Posted by lost on August 23, 2003, at 16:37:34
In reply to Re: first day on lexapro/hell, posted by Sabina on August 22, 2003, at 14:23:49
im glad to hear you are doing better. One of my family members is bipolar so i some what under stand what you are going thru and how easily it is misdignosed. and all docs dont relize they are only humen and miss stuff to the first the a told my doctor that my heart felt like it was going to jump out of my chest and i would get sorth of breath and my mind would go a mile a minute he said i might have a heart problem.All it is is axiety attacks. as for taking the lexapro i believe in time i will fell better till then i will just kinda feel like a space cadet. lift off
> this may or may not help you, but it's worth mentioning because it made such a difference to me.
>
> i was in a similar situation, having tried every ssri on the market since they first came out. i had variable, negative side effects with all of them and came extremely close to taking my life. most recently i was on a low dose of lexapro, which i stuck with for over six weeks, as i was instructed. both my gp and therapist said they'd *never* seen anyone have any se's from lex, which nearly sent me over the edge because i knew what was happening to me was real *and* very bad.
>
> that's when i found this board and at least got some validation and support. it was also at that point that i began to take a hard look at myself. i just thought i was nervous and moody. turns out, there were a lot of behaviors with which i was coping, hiding, and diminishing the importance.
>
> to my own surprise, i began to feel that i might be a misdiagnosed bipolar II. i did some research, saw my first ever pdoc, then my therapist, who both agreed that might be the problem.
>
> today i am finally properly diagnosed, off ssri's, and taking a low dose of an atypical antipsychotic (that sounded pretty extreme to me at first, but it was fine). i'm finally getting a hint of what it's like to feel calm. my coping skills have improved, as have my sleep patterns.
>
> please note - i'm not *at all* saying that you were improperly diagnosed. i'm only relating what happened to me; even though i personally suspect it may be a more common scenario than many people realize. bipolar II can be particulary tricky and easily missed, especially by a gp who may not be able to evaluate you properly.
>
> btw, i'm still with my gp and i don't blame her for missing it; especially considering how i hid things so well from everyone, even myself!
>
> by all means, continue to give the lexapro a chance. i just wanted to offer up a thought to consider if it doesn't work out for you. good luck!
poster:lost
thread:253086
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20030823/msgs/253422.html