Aa
Depression or Bipolor?
I dont know where to start. I've been told b different doctors that either Im bipolor, or one tells me im just depressed. i have been on lithium the last 3 months and im still an emotional wreck. i no longer have insurance, and just moved to a new state, started a new job (past monday) and am waiting for an appt at the county facility. I have been on welbutrin, paxil, zoloft, prozac, abilify (which made me a zombie) im sure there are a few more that havent worked either. I also seem to have some sort of anxiety disorder, and have been on xanax, clozapham, and valium (which does nothing). All I know is I am an emotional wreck. Its affecting my family life to a point, I want help, I want to be as normal as I can, I want to not want to cry all the time. I have had problems in the past with cutting, nothing I am proud of, and embarressed with the scars they have left - physical and emotional. I have a loving family, I am a mother and girlfriend and want to keep things happy and normal. I have heard there is suppose to be lithium screenings done, and Im not sure what that is or how often its suppose to be done, but Ive never had one...could this be one of my problems with emotions? I have this new job I have training for 6 weeks, its a lil overwhelming because its something Ive never done and its all new...but my brain overthinks it and overworks it and I dont want it to affect losing it. Can anyone help point me in the right direction? Give me some idea of what is going on in the brain of mine?
Dear hdr71:
One of the best things you could do for your condition is to educate yourself, and it sounds as though you have already begun to do so.
As needsreaders stated, there is a lot of good information on the Wikipedia. I would recommend checking out some of the reference links at the end of the articles. I would also strongly recommend www.psycheducation.org . This site is setup by a psychiatrist, Dr. Phelps, who is a mood disorder specialist. He "translates" some of the most current mood-disorder research into English for use by other physicians or interested patients.
I have tried to be more informed about my condition than my own psychiatrist, using academic, scholarly and other credible sources of information.
I am very curious to know how you have been feeling on lithium. I have a nasty refractory (drug resistant) case of depression which has not responded satisfactorily to any of the 11 different antidepressants I have tried in the past 12 years. I began, on my own, to wean myself off venlafaxine (Effexor) and aripiprazole (Abilify) and put myself on lithium. After 4 days at 300 mg, last night I increased the dosage to 600 mg. I have my fingers crossed. We will see. By the way, as you know by now, you definitely need frequent blood test to ensure that your plasma lithium level is sufficient. Also, annual an semi-annual blood tests for thyroid and kidney function.
I'm very interested to learn more about your experience of lithium and whether you are currently using any antidepressants.
Thank you and good luck.
One of the best things you could do for your condition is to educate yourself, and it sounds as though you have already begun to do so.
As needsreaders stated, there is a lot of good information on the Wikipedia. I would recommend checking out some of the reference links at the end of the articles. I would also strongly recommend www.psycheducation.org . This site is setup by a psychiatrist, Dr. Phelps, who is a mood disorder specialist. He "translates" some of the most current mood-disorder research into English for use by other physicians or interested patients.
I have tried to be more informed about my condition than my own psychiatrist, using academic, scholarly and other credible sources of information.
I am very curious to know how you have been feeling on lithium. I have a nasty refractory (drug resistant) case of depression which has not responded satisfactorily to any of the 11 different antidepressants I have tried in the past 12 years. I began, on my own, to wean myself off venlafaxine (Effexor) and aripiprazole (Abilify) and put myself on lithium. After 4 days at 300 mg, last night I increased the dosage to 600 mg. I have my fingers crossed. We will see. By the way, as you know by now, you definitely need frequent blood test to ensure that your plasma lithium level is sufficient. Also, annual an semi-annual blood tests for thyroid and kidney function.
I'm very interested to learn more about your experience of lithium and whether you are currently using any antidepressants.
Thank you and good luck.
Thank you for your reply. It really helped reading your answers and suggestions. Somewhere, deep down there is a very strong, self-confident person that I just need to find again...not only for me, but those very close to me. I did fail to mention that I have problems sleeping, this week alone I have had maybe 8-10 in 5 days, so I'm sure that doesnt help either. I will definately look into the toxin levels when I go into the drs, it makes me real nervous now. I have to admit this is new to me, my significant other fowarded me the link due to him trying to find help of his own for diabetes 2 and depression as well; so I have been learning tto undertand how diabetes affets a person as well, and maybe just have become overwhelmed trying to be the strong one for everyone and i am just not in the position to always do that. I wait for the day to feel normal and strong again, tho I know I will always have my off days...thanks again for response, it did help
hey...
It sounds like you have had a bunch of change going on in your life lately and change is never easy, especially if you're dealing with depression. You've somehow managed to move to another state, set up a home, get a job, probably get your child in school, already have an appointment to take care of your mental health.... I'd say you're doing great! Just moving and all the upheaval that's involved can be a trying and emotional time. So don't be too hard on yourself. And at the beginning, trying to get a proper diagnosis and get the meds straight seemed next to impossible to me. I wanted to give up at times, but I didn't want to go back to where I had been more. So I let them keep treating me like a guinea pig until finally, like a miracle, I almost felt normal. So it can happen, I promise, if you just keep trying. That's why there are so many drugs, because there are so many different people with so many different disorders that need tweaking just so.
As far as the lithium testing, I looked it up on Wikipedia. I would suggest that you go read it for yourself since my memory isn't what it once was but it said that you should be getting tested monthly for correct plasma levels and something about toxicity, so I would take that pretty seriously. I looked it up under "lithium."
Every time I get prescribed a new drug (which does happen off and on as they tend to wear off occasionally) I go out on the net and try to find as much about it as I can, just so I can be educated when the doctor talks to me about it. I want to know what they're asking me to put in my body and what it's for.
You just keep on doing what you're doing, because it sounds like, from here, that you're doing all the right things. I don't know what it feels like in there, but why don't you give yourself a break. You're probably going to make a few mistakes during training. You're human. So acknowledge that and move on. Just learn from it. Your supervisors will be impressed with your ability to keep it together.
I take Neurontin for anxiety and it works for me very well. One or two 300 milligram capsules. It's really an anti-seizure medication, but it works as a mood stabilizer as well. Good luck at your appointment and taking another stab at the miracle combo that will fix you up. And don't forget to tell them that you're not leaving there until they do some blood work.
I think you're doing a great job in a tough situation...
It sounds like you have had a bunch of change going on in your life lately and change is never easy, especially if you're dealing with depression. You've somehow managed to move to another state, set up a home, get a job, probably get your child in school, already have an appointment to take care of your mental health.... I'd say you're doing great! Just moving and all the upheaval that's involved can be a trying and emotional time. So don't be too hard on yourself. And at the beginning, trying to get a proper diagnosis and get the meds straight seemed next to impossible to me. I wanted to give up at times, but I didn't want to go back to where I had been more. So I let them keep treating me like a guinea pig until finally, like a miracle, I almost felt normal. So it can happen, I promise, if you just keep trying. That's why there are so many drugs, because there are so many different people with so many different disorders that need tweaking just so.
As far as the lithium testing, I looked it up on Wikipedia. I would suggest that you go read it for yourself since my memory isn't what it once was but it said that you should be getting tested monthly for correct plasma levels and something about toxicity, so I would take that pretty seriously. I looked it up under "lithium."
Every time I get prescribed a new drug (which does happen off and on as they tend to wear off occasionally) I go out on the net and try to find as much about it as I can, just so I can be educated when the doctor talks to me about it. I want to know what they're asking me to put in my body and what it's for.
You just keep on doing what you're doing, because it sounds like, from here, that you're doing all the right things. I don't know what it feels like in there, but why don't you give yourself a break. You're probably going to make a few mistakes during training. You're human. So acknowledge that and move on. Just learn from it. Your supervisors will be impressed with your ability to keep it together.
I take Neurontin for anxiety and it works for me very well. One or two 300 milligram capsules. It's really an anti-seizure medication, but it works as a mood stabilizer as well. Good luck at your appointment and taking another stab at the miracle combo that will fix you up. And don't forget to tell them that you're not leaving there until they do some blood work.
I think you're doing a great job in a tough situation...
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Depression Community
15 signs that it’s more than just the blues
Discover the common symptoms of and treatment options for depression.
We've got five strategies to foster happiness in your everyday life.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
