So along with the PCOS my Doctor tells me that I'm Bipolar and suffer from depression. So here's what happens
Off Medication: Crazy, unexplained moods. Random. Off the walls, constent. Never ending. It drives me nuts. I can feel my moods change for no reason. I can't stand it. I cry, I scream, I hate, I get angry, Happy, excited, hyper, sad...
Medication (Anit Depression only): Less mood swings, still unstable, really moody during PMS
Medication (Mood Stablizer only): Depression comes head on. Moods are flat line.
Medication together: I'm great till high levels of stress peak. Then the medication stops working. PMS is aweful...its more aweful on medication than off!
I cant seem to find a balence and I'm tired of pills. Does anyone else find they can't reach a happy middle ground?
What kind of doctor are you seeing? You really want to be working with a psychiatrist for bipolar, not a GP/GYN.
Finding the right medications for bipolar is a frustrating process--I'm not quite there yet, but getting there, but there have certainly been a lot of bumps along the road.
__________________ -diagnosed 1/2004
-treating with diet and exercise
-mom to 5 furkids, Patrick the greyhound, Gretta and Samantha the rabbits, Sophie and Rosie the guinea pigs, and 4 guinea pigs waiting at the Bridge.
-working on a PhD in American History
I've heard a lot of theories say that for BPD, you should be on a mood stabilizer only. 'Course, I guess you never know when you have PCOS too!
Perhaps you need to switch up drugs. Some people respond to Lamictal when they don't to Lithium - there's also Topomax and Tegretol, and several that are prescribed off label. Ask your doc if you can't try something different, and see how it goes.
__________________ Diagnosed May 21, 2008. Symptoms since 1996 - (since developed) hirutism, irregular periods, dark skin patches on elbows, obesity, insulin resistance, large & painful complex ovarian cysts, migraines, bipolar disorder, anxiety
Taking Glucophge XR 750 mg 2x/day
Goal 1 - 10% of body weight
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Many people with BP can tolerate and benefit from anti-depressants if they are paired with a mood stablizer (otherwise you will probably have problems.)
There are a lot of mood stabilizers out there, that work different ways, so keep talking to your doctor and keep hoping--I'm confident we'll all get there, it just takes time and patience.
__________________ -diagnosed 1/2004
-treating with diet and exercise
-mom to 5 furkids, Patrick the greyhound, Gretta and Samantha the rabbits, Sophie and Rosie the guinea pigs, and 4 guinea pigs waiting at the Bridge.
-working on a PhD in American History
It took 14 months for them to find the right cocktail for me. I can't take a mood stabilizer alone, because I'm prone to depression anyway, and I can't take a anti-depressant alone, because it's mania city until a hospitalization.
I always hear about "flat-lining" - I think that is either an urban legend, or someone who is taking the wrong med, or too much.
I ended up with Lamictal, and Wellbutrin. It's been working for me for 4-ish years, with only very minor tweaks here and there....
Stick with it, it's worth it in the end, and good luck!
Extreme Bipolar/manic Depression 
