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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by fired on December 13, 2010, at 17:34:42
I've had 3 episodes of MDD during my life. After one episode just a few years back, Effexor triggered hypomania.
I saw a specialist at the suggestion of my neurologist, not my psychiatrist. The psychiatrist who saw me for about 45 minutes Dxed me as BP NOS. If anything I had spells of very mild hypomania.
The Dx of Bipolar has been a nightmare for me. The medical profession has blamed it for other conditions I had.
I no longer see my psychiatrist or neurologist (insurance change). Unless there's a good reason why I can't do it, I'm dropping my DX of BP. If anything is mentioned about my history, I'll say that BP was a misdiagnosis.
The Lamictal I take will be for Dep, to augment
Parnate.Legal?
Posted by PartlyCloudy on December 13, 2010, at 18:32:08
In reply to Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by fired on December 13, 2010, at 17:34:42
Hello!
I had the same dx for YEARS and fought with my pdoc as med after med did not address the depression and anxiety that are the most severe symptoms that I deal with daily.
I fired pdoc after doc (4 in total, I think) until I found one who asked me simply to keep a daily record of several symptoms, and report back. The new dx? MDD, anxiety disorder, panic attack and my favourite of all, PTSD, which triggers them all.
I spent SO much time arguing with that first doctor about my symptoms and how my quality of life issues were not being addressed - even as the BPII medication (Effexor) kept on raising my blood pressure to dangerous levels, to the point of that same pdoc wanting me to go to the ER because of the readings.
We have to become our own advocates in our healthcare. Ultimately, I had to travel well beyond my local area, which has a well known, very dismal collection of pdocs. Now I travel almost 50 each way for my care, and consider every mile worth it.
pc
Posted by emmanuel98 on December 13, 2010, at 21:14:10
In reply to Re: Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis » fired, posted by PartlyCloudy on December 13, 2010, at 18:32:08
My p-doc is eclectic and avoids labels that aren't clearly correct. He says I have and atypical mood disorder -- call it bipolar 3-A or whatever you want.
Posted by Christ_empowered on December 14, 2010, at 15:17:38
In reply to Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by fired on December 13, 2010, at 17:34:42
I think the easiest thing to do is just go to a competent shrink for an evaluation. I had a bunch of labels--narcissism, for example--that got dropped after I had to be hospitalized for a manic episode. My outpatient shrink told me that I had an actual mental illness (Bipolar I), not a personality disorder.
Since your problems don't seem like they'll land you in the loony bin, maybe you should just try to research nearby shrinks as best you can, find one who is compassionate and reasonable (I don't think their awards and affiliations are always indicative of quality at the patient-level), and go in for a consult. You can explain that you have a Bipolar NOS diagnosis that you disagree with if you want to, and just see what they have to say.
I don't think there's any legal requirement that you send in records from old docs or stick with an old diagnosis. Doctor shopping, seeing multiple docs for the same controlled substance, or faking symptoms to get controlled substances, is illegal, but getting an accurate diagnosis and effective treatment is quite legal.
Posted by Phillipa on December 14, 2010, at 16:00:15
In reply to Re: Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by Christ_empowered on December 14, 2010, at 15:17:38
I do agree with Christ Empowered and Also Partly Cloudy. And if the med caused the episode wouldn't that make it med induced? Wellbutrin hospitalized me as the treating doc thought was hypomania. But hospital did not diagnose me with that. It remained Gad. And that is where it remains for me. I also travel a full 5 hours each way to see a good pdoc who is old but she and her deceased husband were both pdocs. Phillipa
Posted by fired on December 15, 2010, at 1:29:49
In reply to Re: Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by Phillipa on December 14, 2010, at 16:00:15
Thanks to all! I think my new Internist will be OK with dropping it, unless my use of Lamictal would raise eyebrows.
Posted by Toph on December 15, 2010, at 15:08:09
In reply to Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by fired on December 13, 2010, at 17:34:42
After the Effexor episode you describe I'm surprised they didn't say Bipolar IV.
Posted by obsidian on December 15, 2010, at 22:03:04
In reply to Re: Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by emmanuel98 on December 13, 2010, at 21:14:10
I think I can relate to what you're saying
I haven't found myself a good name for it yet.
maybe polypolar mood disorder type 2 and a half
Posted by fired on December 19, 2010, at 23:22:52
In reply to Re: Want to drop Bipolar diagnosis, posted by obsidian on December 15, 2010, at 22:03:04
> I think I can relate to what you're saying
>
> I haven't found myself a good name for it yet.
> maybe polypolar mood disorder type 2 and a halfGood one. I've heard that some now believe that there is no such thing as Major Depression. It's BP -- Depression is one pole and the 2nd part of Bi -- is ones normal mood.
This is the end of the thread.
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