Bipolar Support Group

Anyway I have bipolar disorder of either type 1 or mixed type but it's hard to pin down my doc and get her to say either way. I know that I have mixed type episodes regularly though. I also have been diagnosed with Intermittent explosive disorder and PTSD, so as many of you may suspect this thrills me to no end.

As I get older my symptoms get worse. I respond best to the older meds, lithium/depekote for example but have put on 40 lbs from that since I've been on them. respiridol made me break out in a rash. I got really drugged out feeling on thorazine.

That's the short dirty take on my medical and mental health fun and why I am looking for a group of people to talk to about this because more times than nought it feels like my head is breaking apart from the inside and I drive the people around me up the walls.

Thanks for reading that

Fobs.

My doctor treats my symptoms only he does not use terms like 'mixed, cycling, mood swings, etc' hell never got the right diagnosis out of him after seeing him for 24 yrs (he diagnosed me with depression with anxiety, i still see him we have shortage of psychiiarts) Its good to hear your psychoiatsit uses terminology to diagnos you helps you understand whats happening, but remember these diagnosis do change. I had to get him to refer me to the mental health centre here in 2007 for a reassessement, voluntary inpatient for one month, i told him i needed 'new doctors' to look at me and tell me what they thought, well in 5 days i was told i was bipolar I. This was a relief, i now recognize my symptoms and am better able to cope. Since joining here i've also learned so much hearing first hand form other who have bipolar about this disease. I wish you well. Feel free to contact me or any group leader if you need info or just want to talk.

Post edited by: Dit, at: 11/04/2011 06:42 AM

I forgot to mention that when I first got diagnosed, or rather previously to being diagnosed but when I first went looking for help I got the depression/anxiety tag too. It partially had to do with the fact that I was super secretive about the things going through my head.

My family kept mental illness issues quiet for a few obvious reasons in that a generation or two back from mine people were dealt with very harshly when they had bipolar. This environment taught me to keep my symptoms quiet so I would not suffer a stigma or worse.

Many of the younger people dealing with mental illness might not have actually met people who have had electro shock or lobotomys first hand.

Denise

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Saphris 10 MG

Lamictal 50 MG

Clonidine 0.1 MG

Klor-Con M20

Synthroid 75 MCG

Metolazone 5MG

Torsemide 20 MG

Etolodac 400 MG

Norethindrone Acetate 5MG

Now as far as Saphris, I don't know about that yet. If it is on the drug formula as for what I can get help with in regard to paying for it and it is not related to Respridol then I could give it a shot. I don't know though, there was one drug that she told me about that sounds a bit like that from what I can remember and it was supposed to be somewhere between Haldol and Thorizine. She said because Haldol wouldn't be a good match and that I was having too many side effects with Thorazine that that avenue was out.

so if your provider doesn't know about these for some reason, tell them to check it out.