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Fibro and BiPolar Disorder

I  was just diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder on yesterday. It explains why the sleep meds were not working and my mind was never at rest. Last night I slept better than I have in a very LONG time. The doc put me on Seroquel for now. She also put me on 2 weeks short term disability.

Anyone else w/ Fibro and BPD?
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Avatar universal
OMG!!  that has just happened to me.  my gp mentioned that i have fm about six years ago but never really went into it with me and i suffer from bp so that seems to always be the thing that gets his attention.  went to the orthopedic surgeon today and he says oh btw you have all the markers for fm.  i go i know my gp told me and hes like shocked that i am not being treated.  i have been going to the idiot gp for years with all my aches and debilitating pain (had to sell my business as i couldnt work) and last week when he ran a blood work up and it all came back normal he said i could research ME but he couldnt find anything wrong.  hes the one that originally came up with FM on more than one occassion but as soon as i told him i was bipolar it all became a mental thing.  if i have flu im having a panic attack.  you are not a freak my friend but i do wish that we could all just tell some doctors to take our symptoms for a day just so that they could understand what its like.
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Avatar universal
I just stumbled across this forum. Feel like I'm going crazy! I have suffered with chronic depression my entire life (now 52). None of the meds ever seem to work. I now have arthritis widespread pain. My reg doc prescribes my meds & a few years ago diagnosed fibro. On a follow up visit when I mentioned the fibro she said "oh, do you have that". So much for my faith in her. I have 3 family members with Bi Polar & am now wondering if I am the same. I'm finding it difficult to get proper care from Kaiser. I tend to self medicate & now I'm hooked on vicodin. I'm so totally miserable I skipped work this week & havent gotten out of bed for 4 days. Do you ever feel like a round peg trying to fit into a square hole? Thanks for letting me vent. I'm trying to get an appt with the psych dept & they keep telling me to call back or they don't return my calls. Please tell me I'm not a freak & there are others out there who suffer as I do.
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Avatar universal
I am a 19 year old male from the UK and believe I have bipolar II disorder and also fibromyalgia although haven't been diagnosed with either. I used to be on fluoxetine (prozac) for "depression" and have had counselling in the past which was a complete waste of time for me as my problems seem to be biological/biochemical. After extensive research over the years and alot of thinking time and self analysis I have self diagnosed myself (I believe quite accurately). I currently take no conventional medicines, and just try to eat well, take a good multivitamin and fish oil and also magnolia and rhodiola complex (good for muscle relaxation, anxiety and sleep). I drink alcohol very rarely and don't do any other drugs except the good old herb cannabis, I know alot of you will be reading this with a judgemental attitude but if you actually do a bit of research you will find it is not as bad as you think, infact i don't see it as bad at all compared to most pharmaceuticals, it has helped me tremendously not only with the muscle/joint pain and stiffness but also with sleeping and appetite as well as keeping a good positive outlook on life.  I could not recommend this enough to anyone with fibromyalgia it has been a miracle treatment for me (I would like to say cure, but we all know there is no known cure for this horrible condition). I just thought I would share my experiences with you and trust me there are plenty more like me who have benefited significantly from the herb. I know, I know it is illegal but for the wrong reasons and I refuse to be refused the best drug ever imo for treatment by this f'd up government especially when noone as ever died from using it and from my experience no negative side effects, don't believe the propaganda (cannabis causes schizophrenia blah blah blah, ********). I have no agenda here apart from trying to help others in need of treatment. I hope you all get the relief you deserve from your anonymous friend, Egoless.
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175662 tn?1282213656
I have Bi-polar (diagnosed in 2006) and FM as well (diagnosed the end of 2008).  I take anti-depressants but they don't help.  I don't take anything else because of still nursing my 9 month old.  
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Avatar universal
These two illness are totally different, although bipolar can really debilatate you physically.

One of my dearest friend who went thru the emotional manic and depressed state most of her life.  She was diagnosed of having ME/CFS 7 yrs ago.  Last year, she had a meltdown, for some miraculous reason, her ME/CFS went into total remission till this day....and she is also taking Lithium.  Recently, doctor lower the dosage and she is feeling much much better.

It is hard to feel happy when your body is feeling so bad.   Try  not overdo though when you're feeling better.

G'day,
Kit
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Avatar universal
Just within the last week diagnosed bipolar. I believe i have fms and my pain doctor mentioned it but does not seem willing to actually diagnose it.  I do believe if i did not feel like **** most of the time i would not be bipolar.  I have told my doctors who diagnosed me that same thing. If on the rare occasion that i actually feel good my body and brain gets a little overly happy, its just trying to make up for all the time i felt like ****.
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Avatar universal
I've been on good old fashioned  and cheap Lithium 300mg. two times daily for years now. I have also taken ambien for even longer as it took some time to diagnose bipolar. I have bipolar two. Be sure you know the difference and talk about it with your doctors to be sure you can get all the knowledge and understanding of your diagnosis as possible. Depakote is down right scary. I am in a group and my friends have gained huge amounts of weight and seem to be returning to depressive states like with any other drug.My psych. know how importatant my weight is to my self image and has always done his best to work with that in mind. I have been disabled because of depression and fibromyalgia since 2001. This past year I went back to work. First in a kind of no stress job that aggravated my fibro. It's gotten to be very chronic no matter what I do. I got an ulcer from taking too many Naproxen. I won't take anything stronger because of my other meds. Any way, I'm back into part time nursing. Four hours 1-5 four days a week. I feel good about myself. I still am in pain and my ups and downs are with me,but I am getting out and being around people is important. I was going days without leaving the house. .
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Avatar universal
I was diagnosed w/bi-polar in 1979; with fibro in 2000.  For the first many years with BP I took lithium carbonate and some antidepressant.  Psychiatrist switched me to valproic acid (Depakote) in 1988 (I think) and began thyroid meds (elevated TSH altho T3 & T4 remain normal) b/c of impending kidney damage.  Since 1992 I've been pretty stable on 1250 mg Depakote and 400 mg Wellbutrin, to which Celexa was added briefly when my mother was ill & dying in 2000.  D/C'd the celexa/lexapro recently and last year added mirtazepine at bedtime.  Great sleep and some pain reduction for the fibro, too.  Mostly I take Advil (occasionally Tylenol-3 PRN) for the meandering pain & stiffness.  I guess I should be grateful that I have such an extremely high pain threshold although it has nearly killed me at least once in the past, it also allows me to function in the face of excruciating pain--everywhere, sometimes.  Oh, btw fibro dx from rheumatologist; bp from psychiatrist.  Lost count of how many psychiatrists I've had over the years.  Interestingly enough the first mention of fibro came from a massage therapist!
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Avatar universal
Dani,
I saw you take Trileptal, that's what the psychiatrist put my daughter on for her BP. She takes it in conjunction with a very small dose of Zoloft. It has been a wonderful medication for her as well, when she takes it REGULARLY.

tamlloyd,
Trileptal is a good choice if you are concerned about weight, because it's considered weight neutral. Good luck and remember that taking your meds every day & every dose even when you feel stable is the only way to manage BP effectively.
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Avatar universal
I am dx'd with Fibro & BiPolar....I was going through Google - putting in Fibro & BiPolar - very interesting information I learned....they (medical field) are learning that the 2 are common together.....also, I've had several traumatic occurrences in my life which I learned may attribute to my conditions.  I am on Trileptril for Bi-Polar and Orthotex for Fibro....Trileptral is a MIRACLE med...EVERYONE notices a HUGE difference in my behaviors....
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Avatar universal
I have bipolar and fibro. Fibro new diagnosis. Also have degenerating cervical disc and am currently seeking dianosis from a neurologist as I am in constant pain, with severe stiffness and doesn't seem like fibro, but something else. The lack of sleep due to BP doesn't help all my other symptoms, so getting sleep issue under control will help those with fibro. I can't find a sleep med that works for me. Even controlled release wears off after three hours, even double doses. (Sigh) Hard part is when seeing doctors and they see I have BP they dismiss other physical complaints and I am getting worse as each week goes by. Wish me luck with the MRI and neurologist!
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Avatar universal
I have fibromyalgia and now diagnosed with bipolar.  My psychiatrist has put me on Depakote.  I had gastric bypass surgery 17 months ago and lost 107 pounds but have regained 20 pounds.  She took me off of Neurontin and Flexeril because of weight gain and I am in severe pain and cannot sleep.  I now find out Depakote puts on weight.  I have heard that Topmax helps with the weight.  Any advice?
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Avatar universal
She sounds like a good doctor.
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Avatar universal
Yeah, I do have a really good family doctor but she prefers I see a specialist for almost everything that she doesn't cover. Once diagnosed, she will renew prescriptions and give me samples but she won't diagnose me with anything beyond her scope of treatment.
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Avatar universal
Since it was a psychiatrist she is probably right.  I just hate to see people get these kind of diagnoses from family doctors who really aren't qualified to make this kind of diagnosis.  I'm glad you are sleeping better.
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Avatar universal
My psychiatrist diagnosed me. I believe she's right b/c some of my actions that I may not have revealed are bipolar symptoms. I have racing thoughts and periods of hypomania. Since on the medication, I have slept like a baby and my racing thoughts have subsided.
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Avatar universal
Are you sure the diagnosis is correct?  People who I know of who have this diagnosis have episodes of being completely out of touch with reality, get hospitalized etc..., and have periods of severe depression followed by mania....Who diagnosed you?  Sleep disorders are very common with fibro.
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