Bi Polar - to medicate or not?

[Baddaughterinlaw]

I know I am bi polar and am aware that I am on a huge low. Feeling too paranoid to go to the doctor as she thinks I am mad anyway. Feel like I am in a dark tunnel which I can't get out of. Not particularly rational at the moment and suspect I am hell to live with. Really really don't know what to do but I know I need to do something. I just want to run away and make it all stop, does anyone else know what to do?

I am so relieved to hear this! You're looking after yourself (and your family).

well done for getting your medication,do let us know how you get on and if you need to chat come back to this thread,good luck hope things pick up soon x

that's great, hope you feel some benefits soon.

thinking longer term, it can be pretty dangerous to take anti-depressants without a mood stabiliser (lithium, lamotrigine, carbamazepine for example) - lithium is especially good because it augments the antidepressant as well as containing it (so you don't get too high)

Vacua, thats intersting, and something I am worried about. However I am going to be reviewed weekly by GP and may be back under mental health team.
Doesn't lithium make you drowsy and affect driving?

what is your new medication?

lithium makes some people feel a bit hungover in the morning, it's important to stay well hydrated on it (it's a salt) but have never heard of it affecting driving - bad side effects are associated with a high level (say greater than 1.0) in your blood, which is why frequent tests are necessary - therapeutic range is somewhere between 0.6 and 1.0 for most people so quite a narrow band. some people get shaky hands and so on

I'm not well up on which mood stabiliser is indicated for which variety of bipolar but I think carbamazepine (tegretol) is supposed to be good for rapid cycling (4 or more mood swings a year), lamotrigine (lamictal) is licensed for bpI in the states but is more effective at preventing depression than mania (so more BPII type), lithium (priadel) supposedly stabilises about 60% of classic bipolar I patients, (semi)sodium valproate (epilim? depakote?) better in acute mania than as a preventive treatment

your doctor will know what would be best to try you on first, have you been on any of these before?

It will be citrolpram first, a high dose, adjust to that then we will discuss the mood stabilizer next week

how are you today bdil ?

How's it going, are you feeling any better?

Unfortunately bi-polarity is not currently able to be cured and needs medication , it can be controlled with meds and counselling does help but the single most common reason why sufferers try to harm themselves is because they've convinced themselves they can manage without their meds and come off them.

Sorry if that is harsh but it's the truth and I urge you to go to your GP/ specialist.

I'm a twat

You have been, I'm sorry for not concentrating.

Well done for going and being proactive.

baddaughterinlaw - I feel for you I really do because I'm in the same situation. I am on a low at the moment and I keep bursting into tears.

For what it's worth I don't think it's helpful when people pressure you to take medication. I come under this kind of pressure from my family. They think I want to be ill, I must do or I would take medication but it's not that simple. I also don't agree with the person who says do it for your children. Whatever decisions you make it has to start with doing it for yourself. It is hard for people to understand and I have found the hard way that manic depression is hugely stigmatised.

Electra, sorry I have only just seen your message. I hope things are evening out for you. I am much calmer, its quite nice at the moment as I seem to be in a plesent haze but my memory is shot!
You are right, it is stigmatised, I tell very very few people ever since a very nasty experience with someone close who was perfectly vile to me because of it.

Glad you are feeling better

glad you are feeling better i am bipolar

and i tell no one

well i did tell some friends i saw on friday

i have known them for 32 years and i imagined they kind of knew

haven't seen them for a few years and i mentioned it on friday and they had no idea

it was an interesting discussion

but i felt a bit like a specimen on a slide lol

I felt bad enough admitting it on here, on zippi's thread I think

people will write a lot of weird behaviour off as eccentricity which is fine by me

Have you declared it to bodies such as DVLA?

didn't have a choice about dvla, my consultant told them a long time ago - had annual reviews for a while, it was revoked for 2 years but I went for 3 years without an episode and now have it back until I'm 70 which is great

why do the dvla need to know?

I think the doctor (your Responsible Medical Officer) have to tell dvla if you are ill, not complying with treatment, have no insight

I mean has

really, i had no idea?

when i was an in patient at a psychiatric hospital..i even drove

i even drove there more than more than once and had my car in the car park

I gave driving lessons round the hospital grounds

I think maybe only a handful of doctors do it then, most want their patients to get well and back to normal life as soon as possible - the really stupid thing is that if you are so ill and lacking in insight/impulse control does having your licence revoked on medical grounds mean that you will automatically stop driving?