Posted by JonW on July 3, 2002, at 9:52:52
In reply to Re: Bipolar or ADD???, posted by MomO3 on July 2, 2002, at 13:02:49
> Although I am leaning towards bipolar, I am really afraid to get that diagnosis because I don't want to take lithium or anything that will make me any fatter than I already am...
Hi Mom,
I'm a guy and I don't like weight gain so I can only imagine how frustrating that must be for a woman. But at the end of the day, wouldn't you rather be fat and happy? ;-) The truth is not all meds for bipolar cause weight gain. For instance, this is rarely a side-effect for trileptal, lamictal, seroquel, and geodon.
> What meds are you taking (sorry if you already posted that I am just back after a psycho-babble sabatical).
I'm currently taking nardil + risperdal + depakote + neurontin. *All* of these cause weight gain and I've gained about 15 pounds. However, I started riding my bike 3 days ago and am starting to whip myself into shape and have lost 3 pounds already. I'm thin to begin with so it's not a major problem, but anyway...
I've been reading both 'Driven to Distraction' and 'The Bipolar Child' to try to help me answer the question "Is it bipolar or is it adhd?" I would suspect that you have bipolar disorder rather than adhd. Bipolar has nearly all of the symptoms of adhd. Have you been this way since childhood? Here's a list of the 'very common' symptoms seen in childhood onset bipolar disorder according to 'The Bipolar Child':
Separation anxiety, rages and explosive temper tantrums lasting up to several hours, marked irritability, oppositional behavior, rapid cycling(frequent mood swings, occurring within an hour, a day, or several days) or mood lability, distractibility, hyperactivity, impulsivity, restlessness/fidgetiness, silliness, giddiness, goofiness, racing thoughts, aggressive behavior, grandiosity, carbohydrate cravings, risk-taking behaviors, depressed mood, lethargy, low self-esteem, difficulty getting up in the morning, social anxiety, oversensitivity to emotional or environmental triggers.
Jon
poster:JonW
thread:111115
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020628/msgs/111281.html