Recently diagnosed bipolar
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Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 303
Recently diagnosed bipolar
Hey everyone, so just last week my new doctor diagnosed me with bipolar and seems sure of it. I was prescribed depakote and have been reading up on it. Not looking for any medical advice, just wondering what others experience with bipolar is like and if anyone has been on depakote. He knows i've abused opiates, weed, coke, you name it... i still haven't taken my depakote because i'm usually against psychiatric drugs and i'm very nervous about the side effects. I workout a lot and am cutting weight, i don't want the lethargy and weight gain that so many people seem to have with this drug. When i'm not using i feel the ups and downs, but they are mild imo and i feel in control. Infact sometimes i like the ups and downs in a strange way. I'm wondering if people have had success without medication(i am going to therapy though). The only time i felt really out of control looking back was when i would abuse drugs or alcohol and have extremely rapid and powerful mood swings. He also thinks i could have ADD, but wants to address the bipolar first. Anyway could someone in a similar boat please share their experience? Before this diagnosis i felt in control, that i could make changes to my life and have longterm relationships with jobs, friends, girlfriend, etc as long as i didn't use. All of the horror stories of bipolar have me nervous though and feeling like whatever i do now it'll ultimately crash and burn. I guess i'm just not sure whether it's my addiction causing most of my problems, or my bipolar causing my problems with addiction as a symptom. I do tend to relapse around the fall/winter months only to pick up my life in the spring/summer which he said was common. Anyway thanks for reading
Administrator
Join Date: Apr 2007
Location: Australia
Posts: 211,456
Hi Jim
there's a lot of our members who are bipolar.
I think there's a lot of stigma about it, but the bottom line for me is people are people. Some of us have medical issues, and while I'm not trying to change your mind, I also think some of us need to take meds.
I don't believe in an 'all drugs are bad' scenario.
My issues are physical but I see it this way - the meds I'm on now help give me a greater quality of life - they enrich my life rather than depleting it, like my old drugs of choice did.
I'm embracing life now, not running away from it
D
there's a lot of our members who are bipolar.
I think there's a lot of stigma about it, but the bottom line for me is people are people. Some of us have medical issues, and while I'm not trying to change your mind, I also think some of us need to take meds.
I don't believe in an 'all drugs are bad' scenario.
My issues are physical but I see it this way - the meds I'm on now help give me a greater quality of life - they enrich my life rather than depleting it, like my old drugs of choice did.
I'm embracing life now, not running away from it
D
Last edited by Dee74; 03-28-2016 at 03:31 PM.
bona fido dog-lover
Join Date: Mar 2008
Location: SF Bay area, CA
Posts: 99,787
I've been diagnosed bipolar (I prefer to call it manic depression, as bipolar sounds like a big magnet
) I am not on Depakote but am on another med for it. The med keeps me from tilting too much up or down. My mood is more stable now.
I would give the meds a good try to see if they help. I am also on an antidepressant which helps a lot.
) I am not on Depakote but am on another med for it. The med keeps me from tilting too much up or down. My mood is more stable now.I would give the meds a good try to see if they help. I am also on an antidepressant which helps a lot.
Member
Join Date: Jun 2013
Location: Sonoran Desert & Southeast Asia
Posts: 6,561
You didn't say how long you've been clean and sober, or I missed it. Many of us are crazy in early recovery, lol. My personal take on it has always been to try natural methods first. Doctors get perks for prescribing meds, at least in the US. And a lot of medications have side effects.
I was once prescribed an SSRI for anxiety and mild OCD, but it affected my sexual performance so I quit it, and have found that proper diet, sleep and exercise, along with some cognitive therapy, gave me the quality of life I wanted.
But if you try that and your quality of life is still suffering, then they should be considered.
I was once prescribed an SSRI for anxiety and mild OCD, but it affected my sexual performance so I quit it, and have found that proper diet, sleep and exercise, along with some cognitive therapy, gave me the quality of life I wanted.
But if you try that and your quality of life is still suffering, then they should be considered.
Member
Thread Starter
Join Date: Dec 2014
Posts: 303
Thanks for the support guys. I haven't used in about 10 days. Was off and on before then. Last time that i was physically addicted was about a month ago. I know that makes no difference though and i have to be 100% clean to see improvement.
Anyway i remember i was always up and down as a kid/teen before drugs and can definitely believe that i'm bipolar. I'm thinking that i can handle life though without meds, exercise goes a long way for me. I'd like to just see how i am without using for an extended amount of time. I'm afraid of meds because every time in the past i have had very bad side effects, mostly because of misdiagnosis.
Anyway i remember i was always up and down as a kid/teen before drugs and can definitely believe that i'm bipolar. I'm thinking that i can handle life though without meds, exercise goes a long way for me. I'd like to just see how i am without using for an extended amount of time. I'm afraid of meds because every time in the past i have had very bad side effects, mostly because of misdiagnosis.
Member
Join Date: Mar 2016
Location: NC
Posts: 662
I am diagnosed with bipolar type 2 disorder and am on Seroquel and Prosac for it.
Serquel also has the same reported side affects being tired and people gain weight. As for being tired, your body adjusts to the medicine and you won't feel tired all the time as long as you are on the right dose and not over medicated. I take mine at night and I sleep like a rock which was a huge relief since I didn't sleep at all otherwise. As for the second, these medicines don't cause you to gain weight, what they do is make you more hungry so you in turn eat more and then you gain weight. As long as you monitor your food intake then you will not gain weight. I have actually lost significant amount of weight.
Please give the medicine a try, bipolar disorder is not something you can grow out of, control by yourself, and there is no "herbal" or natural alternatives. Being bipolar is something you have for life and that you are incapable of controlling on your own. Obviously I am not a doctor, but bipolar disorder is not something you can meditate away or will away.
I am currently 8 months sober from heroin and until I addressed being bipolar I never was able to obtain this length of sobriety. I now realize I was self medicating with heroin and I refuse to go that route ever again.
Serquel also has the same reported side affects being tired and people gain weight. As for being tired, your body adjusts to the medicine and you won't feel tired all the time as long as you are on the right dose and not over medicated. I take mine at night and I sleep like a rock which was a huge relief since I didn't sleep at all otherwise. As for the second, these medicines don't cause you to gain weight, what they do is make you more hungry so you in turn eat more and then you gain weight. As long as you monitor your food intake then you will not gain weight. I have actually lost significant amount of weight.
Please give the medicine a try, bipolar disorder is not something you can grow out of, control by yourself, and there is no "herbal" or natural alternatives. Being bipolar is something you have for life and that you are incapable of controlling on your own. Obviously I am not a doctor, but bipolar disorder is not something you can meditate away or will away.
I am currently 8 months sober from heroin and until I addressed being bipolar I never was able to obtain this length of sobriety. I now realize I was self medicating with heroin and I refuse to go that route ever again.
paradox
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: UK
Posts: 665
I don't know about Depakote,
But, I've been on meds for Manic-Depression for 36 years and I've been sober for 11.
In my experience, side effects diminish or I get used to them.
I loved the highs -- better than any drug.
That's why I stopped taking the meds a coupla times . . .
with disastrous results.
We're not allowed to give medical advice here for very good reasons.
And yet, I feel I must leave you with something from my experience.
How about this:
If i consult a doctor and don't take the advice or remedy given, that's like taking my motorcycle to a mechanic and refusing to let him fix the brakes.
Sooner or later, I'll be out of control.
What if I throw drugs or alcohol into the mix?
No doubt, there will be consequences.
There always have been.
Congratulations on your 10 clean days, jt22.
Please make all your days count.
But, I've been on meds for Manic-Depression for 36 years and I've been sober for 11.
In my experience, side effects diminish or I get used to them.
Originally Posted by jt22 
Infact sometimes i like the ups and downs in a strange way.
That's why I stopped taking the meds a coupla times . . .
with disastrous results.
We're not allowed to give medical advice here for very good reasons.
And yet, I feel I must leave you with something from my experience.
How about this:
If i consult a doctor and don't take the advice or remedy given, that's like taking my motorcycle to a mechanic and refusing to let him fix the brakes.
Sooner or later, I'll be out of control.
What if I throw drugs or alcohol into the mix?
No doubt, there will be consequences.
There always have been.
Congratulations on your 10 clean days, jt22.
Please make all your days count.
Member
Join Date: Dec 2015
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 801
Thanks for your post, I just discovered a few things.
Around 10 years ago I went to see my doc for migraines and he prescribed a medication to help stop them, funny to me I took it for two years, those were two years of sobriety and I didn't really think about it until your post and read about depakote which is used to treat migraines. Anyhow I stopped and it wasn't long before I started drinking again. What's interesting to me is it was stopping the manic episodes which are what used to trigger my relapses, lot's of studies on this.
In my own case I was diagnosed as having Bi-Polar this year and prescribed Sedoquel it works great for me and I was told due to my alcohol addiction it was the best option in my case.
As with any SSRI, they take some time to adjust to, took me a couple of weeks for the side effects to go away.
All the best
Andrew
Around 10 years ago I went to see my doc for migraines and he prescribed a medication to help stop them, funny to me I took it for two years, those were two years of sobriety and I didn't really think about it until your post and read about depakote which is used to treat migraines. Anyhow I stopped and it wasn't long before I started drinking again. What's interesting to me is it was stopping the manic episodes which are what used to trigger my relapses, lot's of studies on this.
In my own case I was diagnosed as having Bi-Polar this year and prescribed Sedoquel it works great for me and I was told due to my alcohol addiction it was the best option in my case.
As with any SSRI, they take some time to adjust to, took me a couple of weeks for the side effects to go away.
All the best
Andrew
p***enger
Join Date: Nov 2012
Location: NYC
Posts: 19,047
Hi jt -- I'm honestly of mixed feelings on this. I'm taking meds for bipolar and they help tremendously. But if I could have stayed sober and functional without meds, would I have taken them? No. Even though my life is in some ways way better with them. But I resisted for decades. I simply don't like the idea that mentally I can't function irl unmedicated.
Anyway, for me, like it or not, it's true. The unmedicated me is not a good person. My ups are exciting to me, but they usually end up painful to someone else. And my downs are very bad. And I can't "manage" them.
I think you should get a second opinion. Be honest w/the doctor you choose about your concerns, and if you start on a med, don't use drugs or alcohol, and don't go off the med unsupervised.
Anyway, for me, like it or not, it's true. The unmedicated me is not a good person. My ups are exciting to me, but they usually end up painful to someone else. And my downs are very bad. And I can't "manage" them.
I think you should get a second opinion. Be honest w/the doctor you choose about your concerns, and if you start on a med, don't use drugs or alcohol, and don't go off the med unsupervised.
Member
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: Canada
Posts: 3,413
As I am sure you know there are a lot of different medications to help with bipolar. What I have found is to be very truthful when you explain your symptoms, side effects, thoughts, how are feeling to your Dr to see if the medication needs to be adjusted in the amount of the type of medication.
A year ago, I was prescribed a medication which I hated for many reasons - however it could have saved my life - I still hated it. I told my Dr everything and he switch my medication about 6 months ago and I found so much relief.
I don't like medication, but at the same time I do know if saves lives and gives a person a chance to live a good life. The new medication I have doesn't give me nasty side effects - for this I am very grateful. I have been on a lot over the years.
Make sure you Dr. knows exactly how you are feeling on the medication you are taking and if he/she doesn't see to be interested, it may be time to find another Dr that is interested in your happiness. Throughout my life, I have been to about 7 psychiatrists and I have finally found a really good one - he is an addictions psychiatrist and really wants me to have an excellent life - not just to stop drinking (this is the first priority), but to have an excellent life because of that choice.
My point is, don't ever give up and be honest with your Dr.
Wishing you the very best.
A year ago, I was prescribed a medication which I hated for many reasons - however it could have saved my life - I still hated it. I told my Dr everything and he switch my medication about 6 months ago and I found so much relief.
I don't like medication, but at the same time I do know if saves lives and gives a person a chance to live a good life. The new medication I have doesn't give me nasty side effects - for this I am very grateful. I have been on a lot over the years.
Make sure you Dr. knows exactly how you are feeling on the medication you are taking and if he/she doesn't see to be interested, it may be time to find another Dr that is interested in your happiness. Throughout my life, I have been to about 7 psychiatrists and I have finally found a really good one - he is an addictions psychiatrist and really wants me to have an excellent life - not just to stop drinking (this is the first priority), but to have an excellent life because of that choice.
My point is, don't ever give up and be honest with your Dr.
Wishing you the very best.
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