Bipolar Disorder Ii

[ISGoddess]

Well, after being depressed since age 10 and being Rxd SSRIs since diagnosis with Major Depressive Disorder at age 35 (I'm 52), and having had an insanely manic response to Elavil Rxd for migraines -- my new psychiatrist says it's been Bipolar Disorder II all along and that it's just that my hypomanic symptoms take the form of irritability more than anything else (tho' I do have issues with overspending and overeating -- and now - deliberately eating stuff to which I know I am allergic or intolerant). I started Lamictyl two days ago. The Elavil reaction nearly cost me my job -- obviously I'm no longer on it. And I have to start psychotherapy, too.

I plan to start the Omega 3s ASAP (the catch will be finding one that's not contaminated by shellfish). I'm also throwing out all the gluten foods in the house -- if my daughter wants bread, cookies, etc., she can eat them at work or move out (she's 21).

Still, I'm angry that no doctor figured this out 15 years ago or so.

I still haven't had my gene test done -- my bloodwork was negative bc I don't eat wheat due to allergy. A new deductible year has just started, so I hope to get it done soon.

Thanks for listening to me vent!

[RiceGuy]

I am sending you a PM with info that I feel is of tremendous importance to you. I won't post the info here for certain reasons which may become obvious once you obtain the information. And by all means feel free to pass it on to others.

[dbmamaz]

Gosh, that sounds kinda like me, except mine was never bad enough to medicate - my sister and my son are bad enough to medicate. After testing reactive to sardines, I just bought some flax seed oil.

Really curious what that other poster sent you . . .

[ISGoddess]

Thanks -- I'd forgotten about flax seed as an alternative!

[RiceGuy]

Some good sources of O3s besides flax seeds are walnuts and blackberries. Some other things too, but those are the first that come to mind. From what I've read, flax is the densest source, and freshly ground flax will provide you with the complete ALA complex, not just derivatives as the fish oils do.

[mftnchn]

Sorry to hear of this difficulty. So do you think you might be celiac?

You could consider doing Enterolab for gluten sensitivity if you are still getting gluten in some form through oats (contaminated with wheat), barley, rye, or some of the hidden ingredients. However, your insurance would likely not cover this.

You might do a search on this board for bipolar as some have really improved after going fully gluten free. I have seen it referred to several times.

I hope you'll keep us posted.

[ISGoddess]

Thanks, Riceguy. I have a lot of other food allergies: eggs, yeast, plums, pears, pineapple, melon, ginger, shellfish, and rice so I really have to watch ingredients. Quinoa is my best friend at this point.

[RiceGuy]

Sorry that you have such allergies. Have you tried millet, buckwheat (no relation to wheat, and not even a grain), amaranth, sorghum, or t'eff?

Since you mention ginger, I am curious if you have looked into sulfur dioxide? That is almost always added to ginger, to preserve color.

Also, I too am sensitive to yeast, but I've wondered if it might be the glutamic acid, commonly known as MSG. Either way it is off my list, so I make my breads with baking powder.

[DingoGirl]

Hi there,

I'm wondering what brought you to this forum....are you possibly celiac? Or just gluten-intolerant?

I was put on permanent disability for severe bipolar II depression. Life was absolutely insane for me....and totally hopeless until I removed gluten, two years ago. Mental health has done a complete reversal - - I would go so far as to say I have almost an entirely new personality.

Lamictyl made me........mygawd, practically homicidal. That, Abilify, Tegretol, and Prozac were the worst things I've ever taken, lasting only two weeks each. I've been on pretty much every single psychotropic drug there is over the last 30-plus years....getting worse and worse. The only lasting and significant change came with gluten removal. I"m a bit of a crusader, in fact, for gluten removal and mental health......but not just removing gluten - adhering to a whole-foods diet is also key (very little processed foods).

I now take a concentrated fish oil capsule every day, and Effexor every second to third day. I imagine I"ll be off that in time......I do still take Seroquel for sleep - but instead of 500 mg, it's 75 to 100.

How are you feeling on the Lamictyl, so far?

Let us know how things go.

[dbmamaz]

Because one of the half-dozen or so dx's my son has been given is bipolar, I've been doing a lot of reading. Some people believe that many of the atypical monopolar depressives who do not respond well to SSRIs are actually bipolars who have not yet had a manic episode. According to the DSM (I think thats it) you have to have at least 1 manic episode in order to be dx'd bipolar. Doctors are now dx'ing bipolar more quickly, esp in cases like you (and probaby me) where the hypomania is more irritability. The medical community is not in agreement over this, but I believe it may be part of what is responsible for the increased dx of bipolar - doctors are recognizing more, now, that depressive patients who dont respond to meds are probably bipolars who havent had their manic episodes . . .like latent celiacs just waiting for that stress or illness to puch them in to being symptomatic celiacs.

[ISGoddess]

I came to the forum when my neurologist suggested testing for gluten/celiac due to migraines. I have a wheat allergy, and since I didn't know to "gluten up" for the blood work, it came back negative (I hadn't eaten wheat in a year). I'm waiting to get the $ together for the gene test but based on so much anecdotal info re improvement in symptoms from going gluten-free, I'm gearing up to get all the gluten out, not just the wheat.

[confusedks]

I'm going to send you a PM about some of this...I don't want the whole world to see, lol.

[RiceGuy]

I was put on permanent disability for severe bipolar II depression. Life was absolutely insane for me....and totally hopeless until I removed gluten, two years ago. Mental health has done a complete reversal - - I would go so far as to say I have almost an entirely new personality.

Lamictyl made me........mygawd, practically homicidal. That, Abilify, Tegretol, and Prozac were the worst things I've ever taken, lasting only two weeks each. I've been on pretty much every single psychotropic drug there is over the last 30-plus years....getting worse and worse. The only lasting and significant change came with gluten removal. I"m a bit of a crusader, in fact, for gluten removal and mental health......but not just removing gluten - adhering to a whole-foods diet is also key (very little processed foods).

Thank you for sharing that. People need to know that SSRI drugs are psychotropic, as is heroin. I really want to go into something of a dissertation, but this is not the place for it. My blood is practically boiling....

I wonder how many people are aware that a certain Brittany has been on meds before her recent "problems"? Go Figure!

Here's an interesting article:

Open Original Shared Link

[RiceGuy]

I'm going to send you a PM about some of this...I don't want the whole world to see, lol.

If you'd like the same info I sent to our dear ISGoddess, let me know. I just feel uncomfortable posting it on the forum, but it goes along with the theme of my post above.

[DingoGirl]

Thank you for sharing that. People need to know that SSRI drugs are psychotropic, as is heroin. I really want to go into something of a dissertation, but this is not the place for it. My blood is practically boiling....

I wonder how many people are aware that a certain Brittany has been on meds before her recent "problems"? Go Figure!

Hey, Rice Guy

Wait - - don't get me wrong - - - I DO in fact endorse antidepressants for many people. I am still on a low dose - - I take Effexor every two to three days and STILL take Seroquel for sleep - - but instead of 500 mgs. I take 75 to 100 mgs. I will probably ALWAYS take something for sleep - - I can't even begin to tell you of my sleep struggles - - I have been over 125 hours SOLID without sleep - - and then the next three nights after that, WITH drugs, slept only a combined total of six hours.....I don't know how I lived through it (nearly didn't ). This resulted in nervous breakdown number one (there have been three) and a full decade of unbelievable insomnia, until I started taking drugs to sleep, about eight years ago.

So - - I DO believe in psychotropics, in many cases.....because people will most likely NEVER try a gluten-free, whole-foods diet for mental health. that is the saddest thing of all......people just stare blankly and shake their heads when I suggest it......but my dream is to one day acquire billions of dollars and take the most dramatically mentally ill and put them on a pure, strict gluten-free diet......the changes, I am convinced, would be staggering.

I think there is a delicate combination of things required for good mental health, and when one or more of those things is out of balance, havoc can result. I have found out, in middle age, how dramatic a change can result from removing one MAJOR EVIL THING - gluten - from one's diet......life changing.

As for Britney, the poor girl......I question her diet - - she is constantly running aorund to Starbucks and convenience stores and drive-throughs....... ( I watch TMZ late at night ), partying, smoking, drinking, binging and staying up all hours - I am sure she has become a gluten-brain (my term for gluten-induced mental illness). A strict gluten-free, non-processed-foods diet would do her a world of good........but there is no doubt in my mind that she would not remotely consider this, nor would she stick to it.....meds CAN help her, I suspect.......but many other things are necessary to MAINTAIN mental and physical health......don't even get me started. She, it seems, has lost complete touch w/ reality - this looks like a case of prolonged mania, with major depression (losing her kids - but losing her kids as a result of mental breakdown - and then breaking down further from the loss - a very sad cycle).

Haven't read the article yet......will do.

[confusedks]

If you'd like the same info I sent to our dear ISGoddess, let me know. I just feel uncomfortable posting it on the forum, but it goes along with the theme of my post above.

Sure. I wasn't talking about my experience with bipolar, it was about someone I know and I don't think it's fair for their sake to say it so the whole world can see. But I'd love to hear what you had to say.

[Wonka]

I leave tomorrow for Panama to visit a dear friend. She was diagnosed bipolar 14 years ago and then diagnosed with Lupus 3 years ago (she had to force doctors to test her for lupus as her sister has it and she recognised the symptoms). She has been talking about going gluten free for years now, so maybe this will impel her to give it a try. She has been eating gluten free in Panama. She wanted to make her house gluten free for my arrival. It will be interesting to see how she is feeling after being off gluten for a while.

[RiceGuy]

Well, DingoGirl, I'm very saddened (and angered) at what the medical profession and drug companies have put you through. I guess my only response is shock, that you would still take any meds, given your experiences.

As for sleep, I had trouble there as well, and once again magnesium along with B12 seems to have worked another miracle. I suppose by now (at least I hope) that you've adopted these supplements into your daily life. But sleep cycles are effected by numerous things, so my first action would be a search for the nutrients which have been shown to play a part in healthy sleep patterns. Google, whfoods.com, wikipedia.org, and a bunch of others have been a tremendous help to me.

I hope you get the answers you need, and as quickly as possible.

[DingoGirl]

Well, DingoGirl, I'm very saddened (and angered) at what the medical profession and drug companies have put you through. I guess my only response is shock, that you would still take any meds, given your experiences.

I hope you get the answers you need, and as quickly as possible.

I went back on antidepressants last spring, when I took a deep and horrible plummet - - felt suicidal again. Back to therapeutic dose for a while, then tapering to low maintenance dose....I will take them the rest of my life, if I have to........you see, my brain is wired in such a way - since earliest childhood memory - to go from zero to suicide in a matter of seconds, since neuropathways, due STRICTLY to gluten, I am sure - have been programmed to go this route. I have had huge chunks of time when I used to cry every single day of my life and think only of death (it was ONLY my Christian faith that kept me from taking my life); recently my beloved dog died, and I spent a weekend sobbing......realized that I hadn't cried in months and months. That was astonishing.

I DO believe in antidepressants, no doubt about it, and I will always take them if necessary. Will they reduce the quality of my life? Shorten my life? Hmmmmm.....I'd rather live five years less with a clear brain, than five years longer with no sleep and black, self-destructive thoughts. I do believe I'll not need them at all at some point in my life......but since I"m prone to suicidal depression, why risk it? My own brother took his life at age 30.......would not stay on his meds and would NOT get off of addictive substances. I am not of the school of thought that antidepressants are evil. Are they overprescribed? Are doctors and consumers over-reliant upon them? ABSOLUTELY, and it's horrific. But...in many cases.....they are life-saving.

I have tried everything under the sun for insomnia. I come from a long line of insomniacs on my dad's side........I am a person who could take three Tylenol PM's and multi-task all night, watch the sun come up and MAYBE get one hour of sleep before having to begin the day; this went on for two years - averaging eight to ten hours of sleep PER WEEK. So, the fact that I"m down to such a low dose of seroquel......doesn't bother me at all.

[DingoGirl]

p.s. Goddess - I"ve hijacked your thread! So sorry.

I would just like to add.....I think the fight for mental health is exactly that - a FIGHT - - and one must use whatever is in one's arsenal to find his or her balance. My FIRST recommendation for anyone - I will shout it from the rooftops - is a gluten-free diet. Sadly, few will listen.

[dbmamaz]

I'm really feeling like i'm standing at the edge of an abyss afraid to jump . .. I was hoping I could tell my sister all about this gluten stuff and she'd try and feel so much better . . instead she was really mean and snotty to me (ok, thats nothing new) and said yes, I realized wheat was bothering me, so now I eat only white bread, a little french bread or sourdough. (ok, thats not wheat free)

So, i cant do anything for my sister

But my son . . . my son was talking about wanting to die at age 9, and having panic attacks where he hid under the desk at school. He was eventually put on an SSRI and 2 atypical antipsychotics, in order to control the depression, anxiety and hallucinations (which, oddly, seemed to develop AFTER he was put on the antipsychotics). He's been on these meds for 2 years, and moved from the gifted program to the special ed program, and has gained 1-2 lb every month. (ok, now who's hijacking this thread).

I have taken him off of most, but not all, dairy over the past month - he actually went willingly, esp after I pointed out that, last time he went to a b-day party and ate ice cream, the next day he was a beast all day, and the following day he had D. He is now only getting dairy in the baked goods he eats in his school lunch and the yoghurt raisins, a few things like that.

So, I want to take him entirely off of dairy and then off of gluten . . . but right now I"m off rice. I cant imagine how I could work up a good enough roll recipe to send to school with him, if I cant taste my baking to perfect it. I will be re-introducing some foods in a few months, so I will probably wait unitl then to start taking him off gluten. Does that sound totally crazy? I"m just so overwhelmed trying to figure out my own health right now - kinda look put on your own life jacket before you help your children .. . but my hope is that, if i get him off gluten, we can start to wean him off these highly addictive and destructive drugs . .. and give him a chance at being a happy, healthy, succesful person . . . .

[psawyer]

Here's an interesting article:

Open Original Shared Link

While the article is interesting in a way, I don't see the relevance of it to this thread.

[dbmamaz]

While the article is interesting in a way, I don't see the relevance of it to this thread.

I'm assuming it was just a way to show that the medical community has in the past given people 'cures' which are now considered dangerous drugs, implying that , in the future, we may see the current psych meds the same way we now see cocaine. I think its a stretch, tho.