Care Trudy

I was diagnosed as ADHD as a kid and now Bipolar as an adult. I think the two are somehow related. As far as meds. are concerned that is up to your pdoc. I am personally not using any meds. for the ADHD now and was using ritulin (however you spell it). But that was back in the late 70's early 80's.

I am diagnosed as ADHD and Bipolar. I take a herbal product called STAT: Get Focused. I do not know the ingredients of it but my pdoc ok'd it for me. When I buy some more I will post the ingredients. I threw away the box and all I have are the packets.

The two are different disorders and require different medication for the most part. Talk about your suspicions with your doctor and got from there

Some docs say yes you can have both, some say you cant. The thing is, of all the bipolar symptoms about 3/4s of them are ADHD symptoms. But again is the cause of the symptoms impulsiveness or mania?

One interesting theory I read on another forum was that ADHD could be the cause of "rapid cycles" or mixed phases in Bipolar disorder. The idea is that the emotional regulation problems associated with ADD will cause the the mixed symptoms. I wonder if anyone else has read or heard this.

I have both. I also have OCD on top of it. It gets really fun when the symptoms kinda run together. I only take meds for bipolar though.

Today I was put on Vyvanse, after already being on Seroquel XR @ 400mg. From what I understand, an individual with ADHD has something like a 30% chance to develop Bipolar disorder. I've always had the symptoms of ADHD as a child, and they've sort of developed from hyperactive to inattentive as I've grown.

So far I am finding it good. I have much more focus it feels, because I'm sort of drifting into things with more concentration without breaking that silence, but I don't know what to make of it yet. The weight loss, lack of appetite and anxiety are some things that I do NOT want. I still need time.

What I'm interested in is how Wellbutrin could be added to the mix for depression. Mood stabilization only goes so far with depression.