Ugh! I sleep all the time...

[Shortcake1335]

The very first time I saw shrink I was been diagnosed with bipolar, anxiety, depression and OCD.  That was about 5 or 6 years ago.  I now see a different psychiatrist (who is AWSOME!) and he says he's on the fence as to whether I'm bipolar or not.  I don't know what would consist of the "or not" but I am still being treated as bipolar.  Most everything I have read about bipolar doesn't really fit.  I don't have manic stages instead my "up stage" is when I'm functioning at what I deem as normally and my "down stage" is sleeping.  I can sleep for a week at a time if I don't take my meds.  It has taken a toll on my life, my marriage and my job.  I take my meds every day but some mornings I just can't make myself get out of bed.  I just feel too tired and all I can focus on is my need to sleep.  I'll sleep for a couple of days, then my husband drags me out of bed and makes me go to work.  I have been this way for as long as I can remember.  Even as a baby my mother had to wake me up to feed me.  Does this mean I was born bipolar?  I have no idea.  Actually, I have no idea if my sleeping problem is bipolar and not something else entirely.  I've had two sleep studies done and I sleep through the night w/no disturbances so it's not sleep deprivation.  Does anyone else have a sleeping problem that's been diagnosed as bipolar?  

[looloo141]

Sleep is top of the list for staying well in my case..it's also a great indicator of being unwell if my sleep is erratic, I think it makes psychotic symptoms worse aswell.
Hopefully this new doctor will be able to track your symptoms for a while and give you a proper diagnosis..I've always known that I have BP, even before I knew what is was called! I have my days of denial though, where I think there's nothing wrong with me, and some days I think it's worse than bipolar, and that I'm the only human on the planet with this kind of craziness LOL.
The fact that you have doubts aswell could be A) You're in denial B) you don't have Bipolar, but you have some other illness, doesn't matter what it is really because it is still having a major impact on your life. C) it's a case of doc's having different ideas..I have had 3 docs in 14 years, the first one diagnosed me Schizophrenic then quickly changed it to Mood disorder with affective features, the 2nd doctor said Bipolar and now the 3rd says Bipolar but he just kind of carried on where the 2nd doc left things. Bearing in mind the 1st doc was a woman and she was my doc for 10 years, she knew me quite well, but I could manipulate her quite a lot! she didn't believe in giving people labels, as she said it makes things worse, but I am one of those people that NEEDs to know everything! LOL.
The first time I saw the 2nd Doc he diagnosed Bipolar, which wasn't a shock as I knew that "mood disorder with affective features" was just a way of dancing around the word Bipolar!
Whatever the problem is with you whether its BP or something else, it needs sorting out! I get the impression you need to know too, so you can research it and find out how you can help yourself etc, and so you can get support from family, and personally for me, I needed to know why I was different to everyone else, and probably cos I needed something to explain my behaviour, I never wanted an excuse but an explanation was nice lol..
Sorry I've rambled on about nothing, but that's how I roll lol
Hugs

[ILADVOCATE]

   Yes I have schizoaffective disorder (schizophrenia with a mood disorder which in myself is bipolar) and I do have sleep disruption when I am manic and I do tend to oversleep when I am depressed as well. However a family member I have who has not started treatment yet but who is diagnosed with bipolar, anxiety disorder and ocd always had sleep disruption but it was from a variety of causes including anxiety episodes and all the various psychiatric disabilities they had would interact with other. So the most important thing is to have a working diagnoses. Also some medications can cause insomnia (which is what I experience now, I also have a physical disability that will have the same effect) so since other concerns have been ruled out its important for your psychiatrist to find a working diagnosis. Once what he has noted is being fully treated if insomnia or sleep disruption independent of that remains a concern there are some options as regards sleep aides one of which is Rozerem which is an fda approved medication that works like melatonin to adjust the sleep cycle and is one option you could ask about. Also as per my family member establishing sleep hygeine and regular sleeping patterns is essential as well and they have found this to be of help.