Please check NAMI. Free support groups. Pamela
10 years ago I was misdiagnosed BP1 , taken off antidepressants, and onto Lamatrogine. While dosing up on the starter pack, I had panic attack after panic attack, finally went to a proper psychiatrist, he said I am not BP1. He immediately put me back on an antidepressant. Then I just suffered with irritability. So he added Seroquel at night. He is an addictionoligist as well and said doctors dont get addicts. They diagnose us improperly as BP1. I COULD NOT TOLERATE LAMICTAL. Maybe my irritability since childhood is a deep sense of sadness from traumatic events. Plus some menopause mixed in. Im just scared. I don't even know why. I start my first Prozac in the morning. Your feedback is so valuable. Thank you
Did you get a different looking pill when you changed your dose? Sometimes people are actually allergic to a filler in a generic version of a pill, and not actually allergic to the drug (and eyes and throat swelling shut sounds like an allergic reaction, although I certainly can't tell you that for sure over the internet).
As for the BP II--well, maybe. Those high activity levels or even the irritability could be signs of it, but they might not be. If she's pretty sure, lamotrigine might be something to look into, as it is a mood stabilizer with very good antidepressant effects.
I recommend you check out psycheducation.org. It has a lot of useful info on BP II, mostly in plain English.