I need some advice....

[lizardgirl2714]

I recently went to the psychiatrist which i have been seeing for anxiety, and we have been trying several different antdepressants such as zoloft and paxil to treat my anxiety. My anxiety is horrible. its completely interferring in my life. But then the doctor throws out at me that maybe I am bipolar. I do get depressed, and feel rather down a lot. But i always thought it was because of my anxiety. When i was younger, I did often get mad and have random mad outbursts. I'm 18 years old! I don't think i've ever been manic. Mean, i do have mood swings. But ever since my doctor has told me this, ive been thinking every time i get sad or mad or happy that maybe its because i'm bipolar instead. I dont know what to think. The doctor put me on Seroquel XR 50mg. I was sooo spaced out with it that i quit taking it after a week. It did nothing but make me tired and a zombie, and still oddly didnt help my anxiety. I do get mad easy, but i also have polycystic ovarian syndrome, and my testosterone levels go up and down occasionally. I've always just associated that with my faimly having tempers as well. I'm just completely going nuts worrying because I'm not sure whats going on at all. I truly do need advice. PLEASE help, thank you.

[adel_ezz]

no this is not mania, mania is nice at the beginning and euphoric. try to get a second and 3rd opinion. right diagnosis is the 1st step of recovery

[lizardgirl2714]

The only thing that the antidepressants did was make my anxiety extremly worse the first time i took them. I got so bad that everything in me was rushing and my pupils got huge and i wanted to scream i got so bad. i dont know if that is a definition of manic... or if that could be what made the doctor think i'm bipolar... but it was very scary.

[adel_ezz]

with your 2 AD's you should get manic for sure had you been bipolar

[lizardgirl2714]

Well the abilify didn't help. Actually made me start seeing hallucinations!! That was scary.... Now my doctor put me on Zyprexa... who knows what this is gonna do!

[lizardgirl2714]

Last night was the first night that i took abilify. I had a terrible time sleeping. Woke up like every hour or so, was rather annoying. It also has gave me terrible muscle and joint pains which i find to be odd. But as for the mental reasons for taking it, it seems like this could be the drug that works for me. Gonna give it a longer shot than the other meds because I'm at my wits end....

[lizardgirl2714]

Thank you much for all of your comments. My psychiatrist told me that if the seroquel doesnt work that he was going to put me on 2mg of Abilify. I'm hoping that when I go and see him in February that he will put me on this drug. Because now I'm to the point where I can't even sit in a movie theater without getting freaked out. I'm so scared that i think my mind is playing tricks on me, making me think I see and hear things, but I'm really not. If that makes any sense. Making myself be on the lookout for hallucinations. Haha, its so pathetic. But recently I have been developing, especially before I go to sleep, extremely bizarre thoughts. I don't know what this could be. I just spend so much of my time thinking and worrying that my mind is probaly on hyperdrive any way. I just really don't want it to be bipolar, i want it to be something that more fixable....

[1norco]

I too suffer with severe anxiety & I was put on the antipsychotic drug Abilify 2yrs.ago.
It has really helped me & I am so happy my psychiatrist put me on it.It took about 8-10 weeks for the full effects though so it does take time for you to feel the full effects.I haven't had any side effects other than a slight increase in my weight.The problem with Abilify is that it is so expensive.They have a patient assistance program where if you meet the financial requirements they will send you a 90day supply for free.I meet the requirements so I am able to get the Abilify for free.This is just my opinion however as I have heard from other people that they didn't like the way it made them feel & others got some side effects.Best of luck to you.

[lindahand]

There are a lot of other antipsychotic beside seroquel. If money is not an issue I've been hearing on other forums some great things about Abilify and anxiety. It won't make you drowsy like seroquel. Patience though is needed. One week is not enough time to make a drug decision because it can take 3-4 weeks for some of the side effects to disappear and the positives to appear. For example I was really dizzy when I first started taking Geodone, but now am fine. (Just as an FYI Geodone is not good for anxiety)

As for a diagnosis - do a mood chart as it will help you and your pdoc make some decisions. And really review the diagnosic criteria because there is a such thing as irritable hypomania/mania. For some of us it isn't euphoria but more irritability and the desire to crawl out of one's own skin. And a second opinion is never a bad idea. Take the mood charts to both and see whose opinion is best.

[Hollychops]

i meant to say trust in your instincts.....no one knows you better than you do and its really hard for a medical person to assess you in just one visit and hard to tell them enough in just one appointment.  

[Hollychops]

i really dont know myself what really constitutes a hypomanic state......i recognised myself in your description - overly mad, little more energy, feeling anxious - i get all these together and separately along with agitation and sometimes real anger flashes.  i think if we have other things going on for us that makes a difference.   you say your head is full of stuff and that alone could be causing you symptoms that seem like something else.  with me i was displaying BP type symptoms which are because i am in a long term abusive relationship!  

[lizardgirl2714]

Can just being overly mad and having a little more energy than normal and feeling anxious be a hypomanic state? I havent really felt depressed in a long time. Ive just been incredibly worried about stuff. I'm so preoccupied with stuff in my head that i cant concentrate on anything else.

[lizardgirl2714]

Thank you much for your advice... I'm definitely going to seek out another opinion. Right now as im typing this im shaky and stuff and all day ive seemed to be more aggravated than usual. I'm just so sick and tired of all this stuff. I think i just may use the trackers on this website. I've never thought to actually do it, but i'll give it a try. If something so simple as typing in my daily activities can help then i'm up for it. I'm willing to do pretty much anything to get this figured out. I really don't want to be bipolar... I mean some days it kinda makes sense. Some days I have no idea where it has come from. I've always been a mad person, but i've never been extremely happy, or done stupid things. I've always had a level head. Now this anxiety is getting the best of me. The antidepressants just made it worse. I think that is why they are thinking about the BP. What else could i even take other than this Seroquel XR? I'm thinking about taking it again just so maybe I can calm down some. But i do like having feelings, which that pill makes me not have. I wont see a dr again until the beginning of february... I dont know what else i can do. Can anxiety be this severe?

[Hollychops]

crickie......I feel for you......it is no help at all to be confused by a dodgy diagnosis.  I also have a diagnosis of BP which is now under review since they now know more about me.   I have had depression and anxiety all my life and a crippling phobia.   I also have marriage problems and suffer emotional abuse and am in the throws of the menopause.   All these things seem to bring on some of the symptoms associated with BP and so my diagnosis is no longer clear.   I agree that you might do well to seek a second opinion......do you use the trackers on this site?   I have found them to be brilliant in helping me to actually really see what I am doing and not doing.  My journal entries are especially revealing.   It might help you explain to a doctor just what is going on for you......I shall certainly be taking the info to my psychiatrist!    
Best wishes

[JenLyn00]

I would get a second opinion. I suffer from depression and anxiety and one usually follows the other and being constantly depressed and stressed can make you fly off the handle and get mad or sad easily and you said that you don't have manic episodes which I think is one of the main symptoms they look for when diagnosing someone with bipolar disorder. My Psychiatrist tried to say that I was Bipolar but there is no way in hell the I am, I don't have the symptoms at all and people who truly do have bipolar disorder are usually freaking insane! I know that depression and anxiety can make you feel like you're going insane but there is just something different about people who are bipolar, well at least the people I know who are really bipolar. My Doctor put me on Seroquel as well and it made me feel awful and made my depression and anxiety worse, so after a few days I stopped taking it. Find a new Doctor and see what they say, you don't need to be on medications for an illness that you don't have.