Posted by blueboy on June 12, 2008, at 9:28:50
In reply to Effexor and Bipolar, posted by Rollercoaster1121 on June 10, 2008, at 11:58:26
> I have a question about Effexor and Bipolar. I believe I was misdiagnosed or possibly underdiagnosed with OCD. Are there any cases of Bipolar being concurrent with OCD? I ask, because I was placed on Effexor for the OCD, and after the worst withdrawal imaginable, I sort of "came to my senses" 2000 miles away after impulsively moving from Colorado to Florida.
OCD and Bipolar are often roommates. The DSM IV will usually label one as primary and the other secondary. As far as I can tell, at this point, my proper diagnosis would be Bipolar II with secondary OCD, agoraphobia, anxiety, and a lot of other stuff.
> I have never acted this way before except one other time when i was placed on Wellbutrin to help me stop smoking. (I ended up in New Orleans from St. Louis)
I had terrible experiences with Wellbutrin and Effexor. Really some of the worst days of my life.
> I have never been diagnosed with bipolar.
Let me ask you this: Have you ever gone to a reputable psychiatrist and asked him to make a diagnosis. It helped me to write down both my history and my symptoms, on paper (well, on the computer). One organized by time, one organized by problems.
Just off the bat, as a totally unqualified layman, Bipolar would be my first suspicion for anyone who uses the pseudonym "Rollercoaster".
> I have gone to doctor after doctor and they tell me that "women are emotional", that there is nothing wrong with me. I know there is something wrong. It feels like my life is being lived by someone else!
My advice? Earn, save, borrow or beg enough money to visit a top notch diagnostician at a major clinic, preferably one that does research, or is attached to a national-level medical clinic and/or a university.
Then find a treating psychiatrist in your area who isn't a nut case. This isn't easy to do. IMHO, there are a lot of very poor doctors out there who call themselves psychiatrists (although there are some very good ones, also -- it's a difficult specialty). From my experience, I would avoid anyone with a sole practice and be wary of anyone who isn't affiliated with a large organization.
I haven't had experience with doctors in private psychiatric groups. I have seen at least four psychiatrists in sole practices and they ranged from terrible to inadequate. I have seen only two who helped me, one in a large university clinic at a teaching hospital, and the other one in a major diagnostic/research organization (also affiliated with the university, in my case Emory in Atlanta).
> I don't even know how to start. I have no insurance, and just found out that unless I have a child with me I do not qualify for medicaid.
Be happy if you don't have a child at this point.
> Does this mean that there is no help available? Please help me with information if you can.
I hate to quote Bill Clinton, but I feel your pain. You have a lot going for you, however. You are apparently single with no children, which is good news. You are aware of your problem. Even better, you seem determined to get good treatment.
My advice is written above. For me, it cost me $400 to get a diagnosis from a specialist associated with the Fuqua Center, which is loosely allied with Emory University. I have a decent treating psychiatrist who charges me $100 (actually it has dropped to $75 since I am a cash patient). I see him about once every six weeks.
He is good at finding free samples of meds. Most of the meds I have tried are within the range of realism. Generic Klonopin (clonozapan? something like that) costs about $18 for 30. I need generic Ambien (don't know the chemical name) to combat insomnia if it's really bad. I think it's maybe $40 for 30. I'm currently trying generic Lamictal (lamotrigine) which costs less than $100 a month, although that may go up some if and when my dosage is increased.
Not cheap, but considering it simply as an economic matter, any successful treatment would seem like an excellent investment as it would allow you to get better and/or more stable employment. Plus maybe it would prevent rash and even ridiculous spending, a common problem for bipolar patients.
It takes time and determination. Hang in there!
poster:blueboy
thread:833985
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20080606/msgs/834306.html