Can anxiety swing, scared of Bipolar?

[No Excuses]

Hello All,

I am not doing good lately so please help me and read my post. Here are the symptoms I experience daily: frequently wakeing up first half of the night, overall discomfort (hard to describe) it is like feeling unexplained mental pain inside, inability to feel pleasure, relaxation, happiness, feeling disconnected, derealization? tired, unable to concentrate, no motivation, don't want to socialize, ringing in ears, doom, constant quesioning when it is going to stop, is it possible to recover, dizzy, drowsy sometimes, uncomfortable in every way, not myself, headaches, full head, fogy head, concentrated on my symptoms etc.

My QUESTION is: Can anxiety fluctuate and swing. I feel really bad for few hours,then suddenly i feel lighter, better, less tense, it stops hurting, and then after some time it starts again. Can anxiety have high and low swings durring the day???

[No Excuses]

Today I had very good day. I barely felt some anxiety. I felt pleasure, I could concentrate at work, I was able to a lot of things. Today also I feel like I am alive, I am willing to go out, talk to freinds on the phone, move my ***, do the laundry, socialize, talk to people, make jokes, I feel emotions. Is that normal that today I feel much better and I want to do all of this things and yesterday I didn't feel well and I didnt even think to do all of this?? I am afraid of bipolar, are those symptoms of this illness or my anxiety?? Can anxiety hurt so much for a couple of days and then subside and you have almost normal day????

[No Excuses]

Thank You for your knowledable post!!!

My doctor thinks exactly the same that I have severe anxiety and as a result depression is a seconday thing. I am very responsible for the things I am doing and I always honest with my doctor answearing all of the questions. Can anxiety give me this kind of swings? do you think recovery is possible?

Thanks,

K

[nursegirl6572]

I also feel that you sound more like you are suffering from anxiety and secondary depression (as a result of severe anxiety, which is common).  Bipolar is marked with very severe mood swings....when someone is "manic", they can go ono HUGE shopping sprees for example....do a lot of very irresponsible things without worrying about the consequences...it's a very high, euphoric stage.  Then, the total opposite happens when the "depressive" mood kicks in...a person becomes horribly withdrawn, depressed.

A psychiatrist uses diagnostic criteria to appropriately diagnose a certain disorder.  There are very "set" factors that will lead to a diagnosis.  It isn't just a "guess".  Is it possible that people are misdiagnosed?  Of course!  If you are questioning your diagnosis...then you need to seek the opinion of another doctor.  The two disorders are treated quite differently, and a mis-diagnosis will make a difference in treatment and recovery.

Just be sure to be 100% honest with your doctor...answer any questions he/she asks with total honesty.

Hang in there.

[No Excuses]

Hey,

I see a doctor who is specializing in BP. He thinks that I have anxiety what creates fatigue and depressive mood. I used to see different doc prior to this one who was a med freek, he suspected BPII but non of the meds for BP worked for me, they gave me a lot of side effects but no relief. I felt like poisoned. I think I am in the loop of checking how I feel and my subconcious mind are provoking all the symptoms!!!!

[Paxiled]

Sounds like depression to me, with anxiety as well.  Doesn't sound like bipolar, you don't describe extreme mood swings.  Sounds like you feel okay or rotten all the time.  Do you see a therapist?  A doctor?  A naturopath?  It's always good to get diagnosed if you suspect something physical, sometimes it is.  But your feelings of sadness and not wanting to get out of bed sound depressive, and depression and anxiety usually come together.  

[Marin600]

One more thing:  if you learn that you are diagnosed as bi-polar, you deal with it.  Bi-polar patients have more problems from not regularly taking their meds than from being bi-polar.  Whatever ever life throws at you, you deal with it in the best way that you learn about.  So, if you find out that you're bi-polar, you make sure that you do what all the bi-polar patients do who successfully manage their illness.  Best wishes!

[Marin600]

It's going to get better.  Have faith; it will.  Every single symptom you describe could be a symptom of something else.  Yes, you do sound as though you might have anxiety, but that's okay, so long as anxiety doesn't have you.  Think about that.  You're the humanoid.  You can be in control, so make sure that you have anxiety, and it doesn't have you.  How?  That's the hard part, but you can do it.  Educate yourself: internet, books, forums, health threads, support groups through dr's office, dept of health, health food store, "Y," parks dept, churches---or start your own.  There's definitely safety in numbers.  There's a lot of world news that can bring discomfort and gloom; learn to look at the glass half full, not half empty.   Find something you'd enjoy doing, and do it as often as possible, or learn to do it if you don't already know.  Listen to good classical music or that from popular stage musicals:  The Sound of Music, The King & I, Oklahoma, Cats---uplifting music has been proven to release endorphins and create visible brain changes when listeners were wired with electrodes recording their brains while listening.  Marching band music is good for you, too.  No matter how much you love the pour-your-heart-out sad love songs, don't listen to them; they will affect you negatively and you don't need that.  Invite a friend over for a board game or conversation or to paint a room or play frisby with the dog.  You need the intellectual stimulation and comaraderie that results from social interaction.  Stay away, as much as possible, from people who put you in a down mood.  Try to take at least a half hour walk each day, and get even more exercise if you can.  Exercise has a positive effect upon the brain, which helps to give you some relief.   Drink pure water and eat as fresh food as you can find, organic preferable.  No chemicals, no preservatives, no sugar, no booze, no smoking.  Maybe you can't bring yourself to do all these things, but any that you can will be just that many steps toward healthier living.  Ask your dr for full blood work-up to eliminate low blood sugar, faulty thyroid, or compromised adrenal glands.  Google your symptoms and follow all the leads.  It will occupy you, you'll learn a lot, find out how many other people have the same problems, and therefore know you're not going to die from it, and you may make new friends.  There are several health forums you can wander through.  Especially check into deficiencies of vitamins and minerals.  Start with the B vitamins, cholin, inositol, magnesium, potassium, calcium, pantothenic acid, Vitamins A, C, E, D, K, trace minerals, probiotics, digestive enzymes.  You may see a lot of your symptoms in the deficiency lists and descriptions.  If so, take some of those nutrients and see what happens.  Go through the forums and check out all the questions and comments in the thyroid, adrenal and depression forums.  Be open to new ideas.  If you educate yourself well, you WILL be in control.  People in these forums pour out their hearts with their troubles and pains, and pour out what worked for them.  Anxiety can be responsible for everything you mentioned, and a whole lot more.  You may even have anxiety, plus another condition that feeds the anxiety, making it worse than if the other condition were treated. If you purposely involve yourself in doing things, anxiety will have to be satisfied with just intruding upon your consciousness part of the time.  Pretend that the symptoms are no worse than a boil on your fanny or a broken ankle.  You won't be able to do that all the time.  But if you make a conscious effort to become involved in other things, you'll give the anxiety less of an opportunity to get the upper hand.  Sometimes life is all about going through the motions and pretending that everything's okay---because sometimes you discover that little technique works part of the time.  Get some funny movies---slapstick or whatever it takes to give you a good long belly laugh, one after the other.  Sounds too simple, but the simple fact is that it really does help.  Consider volunteering to help children with reading, math or sports, or helping out at a nursing home or hospital as a volunteer.  INVOLVE yourself.  See a dr about the anxiety, as well as having a check-up to eliminate other problems.  Do what the dr. says.  Every one of us who reads these threads, and every one takes the time to respond to a question wishes only the best for the ones posing the questions.  We can suggest and recommend, but only you can make it happen.----------No excuses, y'hear?