Re: anxiety versus bipolar P.S. TO THE ABOVE POST!

[Tony T]

Just because you have trouble with one drug doesn't mean you need to go searching for another psychiatrist. The very best ones in the world sometimes have to experiment with drugs and doses before they achieve the desired results.

 

All the medications you mentioned are excellent. I don't want to second guess your doctor but I do think bipolar mood disorder could be part of the diagnosis. There are a number of things working here. You have the anxiety and panic disorder because of low serotonin levels, which can be handled by certain drugs such as a combination of Klonopin and anti-depressants like the one you are on. I am assuming you have had blood work done to see if you have a thyroid problem. Depakote is the drug of choice for those who cannot tolerate other medicines, such as thyroxin, because of thyroitoxicosis.

 

Stick with your doctor. Make a note of how you feel with each medication and dose. Insist that he manage your meds until you have achieved just the right situation for yourself.

 

I really believe if you can get your blood levels of the proper medication in line, get a more positive attitude, and stick with your medical regimine that you agorophobia and panic disorder will all but disappear. In addition to your drug therapy, you should engage in systematic desensitization so the phobias can be completely extinguished over time. If left unchecked, phobias can develop a life of their own aside from the medical problems.

 

As far as your obsessive thinking goes, your meds ought to take care of this. If not, ask your doctor about Anaphronil, a drug developed about ten years ago that works wonders for obsessive thoughts. Again, you have to actively and energetically participate in your healing and not rely totally on drugs to do the work.

 

Hang in there. What you are going through is not fun, is not easy, and is not easilly understood by others. But if you can understand that for a while you will have good days and bad days, you'll be better for it.

 

I must also advise you that your condition is often made worse by the chemical changes of menopause so you may have to do extra work if you are in that phase of your life.

 

Additionally, I suggest you leave practicing medicine up to your doctor. Scrambling all over the Internet looking for your symptoms, cures, etc., is not something medically untrained people should do. There are many thousands of symptoms that have many more thousands of possiblities for diagnosis. You will drive yourself nuts trying to find your own cure. Medical doctors are skilled and trained to do the research and the job the way it's supposed to be done.