Posted by med_empowered on July 9, 2005, at 21:15:48
hey everyone! OK, so here's my story: I have bipolar disorder, plus some other stuff. The bipolar has variously been diagnosed as type II, type I, NOS, and, once, I was misdiagnosed as having schizophrenia during an episode of psychotic depression. My big problems are: anxiety at all mood levels (normal, elevated, depressed, etc.), depression with overeating, oversleeping, and daytime fatigue; insomia at times; and a problem (more pronounced lately) with ANGER and hostility. What do I do? I've done LOTS of meds with mixed results--basically, I've decided that I'd like to try something besides conventional treatments for a while. Mood-stabilizers tend to leave me feeling stupid and slow; since I have anxiety and insomnia, docs tend to load up on benzos and sleeping pills with me, which makes me feel even worse long term. Stimulants tend to exacerbate my anxiety...basically, I guess I'd say I'm looking for methods that will work with my brain, not AGAINST it. The bipolar+pot thing interests me, but I have some problems: for one, thanks to the anxiety, smoking pot can be either really fun or really, really, un-fun for me. Either way, though, after I smoke I usually feel much better for a couple days. I'm also interested in herbs...I used to take Kava Kava. I've tried valerian...didnt really like it...but I'm interested in Passion Flower, gingko/ginseng, gotu Kola, st. john's wort, and anything else that might work. I've tried 5-HTP, which was OK, but Id like more complete anxiety/depression/rage relief....has SAM-e worked for anyone? Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I look forward to your responses/comments/suggestions. Thanks again.
poster:med_empowered
thread:525575
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/alter/20050612/msgs/525575.html