I was misdiagnosed with depression for years. I also was confused when started to educate myself about bipolar and find myself as bipolar 2.
Believe me - you will get used to it. It takes some time to digest it. And it also takes some time to get help you need.
My father was like you - very angry and aggressive when drunk, mood swings etc. He was never diagnosed but life with him was a hell and he destroyed all the family.
Pls seek help - you CAN get better.
A primary care is really not the most trained to handle this, and yes, it could easily be bipolar. You need someone very trained who can distinguish between bipolar and depression so that you don't get worse from an incorrectly prescribed med.
Also, NEVER stop medication on your own. You can get horrendous side effects from many psychological drugs if you stop suddenly (things like hallucination, dry retching, pain, etc).
any words of wisdom would be greatly aprpreciated
oh as for medication I have been on citalopram for the last 2 months but has not had an affect at stabalising my moods, and the pshychiatrist is at the moment deciding which medication would suit me the best.
I am a 32 year old woman with children i have been struggling with bouts of depression for about 10 years but keep shrugging it off and was (being strong) recently things have got worse my mum is bi-polor and im worried i might have the same thing. I have been on citalopram for 5 weeks and also taking buspirone 5mg tablets to calm me down.
I have been on first 10 mg of Citalopram for 3 months and then 20 mg for 1 month. It was prescribed because I had a serious Cancer surgery, but they got it all. However, during my recovery, 4 family members passed away. i.e. the Rx. But now I do not want to be addicted to this pill, yet my dr. tells me to continue because of the stress I have been thru. I am more afraid of getting off them than continuing taking same.
Seroquel is an Atypical Antipsychotic that is great for treating both the bipolar depression and the bipolar mania. It totally stabilized me, however I do get terrible weight gain with it.
2 mg of Valium is a peanut dose, so I am not surprised that it is not helping. Especially if you are in a mixed state or manic.
I agree with triedeverymed, perhaps you should speak to your doc about your medication, I was originally on depakote and citalopram and found out that citalopram is not good for bp??!! Obviously I am not a doctor and it does seem to depend on who you see, they all have different ideas.
I think it is quite common to miss your "highs", my pdoc just smiled knowingly when I told her I did but whatever you do don't come off your medication without medical support and advice.
Hi all, I take medication for bipolar II, however this doesn't seem to help at all with my anxiety issues. My pdoc is referring me to an anxiety management group but I'm scared of going, I know that if I'm having a parituclarly bad day I won't be able to get out the door to go the meeting!
I gained about 30 lbs on Citalopram. I work out and eat healthy. I just saw a new doctor and he believes the Citalopram is causing my weight gain. I have been on it for about 18 months. I am now taking half a pill of Citalopram in order to wean myself off of it. My doctor then prescribed me Bupropion HCL (take twice a day). He says that should help with weight loss. Has anyone had good experiences with Bupropion? Did you gain weight on Citalopram? Thanks!!!
Ok your first question seems to be is BP hereditary - the answer is well inconclusive at this point and to understand why you have to look at what Bipolar is - Traditionally there was a disease called Manic Depression which was a catch all of the 3 mood disorders - Bipolar I, Bipolar II and Cyclothymia - Some decades back the use of the term Manic Depression began to fall out of favour and the sub categories became used - this means that data was not collected in what might be the best manner
I'm not familiar with zyprexa, citalopram is a common SSRI - I used it for depression and anxiety. I think the key is taking it slow.
I began seeing a therapist whom I really enjoyed and through talk and 20Mg of Citalopram, my issues were resolving nicely. We also determined I had a mild case of OCD. I was also given Zolpidem to take on occassion if I felt the need.
In 7/2010, I had to move back to my elderly parents to care for them, as they are both terminally ill. My Mother had stage 5-6 Alzheimer's and my Father has Pulmonary Fibrosis. I was allowed to work from home.
Combining Alprax and Citalopram can cause central nervous system and respiratory depressant effects, especially in elderly or debilitated patients. Please discuss with your doctor for alternate medications. In the meantime, I would strongly caution you not to drive or operate heavy machinery while on these medications as you might injure yourself or others.
Hope this helped and do keep us posted.
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