I'm a 42 y/o stay at home mom (and social worker by trade) who has been depressed most of my life. I'm still functional but feel like life is gray and that I'm faking a smile most of the time.
I've been on everything..at first some things worked (back in my late 20's) But now all ssris make me agitated. tried nortryp. nardil. Things just stop working or I'm overly sensitive. Lately tried Nardil but stopped (chest pain).
Now I'm taking ritalin PRN and klonopin (for anxiety). Both are mildly helpful to give me some energy and stop my crying jags. My pdoc thinks that since most AD's aren't helpful that I have BPII even though I've never been "manic" just "irritable" and slightly agitated.
Any advice on what to try next? Lithium? Can I mix the ritalin w/ the lithium? Would love to stop benzos as I wonder if they make depression worse. Ritalin, has been intermittently helpful but makes me a bit speedy.... Feel bad to take a controlled substance, but do it because it helps a little !
Any advice would be greatly appreciated.
Lithium is the gold standard to treat Bipolar. It is a mood stabilizer that works to hold off manic episodes. To be diagnosed as Bipolar, you need to have experienced one episode of mania, or in your case hypomania. I am also Bipolar II and ADHD, so I take Lithium and Adderall, rather than Ritalin. I also take myriad of other meds. It has recently been discovered that Bipolar Depression is not able to be treated with anything on the market. It is much different than Unipolar Depression. Taking an AD can trigger a manic/hypomanic episode.
You need to communicate with your Pdoc to find out what incident he considered to be a hypomanic episode, thus making the diagnosis of Bipolar II.