HELP!!!!
Posted , 2 users are following.
Back in January I had my first "REAL" panic attack that left me wondering and searching for answers, "self diagnosing," googling, worrying about what happened or when/ if it was going to happen again. 3 weeks later I finally went to my doctor who prescribed me Lexapro and klonopin. I tried the lexapro, however it increased my anxiety and panic the first day i took it, therefore I did not take it again. I tried the klonopin a few times after, as needed, it calmed me down, however it seems like my mind would start racing a little bit more and when i went to bed i would wake up in the middle of the night with my whole body feeling tense. I would only take 1/4 of .25mg tablet. That is another thing ever since that night I have been terrified of taking medication. I have NEVER been that way before. Anyways my GP sent me to a psych that took me off of my birth control in april and mentioned i "may" have bipolar or having a manic episode. After a couple of sessions she ruled out bipolar or manic and wanted me to try a lower dose of the lexapro along with xanex instead of klonopin. I have read up on the lexapro and learned it could induce mania. My psych said I am not bipolar but I guess my anxiety is hanging on to that word and continuing my fear of medications.
Fast forward the last month has been really tough on me. I have been very irritable and on edge. Letting everything bother me and set me off on my husband. He has became irritable during this time which has caused us to argue a lot, both of us slipped into a semi depression state, crying all the time. We even sat down and almost called it quits. However, 3 days ago we decided to go out to eat and try to calm down and not let our emotions tear us apart. Yesterday and today I feel really good, my vision is sharper, i feel really awake and not groggy and foggy like I have the past month. It makes me feel really nervous and jittery.
Is this bipolar symptoms? Or is this my anxiety getting the best of me again?
I feel like I need some kind of medication and want to start, but my job has me really tied down right now, and I can't really take the time off to start medication or take off in case i have some kind of adverse reaction or even if it makes me sleepy or whatever the case may be.
0 likes, 11 replies
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted
I'm not any kind of doctor but I believe it's your anxiety. I have bipolar 1 and borderline personality disorder. Based on my experience your symptoms seem like extreme anxiety. Maybe you should try different meds? Sometimes certain meds can have the opposite effect whereas others work perfectly. I think you should try a different one. Tell the psych that you are still having trouble and want to try something else to see if it helps.
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted
Side note:
I try to be as honest as possible with my husband about how I feel. When I feel like I'm starting to spiral I tell him so he knows it's not him, it's me. It totally makes a difference in how he handles me. Because I don't want to take anything out on him, I isolate myself as much as possible. When I start feeling anxious I pop in my headphones and listen to music to try to keep it from triggering my mania.
Smalltowngirl17 Loony
Posted
I am wondering if i do have mania. Sometimes it lasts a couple of days, maybe a few weeks, sometimes a month or a little longer. I get really irritable, almost depressed, indecisive, I get mad at my husband and just leave for about 30 minutes or so, I will calm down and as soon as I walk back in the house we start arguing again. It seems never ending. I will tell myself when I am alone to just not get angry or fuss, and it never fails he will say something that hurts me or makes me angry and it starts all over again. I just don't understand this rollercoaster of emotions I am on, and have been on for the last 10 months.
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted
It is possible that you have the Unipolar kind of bipolar. Again, not a doctor. Maybe try to get a second opinion from a different psych? I went to a psychiatrist several years ago and moron told me I was ADD. Until my behavior turned so extreme and I landed in the hospital many many times for suicide attempts and then in jail for bank robbery and trying to take the cops gun, I finally was diagnosed with my disorders and it all made sense. Those insane behaviors and actions escalated. If your symptoms have been going on this long you need to try a different psych. Also what does your Primary care doctor think?
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted
Well I typed up a detailed message about how and what I have done so you could gage how bad it can be but they didn't post it. So I'll move on from that for now. Since this has gone on for this long I would go to primary care doc and be completely honest about it. Then I would get a second opinion. I had gone to a psychiatrist many many years ago and that guy told me I had ADD. He was way off base.
Patient Loony
Posted
Hi Loony
We note from a recent post which you have made to our forum that you may be experiencing thoughts around self-harm. If we have misinterpreted your comments then we apologies for contacting you directly. But if you are having such thoughts then please note that you are not alone in this, and there are people out there that can help.
If you are having these suicidal thoughts then we strongly recommend you speak to someone who may be able to help. The Samaritans offer a safe space where you can talk openly about what you are going through. They can help you explore your options, understand your problems better, or just be there to listen.
Their contact details are on our patient information leaflet here: https://patient.info/health/dealing-with-suicidal-thoughts, which also offers lots of other advice on how you can access the help you may need.
If you are having such thoughts then please do reach out to the team at the Samaritans (or the other people detailed in our leaflet) who will understand what you're going through and will be able to help.
Kindest regards
Patient
Smalltowngirl17 Loony
Posted
My primary care doctor thinks it is extreme anxiety. My psych told me within my first 2 visits that it "could" be manic depression. After about 3 or 4 more sessions she said she did not think it was she ruled it out and said I had a very "atypical" type of anxiety. I was stressing and worrying about every little thing that led to the panic attack that night then escalated from there.
Loony Patient
Posted
You have misunderstood what I was saying. I was trying to explain how extreme the behaviors can be and give examples of things I have done. I'm sorry for the misunderstanding.
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted
Oh and also I heard that when you go off of birth control it can cause similar symptoms to what you're having and can last for months. I don't know how accurate that is it's just something I heard.
Loony Smalltowngirl17
Posted