Short term Bi-polar?

That's what I was told by a doctor when I inquired about it and my boyfriend was told the same thing when he was misdiagnosised as having BPD in the army. "Short term" just means that it can be treated within a few years and have it clear up, while a disorder like bipolar disorder lasts a lifetime (long term). Hope that clarifies things.

Peace and love

 

I don't believe any of the depressives lasts a life time if you work hard enough at it. There is so much we can do for ourselves through diet and excersise (any kind of exercise), therapy, vitamins, water, etc.

My husband was labeled manic depressive when he was 22. The Doctor said he'd be on medicine for the rest of his life. He was on medicine for less than 6 months. He had to go back on medicine when he was 25. Again, less than 6 months. He's 38. He hasn't been on medicine since and he's not manic.

 

Your husband is a very lucky man. There is a 50% chance of relapse if you go off your meds. Then again, there's 50% chance of no relapse. It's a gamble that you take and it seems your husband beat the odds. I have tried it and relapsed into cycles of depression and hypomania, which is why I probably will be on meds for the rest of my life. I don't want to make the same gamble and lose again. It caused problems with my relationship with my boyfriend and I don't want those problems to arise again.

Once again, I am happy for your husband's recovery. It's always good to hear stories about people being able to get off meds and still be okay. Unfortunately, my bf and I are not so lucky

Peace and love

 

Thank you Sweetie.

Remember you are only 22. That age is a common age for things to seem like they won't get better or overwhelming stages. Think of it as just for today. If you need them now and they help you then I'd stick with it. It's better to be sane then wrapped up in the insanity.

May I ask what you are taking for your depression?

 

I'm taking Lithium and Abilify for my bipolar disorder (NOS). None of the side effects really affect me that much anymore, like shaking and muscle tremors. I used to shake a lot, even before I was on meds. My nickname in high school was "Shakey." I don't shake badly anymore though. Only when I'm under stress.

Peace and love

 

My mom told me that early and mid twenties for women are a sucky time because of hormonal changes and transistioning into a career, having serious relationships etc. She was on xanax from 25-32 and then kinda snapped out of it. I remember we would go swimming every Saturday and I would just float in the pool with her, now I know it's because she was high as a kite lol.

She just started meds again last year (a very low dose of zoloft for SADs) and she is back to normal but gets very bad PMS, which I have also developed over the past year.
So my question...how long until the growing pains end?

 

PMS has gotten worse for me thru the years. Hang on tight you have a long way to go.

 

I'm not sure when the growing pains end. I have PMDD. Premenstrual Disphoric disorder. I really have to work on keeping myself sane near my period. Prozac helped me with that but lately I haven't been taking it.

 

I can't wait until Friday I would really like to try Prozac. I have been on Lexapro, Paxil and Effexor (all at different times) before. Is it similar to any of those?

I just want to get off the xanax and kolonopin sooooooo bad. I feel like an addict even though I haven't gone over my perscribed dosage in months.
I really feel good, not about my current situation but about my past. I have let go what happened with my dad, forgiven him, realizing he is ill and have completley let go of all of my old relationships. I feel like my ptsd is really in control. It comes out when I am sexually active or get in fights with whomever I am dating so I stopped having intercourse last month and that helped A LOT and I bail at the first sign of somone who likes to fight dirty. The next person I am serious with is just going to have to be willing to wait for me and is going to have to be a very calm person to bring out my tranquil side.
My PMS is horrible no matter what I do. I do everything natural the doctor tells me to. I don't drink before or during my period, I am very physcially active even during my period no matter how bad my cramps are and I take yoga everyday during and before it. I am at a loss of what to do to make this go away. At times I just want to lose a few more pounds because I know that will stop my period but my doctor said that that can affect my ability to bare children in the future.
What herbals are there for pms?

 

How do you like abilify? Isn't that an anxiety medicine as well?

 

Prozac is kinda like lexapro. I took lexapro for while but prozac is the best for me. I lose weight when I'm on it too. It's great for pms. So good Bill couldn't tell when I was pms'ing.

Do you take any multi-vitamin? B-complex is supposed to help with stress. I take that in addition to my multi. I take St. John's wort, a calm blend, inositol, peppermint, flax seed, and fish oil. I know that sounds like a lot but I don't feel the need to take my ativan or my prozac. I have stuff to take but I'm trying to go the natural route.

I took Klonopin for awhile when I was 19. I abused it, tried to kill myself on it. It wasn't a good choice for me.

 

Wow on Kolonipin? Did it make you depressed? I just started it a few weeks ago and am wondering if that's what is making me feel like I am in a slump.

I take an iron supplement with b vitamins for my anemia. Ya know I was thinking about it though and I am a lot better mentally than I was last year. Remember the drama with everything surrounding me that I let into me from my friends to my family to my physical health. I don't feel that way anymore. I haven't held a grudge, been really angry or been in a real slump since last spring.
I think even though I am kinda crazy that I am less crazy than I have been since like high school. I just want to get to that normal realm.

I think I am having a hard time picking up my old life and being strong. It was so much easier to allow people to victimize me because then it could never be my fault. I feel like I am starting over from when I was 17 and building everything and realizing I am not going to marry Dan and I am going to finish school and no one is going to bail me outta debt or make sure my car is upkept. It's so nice being free and meeting all kinds of new guys and reconnecting with old friends, but it is also hard. Maybe that's why I feel up and down because I am experiencing hapiness and excitement and looking foward to my future again and instead of recognizing that I view it as being manic. I need to allow myself to be healthy, but living a life where I'm not the victim and where I am successful and in control of myself is a very hard change.

The PMS is the only thing that has gotten worse

 

I don't think change is easy especially when we've lived a certain way for so long. When I turned 30 that was a huge milestone for me. It was like opening my eyes for the first time. I could see where I wanted to be mentally, how I wanted certain situations with Bill to change and what I needed to do to get there. I knew I needed to work within myself. I can comprimise and it's not as hard for me as it once was.

You have had so much change around you within the past year. You had some great successes but you've also had loss. That's not easy to adjust to and it takes time. (sometimes more time than we are willing to give)

Are you able you to come to terms with what went wrong with Dan or with any other situation? If maybe you could accept the situations, forgive, or at least work on forgiving you might gain an inner peace.

Klonopin dragged me down further, made my panic attacks worse when the medication wore off. I was so hooked on it the pharmasist gave me 5 extra pills till I could get in to get my script refilled. He knew he'd be getting fired if anyone found out but he chanced it on me. No one ever did find out.

 

I don't forgive people but I don't begrudge them either. When somone breaks a boundary I kinda forget about them, like even Dan who lives a few blocks away seems like it was just in my head and he doesn't exist. It's really scary to have that in me sometimes. I wonder how far it will carry on in my life and if I can ever feel the way I am supossed to. Maybe I just need to meet somone who is unforgetable? I do regret not taking some people seriously and allowing potentially wonderful relationships to be short lived because I was always in back and forth long term ones. I feel like I got a lot of my youth stolen from me.

Nice pharmacist. I am going to talk to them on Friday. I know whatever I am taking is not calming me down at all.

 

the prozac might make you manic so...the klonipan has some other stuff in it, it's really a antiseizure med, kinda yucky compared to xanax. Right before I quit xanax the doc was going to give me valium, that's when I said forget it, I know that's hard to quit. I took one once and when I woke up i felt like crying. don't need that.
I might give abilify a try if the tremors go away though my insurance's mental health provider is in the city pretty much in the projects and all of you would crap your pants if you knew what tampas projects are like, so I doubt that I'll go 75 miles on a bus to get jacked by some crackheads for a drug that I'm sure I'll hate. Risperdal and tegratol worked well but the teg' gives you bad sunburns and the risperdal causes tremors for me.

 

I am going to ask about abilify. I live in a very sunny and hot part of san diego and love to go tanning so they cannot give me medications that make me sensitive to sunlight.

I hate the kolonopin, I feel like a zombie and I am on .5, which is the lowest dose. I love the xanax, but I like it too much. It takes a few to have any effect on me now. I love valium too but had a really bad addiction to that.
Here's to both of us feeling better.
Yesterday I added in an extra workout and felt great, but I am not always going to have time to workout for 3 or 4 hours a day ya know?
I am at a loss of what to do. I hope my new psychiatrist has some great suggestions.

 

What time is your appt? I hope you have a good session. Maybe he/she will have a promising solution for you.

I've read about ablify. Also cymbolta. Those two might help if you are suffering from bi-polar.

 

*Deep Breath*
We just got home, my new psychiatrist sent me to the observation clinic. After several hours, looking at my childhood charts and different opinions I was diagnosed with dissociative identity disorder...what most people know as multiple personality disorder. It stemmed from my anxiety and post traumatic stress disorder. I am in the early stages.

I was in disbelief but now it makes perfect sense. This afternoon, the guy from work who I told you stopped calling me called me this morning and said he called several times during the week, my mom confirmed this. I can't remember most of my relationship with Dan or another long-term partner. I go from being a total prude to doing body shots off of strippers.

They put me on A LOT of medications because the sooner I deal with my problems and remember what happend in my chilhood, in my adulthood and in my relationships the faster this will go away. It's hard because the last resort cure may be confronting the people who lead me here.


I am still a bit stunned. If anyone knows anyone with DID or has DID please pm me.

 

going off meds like that can cuase some of the problems that you are having... you need to consult your Dr. It is normal to be having some of the mood swings that you are having with such major life changes. Changes like this can cause anxiety and depression.


hope this helps

 

really eh? never would have guessed that.