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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 7 of 7. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 19:34:22
hello, i am 21 and have had depression since i was 8 years old. since i was 17, i have had some psychosis with my depression, but not very severe.
i was eventually put on geodon to help with my psychosis, and it worked for two years. but this january i had a severe psychotic break. i thought my skin was falling off and could see it fall off. i went to the e.r. and they ended up just sending me home the next morning.
the following week i was very psychotic and everything horrified me. i was in a state of horror all the time and my mind was completely out of control.
after a few days, i went to a mental hospital where they put me on 20mg of zyprexa and my psychosis has stopped for the most part. my mind is playing small tricks on me, but i think it may be because i am so depressed?
since i have gotten out of the hospital, i have felt extremely depressed.
but here is my question? is this really depression? i feel like i need to jump out of my skin some of the time because i feel so upset. then other times i just feel completely dead. then other times i feel very frantic and like my mind is working overtime and i can.t comprehend my own thoughts but very uneasy at the same time, not happy. i get confused a lot of the time and cannot concentrate enough to read a book. i don.t even have the attention span to be able to watch a movie.
i know this site is not for professional help. i am getting professional help but i don.t even know what i should be diagnosed as. my doctor says i have psychosis n.o.s. and major depression, but i don.t know. does anyone here with depression feel like i described in the former paragraph?
i am currently on 20mg zyprexa and 20mg lexapro. i am also on trileptal, but am in the process of tapering it down so that i can get put on depakote. does it sound like depakote would help in this situation?
my therapist thinks i may be having mixed episodes. does what i described above seem familiar to people with mixed episodes?
i just have no idea and am in need of some people.s opinions because i have no idea what is wrong with me...
Posted by jlbl2l on February 20, 2004, at 19:38:07
In reply to is this depression?????? in need of some input..., posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 19:34:22
antiphysocotics often cause depression, so they are augmented with an antidepressant. depokate is a mood stabilizer a believe but i dont think its good for depression itself, it may help augment the antiphyscotic though.
Posted by jdgjdg on February 20, 2004, at 19:54:51
In reply to is this depression?????? in need of some input..., posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 19:34:22
I'm obviously not an expert, but it sounds like you have bipolar I. My symptoms are very similar and this is what I have been diagnosed with. Definitely talk to your doctor. Those mixed states can be very dangerous. J
Posted by jdgjdg on February 20, 2004, at 19:57:20
In reply to is this depression?????? in need of some input..., posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 19:34:22
also...you may want to ask your doctor about the Lexapro causing mania(the extreme's you were explaining, confusion, inability to concentrate, etc). Some think that SSRI's(lexapro, paxil, zoloft,etc.) can induce manic episodes. Talk to your doctor asap. J
Posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 20:17:12
In reply to Re: is this depression?????? in need of some input..., posted by jdgjdg on February 20, 2004, at 19:54:51
so what exactly are mixed states? could you please explain to me?
i did ask my doctor about the lexapro possibly causing me to have the psychotic episode. because the psychologist i talked to in the e.r. after i had the whole "skin falling off thing" said i might have had a manic episode.
also, about a week and a half before i had the psychotic or manic episode, my lexapro had been increased from 20mg to 40mg by another doctor. 40mg is an abnormally high dose, and it was taken back down to 20 when i was in the mental hospital.
the only time i feel that i may have had classic manic episodes was when i was in high school. i would pace around my room into early hours of the morning thinking about all these great things i was going to do. these would usually last only one to three hours. i would have these occassionally.
i haven.t had anything like that since high school. only a few times since then, but they never lasted for over a few hours. can manic episodes lie dormant for a few years and then return? or be that brief to be diagnosed as bipolar? is it possible that my psychotic state was a severe manic episode?
i would appreciate your opinion and thoughts on the subject. thank you.
Posted by jlbl2l on February 20, 2004, at 20:46:16
In reply to is this depression?????? in need of some input..., posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 19:34:22
antiphysocotics often cause depression, so they are augmented with an antidepressant. depokate is a mood stabilizer a believe but i dont think its good for depression itself, it may help augment the antiphyscotic though.
Posted by HappyGirl on February 20, 2004, at 23:40:22
In reply to Re: is this depression?????? in need of some input..., posted by twinb57 on February 20, 2004, at 20:17:12
Hi:
Mixed state about which you're asking is you're in both states, depressive episode combined with manic state, including psychotic episodes in your case, because Bipolar you have sounds a lot like Bipolar I with mixed state, as you quote. Then, your pdoc. rxed Zyprexa 20 mg. along with AD, the dosage of both are fairly high. Also, as for mood-stabilize, 'Depakote' that is reputable med. for mixed state. Normal dosage of Depakote is said to be around 750 mg., but as reading the content of your two posts, above, ... you may need higher dosage of Depakote, as well.
Also, another question about which you're wondering is whether 'Manic episodes lie dormant for a few years and then return?' .... I never heard, nor read anything like this, ... however, in regard to 'manic,' there are many different form of manic, including rageous form, called 'dysphoria mania,' and several more that might differ on individual, then just your pdoc. knows Bp symptoms you've been carrying since high school.
If you are tolerable to all those potent meds., then I feel strongly that you're able to bounce back to 'old yourself.' Just time will tell you. In the meantime, try to take med. combo. faithfully.
H.G.
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