[BLUESMAN52]

Just reading your post and you remind me a lot of myself and I cannot find answers either.
I am a recovering alcoholic just sober for 13 days. For the past 2 years or so, my docs have been treating me for Bipolar II. I get panic/anxiety attacks, insomnia, social phobia's, crying spells, pain that feels like a heart attack but is just anxiety, among a lot of other things. BAD MIGRAINES TOO!
The docs have tried EVERY anti-depressant, and EVERY mood stabilizer know to man, and I am totally medicine resistant. In fact, I think I have gotten worse.
You mention Buspar? It is supposedly a good drug for a recovering alcoholic because it helps stop the urge to drink, it helps with anxiety(sometimes), but other times it can make you more agitated and lose sleep.
The best thing is to get all the tests done, and then let the docs call the shots.
In the meantime, I have a question for anyone out there who knows about quitting drinking and the symptoms of Bipolar II. From what I understand, even though a person quits drinking, and the alcohol is gone from the system in about a week or two, isn't it true that alcohol withdrawal and Bipolar II symptoms are very much the same? How is a doc supposed to know the difference? Do you think permanent damage has been done to me because they gave me all those meds, and maybe I am NOT Bipolar?
I don't know what to do anymore. Right now I am just on Klonopin for panic/anxiety and that doesn't even help me too much.
I need some good advice. Even the docs are baffled and want to give me shock treatments. I refuse that. Could I still be withdrawing from booze? I drank for 37 years...Will I ever get well? Are there any good combinations of meds that may have worked for anyone out there in my position?
Thanks, and good luck Steve.