Posted by Ron Hill on April 30, 2002, at 16:37:50
In reply to A budding bipolar ??, posted by colin wallace on April 30, 2002, at 13:28:30
Colin,Wow. I never said anything before because I do not know for sure, but I've always thought that you may be bipolar II. Maybe you are, maybe you aren't. But it sounds like you and your pdoc need to compare notes. Did I previously send you the link to an on-line diagnosis site? I'll provide it here (again?) in case you are interested. As a screening tool, it is pretty good and I think it is worth spending the ten bucks to gain access. If you decide to take the test, I recommend that you ask someone who knows you well to sit beside you as you take the test and provide objective feedback to your answers.
http://www.mentalhealth.com/fr71.html
You and I talked previously about my short-lived bout with "flash rage". What you describe in your post sounds similar. I still don't know the root cause(s) of my short-term problem, however as I told you previously, when I skipped a day of vitamins it went away. But I still wonder if a lower dose of SAM-e might minimize the chances of the return of an irritable mood. Currently my med cocktail (600 mg/day Lithobid and 200 mg/day SAM-e) is working extremely well and, therefore, I'm not going to monkey with it straight away (that's my feeble attempt at speaking in the UK vernacular).
Colin, I consider you to be a good friend. If I can help, please let me know.
-- Ron
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> Need some advice here: although I have (mostly) got may depression/anxiety under control with a low dose sam-e/zoloft regime ,I still suffer from periodic mood crashes;I can be in an upbeat, carefree mood one minute, and utterly crash into an angry, bitter,enraged mood in a few short moments.I have no control over these mood crashes, which vary in length(from minutes to hours) and frequency (occurring maybe once/twice/even three times daily, not at all, or even just once a week.The last few years have taught me that the higher the dose of AD (any AD), the more extreme the mood volatility.As I am highly med sensitive, and am otherwise doing very well (save the mood crashes), I am wondering whether to broach the possibility, with my GP, of trying out lithium for size.
> I am now beginning to suspect I may be bipolar 11, as I believe that may account for the downward swings, without the corresponding highs.
> Having said that, every account of a bipolar 11 diagnosis I have dug up seems to be a little vague.Do my symptoms ring true with anyone with a bipolar 11 diagnosis? Any drawbacks to a lithium trial I should really know about? 'Grateful for any insights.
>
> Col.
poster:Ron Hill
thread:104523
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020425/msgs/104555.html