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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 8 of 8. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by starlight on August 6, 2004, at 11:20:22
Hi All,
I saw my new doc yesterday and feel like I was misdiagnosed as Bipolar II for a long time. The reason I say this is because I really never had the symptoms of Bipolar and feel like the last doc picked up on my agitation because I was on Wellbutrin, which the new doc says is very common.Okay - so he and she have/had me on Trileptal and Lamictal. I believe that I have depression with PTSD, (hypervigilance and anxiety are very common for me.) I've never had a problem sleeping, never had the typical mania symptoms such as uncontrolled spending or the sexual activity. I am goal directed and ambitious, but any successful person is, and I can't conceive of how that's a problem. If anything I think it's healthy as long as there's an awareness there. Nor has my depression ever made it impossible for me to get out of bed.
Well, the deal is, if you are Bipolar II and you come off of the anticonvulsants and stay on an antidepressant you are very prone to rapid cycling which evidently is a nightmare to treat. So she wants to keep me on the anticonvulsants prophylactically. Have you ever heard of that? We don't know each all that well, and I'm fine with being very patient until she gets to know me better, and I want to be very cautious about coming off of them and take a lot of time. But I sure as heck don't want to be taking some drug prophylactically if I don't need it. This stuff costs too much money and it can't be good for your body.
My last pdoc was a nightmare. He broke my confidentiality and eroded any trust or faith I might have had in him by doing that. He put stuff in my medical records that he promised he wouldn't, and, coded and sent the information to my insurance company. So I don't necessarily trust his judgement and think that just because I was on wellbutrin and agitated (which she says is common) that he jumped on the bipolar train.
What do you all think about the prophylactic anticonvulsants to prevent the possibility of rapid cycling, even if the illness is misdiagnosed?
starlight
Posted by Shadowplayers721 on August 6, 2004, at 14:59:45
In reply to Misdiagnosed? All Bipolars should read this., posted by starlight on August 6, 2004, at 11:20:22
Anticonvulsants are being used for PTSD too.
P.S. I agree. It doesn't sound like you are Bipolar II.
Posted by linkadge on August 7, 2004, at 7:57:05
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosed? All Bipolars should read this., posted by Shadowplayers721 on August 6, 2004, at 14:59:45
My doctor put took me off celexa and put me on 60mg of ritalin. I was high during the day and crashing at night and so he said I was rapid cycling and then put me on a mood stabalizer.
What a moron.
Linkadge
Posted by lauram on August 7, 2004, at 12:12:02
In reply to Misdiagnosed? All Bipolars should read this., posted by starlight on August 6, 2004, at 11:20:22
My Pdoc put my on Abilify for four months. I became extremely agitated, couldn't sleep for three months and becme severely depressed (none of this had ever happened before). He decided I was bipolar (in my forties)even though I had never been manic or severly depressed.
He put me on Depakote which turned me into a zombie. I came off Depakote and have never had another episode again. Huh, you think the Abilify had anything to do with it? Especially when you consider how activating it can be? It would have been helpful to have known it was used for psychosis since it actually put me into a psychotic state. I'm not bipolar, never have been.
Posted by cpallen79 on August 7, 2004, at 23:27:37
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosed? All Bipolars should read this. » starlight, posted by lauram on August 7, 2004, at 12:12:02
Yikes- Abilify causes akithisia, intense agitation and inner restlessnes... god, some of these PDOCS sound absolutely retarded...
I myself resisted the idea of being considered BP (hell, my past posts in the boards confirm it) because I also have the whole gamut of problems... OCD, ADD, PTSD... However, it was when I looked back in my past (all the way back to childhood) there were mood issues that were not normal moods. It was from this and how I have currently responded to my latest SSRI that I truly believe I have at least a mild case of BP II, which my PDOC seems to agree with. At first she didn't think I was BP, but then I told her some stuff, and walla, I now have a bottle of trileptal winking at me in medicine cabinet, ready to be taken.
Hres the bottom line.. I think for every person being misdiagnosed as BP, there's someone out there who is being missed. There's such a huge spectrum that it's hard to say... there's even "unspecified BP" on the spectrum... It really boils down to you and your history... you have to read between your own lines, does what you PDOC says make sense? If not...time to find a new one.> My Pdoc put my on Abilify for four months. I became extremely agitated, couldn't sleep for three months and becme severely depressed (none of this had ever happened before). He decided I was bipolar (in my forties)even though I had never been manic or severly depressed.
>
> He put me on Depakote which turned me into a zombie. I came off Depakote and have never had another episode again. Huh, you think the Abilify had anything to do with it? Especially when you consider how activating it can be? It would have been helpful to have known it was used for psychosis since it actually put me into a psychotic state. I'm not bipolar, never have been.
Posted by HappyGirl on August 8, 2004, at 0:20:50
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosed? All Bipolars should read this. » lauram, posted by cpallen79 on August 7, 2004, at 23:27:37
Hi:
Often, ... ADD/ADDH is closely related to 'Bp II,' particularly in children. Only after getting in adulhood, around early '20, it's officially diagosed Bp II.
H.G.
Posted by starlight on August 9, 2004, at 13:52:35
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosed? All Bipolars should read this. ? lauram, posted by cpallen79 on August 7, 2004, at 23:27:37
My new Pdoc is open to the idea. I have a real problem with taking drugs prophilactically. I just wonder what coming off of these anti convulsants will be like now that I've been on them for a couple of years. I also think that he leaned that way for me because I'm a creative person. But just because a person is creative doesn't mean they're bipolar.
I guess when I look at things here's what I see:
1. never had problems sleeping in terms of sleeping too long or too little. I can go for 6 to 7 hours a night and be fairly refreshed.
2. no uncontrollable spending or sex.
3. depression yes, but even then it's not bad enough where I can't get out of bed or miss work.
4. no poor judgement issues
5. no risky behaviors other than fronting a pop rock band and liking the occaisional motorcycle ride.I just think I'm your classic depressed person who was agitated and irritable from the wellbutrin. I'd really like to know what the withdrawl effects of these anticonvulsants are.
starlight
Posted by cpallen79 on August 9, 2004, at 17:47:24
In reply to Re: Misdiagnosed? //cpallan79, posted by HappyGirl on August 8, 2004, at 0:20:50
Hi HP,
This is so true... my real problems started when I was 17 and jsut got worse and worse untreated... thank GOD for meds.> Hi:
> Often, ... ADD/ADDH is closely related to 'Bp II,' particularly in children. Only after getting in adulhood, around early '20, it's officially diagosed Bp II.
> H.G.
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