Topic : 08/01 Extreme Highs and Lows

I have been treated for depression for the last 25 years. I have always gone through times where I just couldn't stay in my skin, so I would self-medicate, IE , drugs and alcohol. This would always bring me down to a place I could tolerate. A few months ago, my new doctor (regular) prescribed my a new anti-depressant. Within 4 months I was suicidal. Took myself to a county health office, and pretty much had a breakdown. After years, I was finally diagnosed with bi-polar, not just depression, and the new medication seems to be helping. It has only been a few weeks, but I can tell that this is going to make a differance. Just wish it was something that happens quickly, I still haven't been able to leave my house or talk/visit with friends or family. 

Welbutrin XL and Seroquel have literally saved my life.

 

I have been diagnosed bipolar for about 12 years.  I have run the gamut of medications.  The entire time I was taking Depakote, because my Psych. told me that I had to take either that or Lithium, and Lithium had worse side effects.  I developed a tremor so severe that I was unable to write with pen and paper, and friends thought I had Parkinson's.  To make matters worse, I am an artist.  I tried taking beta blockers, which reduced but did not eliminate the tremor, and made me lethargic.  My Psych. refused to consider alternatives, and simply added new meds.

 

When I moved two years ago, my new Psych. said that was b******t, that there were many alternatives.  With the second try -- Welbutrin XL and Seroquel -- we hit the jackpot.  My severe mood swings have become managable, and the terrible irritability and anxiety is gone.  Unfortunately, I have a residual tremor that gets worse when under stress, and there is little hope that it will disappear entirely, neurologists have told me that my neural connections are damaged. 

 

I do not want to discourage anyone from taking Depakote if it works for them, but watch for the tremor side effect.  There are alternatives.  Every bipolar patient is unique in his or her reaction to medication, you simply must have patience while experimenting.  But don't let anyone tell you that you have to live with a crippling side effect.

 

Emory, I'm so glad you've found what works for you.  I understand and applaud your care in protecting a baby in utero.  But do be careful in going off your meds and fully explore what can help your well-being and still be safe.  I am a law abiding person with a professional career.  I went off meds ONCE and within 48 hours I ended up being arrested for assault.  No charges were filed, fortunately, but it was a warning I'll never forget.  Get a good support group, that helps with med changes.

 

I wish you the best.

I was diagnosed as Bi-polar almost ten years ago.  I had a classic manic episode and then sunk into a deep depression.  My daughter was born three months early, I was recently separated from her father and was living with my mother at the time of my breakdown.  Over the years, I have been on many different medications, but currently I am also taking Lamictal.  It has helped me stay pretty balanced for over three years.  I also suffer from social anxiety.  At times it is so painful just to go to the grocery store.  My doctor has prescribed Kolonipin for this and it seems to help.  I have been able to function pretty well by taking my medication regularly, checking in with my psychiatrist once a month and going to therapy 2-3 times per month.  I also limit my activities in order to not get too stressed out.  I do suffer from depression with symptoms very similar to your husband's.  I have extra stress negative talk, want to sleep more, loss of energy, and my social anxiety increases to the point of being anti-social also.  My worst time of the year is during the winter, especially Nov - Jan.  It is always hard for me to make it through the holidays.  I have Season Affective Disorder in addition to my Bipolar.  I have been on anti-depressants in the past,  Wellbutrin most recently, but the doctor thought it was contributing to my anxiety and took me off it about two months ago.  My husband said it made all the difference and I was a totally different person after stopping the anti-depressant.  My stress level over the past eighteen months since we were married has been through the roof.  My husband  has a lot of medical problems.  He has had five different surgeries and we have been in the emergency room at least three dozen times in only a year and a half.  I haven't worked for the past eighteen months, because it has been a full-time job just taking care of him.  I honestly don't know how I have made it through.  It is inspiring to know that your husband can keep working and running a business in spite of this disorder.  He is lucky to have you to support him!  I appreciated your suggestions of exercise and the calendar to track how you are feeling day to day.  I will try that.  I read through four pages of messages before I got to yours, and was so thankful to hear a story so similiar to my own.  Thank you for taking the time to tell your story.  Best of luck to you and your husband.  It is a hard road to travel fighting this disease, but I believe that having Bipolar disorder has helped me become a stronger, more empathetic person.  It has taken a long time to get to this point though.  Thanks again.  Hope to read more of your postings soon.  My prayers are with you also.

 

Kathy

 

Believe it or not, I am a wellbutrin XL Seroquel woman myself!

That combo has been a miracle for me and I've had it for many years.

What I do when getting ready to get preggers is taper down to 25 mg seroquel and 150 wellbutrin and then stop once I test positive.  I have wellbutrin ready to  go after first trimester if needed, but I did not needed either time. 

I have been bitchy at times, but I have a friend who is pregnant and a lot bitchier than I am.  As long as I don't get too hungry, I am ok.  I actually feel very good when pregnant.

I don't watch the news and don't get into any stressful conversations. 

Unfortunately, I do not much sleep at all without meds, but I have a portable DVD player and watch movies at night.  It sounds bad, but I deal with it.  God and I talk a lot during those late nights and I know that he is keeping baby and I safe.

I feel that he carried me through my first pregnancy and that he is carrying me now.

I did need to take seroquel prn 25 mg 2 times at month 4 and month 7 of this pregnancy, as these are times of intense hormonal surges, but that is all I needed and all docs assured me that baby is fine.

I did go back on meds immediately post partum and I did get depressed, but since I've dealt with mood swings before it was not all that bad.  I think it is worse for people who have never had them.

After about 4 weeks I was fine and I hope to do as well this time.

Wellbutrin XL and seroquel are my wonder combo too.

Today's show was very informative.  My son-in-law is bipolar and I have seen everything my daughter has done to help him.  She has been through hell and back.  My daughter is an awesome person.  She has stuck by her husband through everything a bipolar person goes through so he has never had to do it alone.  I only wish they could afford to have her husband have the testing that Brain Matters did for the people with bipolar on Dr Phils show today so he could get on the right medications.  They have small children and my daughter has had to sit them down and try to explain to them what is going on with their Dad.  I don't know many spouses that would stand by their spouse with bipolar.  He is seeing a psychitrist and has been on several mediations to try to control his bipolar.  His parents are drug addicts and have been in and out of jail his entire life.  They got him hooked on drugs as an adolescent.  After meeting my daughter, gradually he has cleaned up his life.  My daughter has never been into drugs and is very protective of their children.  His parents have actually brought drugs to him at their house and he in turn has finally been able to confront his mom when she has handed him drugs.  He goes to work everyday and has a physically challenging job out in the weather.  I am very proud of both of them for how far they have come. 

I joined this site simply to respond to today's show.  I rarely miss a Dr. Phil episode, and admire his approach very much.  But today, he completely misrepresented the illness to the public, adding to the stigma we with bipolar disorder already bear.

 

Both of the guests he labeled as "bipolar" come from the far, far, end of the spectrum, and likely have other disorders to boot.  He completely misrepresented people with the illness as terrifying and dangerous, or at least laughable.

 

It is true I have hade ghastly lows that left me unable to get out of bed and nearly lost me my career, and highs that scared my loved ones as I spent money like a drunken sailor, raged, was violent, and completely grandiose.  All these peaks and valleys have been smoothed with proper medication and good therapy.  I am more functional in the world than a lot of "normal" people, and my occasional hypomanic state has produced some very good (published!) writing and exciting (sold!) art.  I look on the condition as a mixed blessing.  Through experience, abstaining from intoxicants, and REGULARLY TAKING THE OPTIMAL MEDICATION FOR ME, I can now see bad news coming and take appropriate action, whether a minor medication adjustment or a visit with my therapist, or simply treating myself to a period of less stress. 

 

This side of bipolar was completely ignored.  I know that extremes make for better television ratings, but they also create a disservice to the many, many, people who have bipolar, even severly, and function in their daily lives.

 

I hope he has a follow-up episode to rectify the terrible impression left with people unfamiliar with the condition.

It started when I was young, the delutions of being great, I thought it was just a way for me as a child to deal with dad's phsycal and emotional battling us kids and mom's psychotic delutions herself. I was 8 years old the first time I tried to injure myself, I road a bike down a cliff. The delutions though they got worse, to the piont where I could no longer have control over them, no matter how much grief it brought me, I still did the things I did and loose complete control. It didn't take much to set me off and then I felt bad for anyone around me, life was difficult but I mananged to go through it with out most noticing that I had this secret that I lived with. After graduating from high school I started college right away, a counselor at Highline CC notice somthing wrong in my behavior, but said that she could not help me if I could not communicate just what was going on. I failed out of that college and then went into the Green River CC and got my AA associates degree. Exhausted from school I took a job at ATC Vancom which drives disabled and seniors to jobs, activies and to appiontments. I felt the pressures of real life beginning to take a hold of me and started to become more aggressive and anger filled my every waking moments. After 2 failed relationships that became both physical and mentally abusive I lost it, I feared to come out of my own condo. I had to though or I would loose the very thing that I worked for my whole whole life independicy and normalcy. I was controlled all of my life as a child, not allowed to make friends or even to have an opionion. So when I became an adult I moved out and found myself very alone and very desparate. I ended up nearly loosing my job due to irrashionale behavior doing things like loosing my temper with people in my bus, speeding,  just being crazy. I had lost all control I went to my one of my bosses and told him that after the suspention was over that I would not be going  back to work, that I had lost it and I could not no longer trust myself with the lifes of others. I had to quit do to a medical illness. He said that he was sure that I was no danger to anyone, but it was my dession and that if that is how I felt that he would do whatever it was that I would need. I walked out feeling like a failure once again. I wondered around for several days and called one of my ex's which said I could come and live with them for awhile. I hadn't slept for 9 days at the time and then packed my car and my dog, and drove for 3 days straight 3,578 miles to Auburndale, Fl. I was a mess, now up for nearly 13 days. I lost everything the condo, my job, and my family. I filed for disability and recieved it nearly a year later when I was about ready to be kicked out of the "friends house". I tried living on my own but it doesn't work out cause I stop the meds. Now I have moved back with my parents, the very same people I blame for my diseases Bipolar Disorder, Axiety, Borderline Personality Disorder, ADD, and OCD. Now that I have Medicare and no Medicaid (Medicaid spindown is $2,400 (I have to show that I either have a medical bill equal to this much or that I have spent this much on medical bills). I can't afford treatment at this time there is a program that helps with people with my types of illnesses that is developed at the UW of Seattle, WA called DBT that can help me I sure of it but I will never know for sure because my issurance only pays for 50% of treatment and it is exspensive to afford on a normal salary, impossible if you have an income that is below poverty.

I tuned into the show by chance today and was totally surprised to learn that those diagnosed with bipolar disorder could be physically abusive.  My daughter has abused her two former husbands, last boyfirend and her two children.  I had no idea it stemmed from her bipolar disorder and was very surprised to see someone who was so much like her on the show.    It taught me a lesson and I'm glad I watched.

 hi,
i am new to this. i have a 9yr old son  who started having problems in pre school he would fight the teachers and scream when i left him and we thought it just was because i hadn't worked and was with him  all the time but we moved to another state and he started kindergarden and the teacher  said maybe he  has a learning problem well that was at the end of the school yr . the next yr 1st grade he was getting help for his learning problem but started to get really angery when he couldn't get things and started to shut down  and having very bad rages. well we still weren't sure what was going on he just kept getting mad all the time and mean to his sister and brother who were older than he was but scared of him well last year we took him to his dr and they said he was adhd well they put him on concerta which for a while helped him with his focus but he was getting more moody and violent as the months went by and i was at my breaking point i could not find a dr that could help me and i called so many and one day a lady called me back and we talked awhile i told her of how he was acting and that i had family members with bi polor disorder and could that be his problem and yeah someone can help and he has been on abifly first 5mg then 10 and now 20mg  and also taking something to help him sleep it would take me a good 4hrs or so to get him to go to sleep and then he couldn't sleep long.  but now   seems better but he still seems to have bad out burst of violent mood swings. he goes back to the dr this week she want to put him on some other kind of meds to go along with what he is taking so we will see. but if anyone could  give me some hope that it will get better that would be great! i have lived with a little brother that had it and still lives at home at 33 but it seems different when it is your own child. any advice?? please
thank you