lost interest in hunting! depression/bipolar????

brock · Sep 16, 2004

hey guys just wanted to see if anybody else knew anything about bipolar disorder. I was diagnosed with depression two years ago and put on meds. now the professional consensus is that i suffer from bipolar disorder. or problem with the old noggin. anybody else dealt with this, had treatment? does it work? I finally noticed my lack of attention, short term memory loss and most of all lack of interest in hunting!! I knew something was wrong then.
yes that is one aweful side effect of it. lack of interest in things that once were very desirable.
any feed back would be greatly appreciated.

bigbacks · Sep 16, 2004

I dont know about the bipolar thing but I too lost all interest in hunting, softball and all the other thing I love to do, I went to see the doc, got some pills and all is well. I even quit taking the pills after awhile and still feel great, quiting a job I hated had to have helped too.Maybe the meds arent the right ones.

Weasel · Sep 16, 2004

Brock, it's not a problem with the old noggin. It's purely a body chemical thing. There are medications that can straighten out the problem and get you back on track. Be open with your Dr. until you get the right stuff.

brock · Sep 16, 2004

thanks for the responses. i was put on paxil for depression initially. Then another and finally welbutrin. it seemed to work at first then i tapered off all seemed to roll along. I finally got to this point. man no energy, etc, etc, etc.
when it got to the point when i couldnt remember what i had for luch an hour after lunch and flipping by the hunting programs on tv it was time to take action!!
he explained about the nuero receptors and all of that. The problem is I travel and work and it is very hard for me to go to the doctor with any continuity. i may be in Florida for two weeks then back here in Virgina then home in Texas. Nature of my job. Yes I am exposed to my share of stress I guess. anyway i will take it a step at a time. i also was very irritable and flat out mean to my fiance and others. just being plan hateful.
i'll keep you posted.

dakotakid · Sep 17, 2004

Im no doctor, cant even really play one on the internet but has your physician ruled out ADHD? Some of your symptoms mirror that of attention defecit disorder and it can be difficult to diagnose unless the doc is looking for it. Just as another thought.

Good luck with it, hope all goes well.

Mike

muleyqueen · Sep 17, 2004

Take it from me, try every med until you find the one that fits you best! It's just a chemical imbalance, nothing more. Don't stress too much and be very open with the doctor. I tried 5 different meds until I found the right one. Now, I'm almost weaned off of them and all is great! It won't last forever, but do get help. Feel free to e-mail me if you have any other questions. Good luck.

brock · Sep 17, 2004

M Queen,

thanks for the response. what i really didnt find and failed to ask the doc( so many questions racing through your mind) is what is the difference between depression and bipolar? is the same thing or is it a more advanced case of depression? guess i will get back on the net and do a little research. I think I need to start a daily journal when I start those meds to track how i react to each maybe to progress the change. think that would be a good idea? I did have a negative reaction to one of the meds for depression. it made me very sleepy during the day and no appetite at all. I had to change it. do they use the same meds to treat each?

BruinBreath · Sep 17, 2004

Actually Paxil and Welabutrin are medications for depression. If given to a person with true bi polar they will make the person very violent and drive them insane, doing weird crap. Medications used for bi polar include the mood stabalizers, Lithium, Depakote and Lamictal. Also anti psychotic medications may be prescribed such as Zyprexa and Seraquill. If your doctor thinks you have bi polar you should be seeing a psychiatrist. Family doctors do not know enough about this disease to treat it properly. Good luck in your journey. It can be a #####.

bigbacks · Sep 17, 2004

The meds I took is called Lexapro. The bipolar prognosis is probably a last resort answer for your doc. My wife works with a guy that has this and he acts like a little girl, always crying and emotional about everything. I guess the symptoms vary depending on personality, this guy is on meds and he is still messed up. If you think your bipolar do like bruin_breath said go to a psychaitrist,otherwise try diferent meds till you find one that works.Good luck.

brock · Sep 17, 2004

yeah he is just a family doctor. i don't think I have bipolar personally.from what i have read so far. I just think he was shooting for the worst case scenario. I have to go back early next week. he said it resembles the patterns of bi polar disorder. I havent had any crazy thoughts like I wanted to climb to the top of a building and start capping people. My biggest complaint is a steady loss of short term memory. again i think as you said they dont specailize in it so they use those terms loosly. mine could just be severe depression. my intent is to get to an endocrynoligist.I have had some trouble with my thyroid before and see if he can sort it out before we go the route of the dr phil. the reason he thought maybe bipoplar was an apparent jeckyl and hide type of emotions i was having. one minute happy go lucky the next the biggest s.o.b. i mean just plain nasty to anybody around me. just that quick too. he felt like the mood swings were too eradic for depression. I dont know which. i am still very green on the whole subject. i really appreciate the feedback though. Def. don't want to lose interest in hunting!!!

DRAFTSTUD · Sep 17, 2004

Brock, Also if you snore or stop breathing while you sleep, you may need to have a sleep study done. Lose of sleep can also cause some of the symtoms that you describe. I just underwent a sleep study, I was stopping breathing about 100 times an hour. they put me on a cpap machine that pushes air into my airways and allows me to sleep to the proper level where the brain can produce saratoin (mspl) which is a chemical that wards off depression. In short, I have more energy and am able to do more with that energy. Best of Luck!

brock · Sep 17, 2004

D.Stud,

That is unusual. how in the world did they ever figure that out?
are there any nutritional supplements that help stimulating production of this chemical? I have heard of light treatment. that stimulants some form of chemicals. probably make me start raking antlers as if i were shedding velvet. that is very interesting. i have trouble breathing through my nose due to a deviated nasal septum. i have severe blockage on my right side. i just havent gotten up the courage to have the surgery yet. that could be something. thanks for the input i will def. ask the doctor about that.

seriously though, I had really bad headaches one time went through the whole barage of tests, including an mri. no i am not a hypocondriac. i finally went to an old family doctor at home. he asked me to stand up and put my hands behind my head. as if i was being arrested. he stood behind me and he ran his arms up through my arms and placed his hands over my hands on the back of my head and picked up. man you should have heard the pop my neck let out! he said it was due to my traveling and sleeping on different firmness of mattresses and different pillows in motels etc. it causes tension on the base of skull and spine. i nearly melted on the floor from the relief. unreal, havent had a headache since. guys i can't express ewnough to you the appreciation i have for your input, comments, and suggestions.
thanks again keep em coming.

brock · Sep 17, 2004

draftstud,

man you were right on the money with your last post. chek this out. i am going to print this and take with me to the doc.
i think i am changing docs too!
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/bb/neuro/neuro99/web3/Ho.html
probably have to cut and paste.
brock

huntsonora · Sep 17, 2004

I actually sell Lexapro down here in Texas. I cant ethically promote the use of it over the internet but I can say that the results posted above are not uncommon.

Drummond

brock · Sep 17, 2004

sonora,
what part of Texas? I am from Texas. well, I am from alabama originally I got to texas as fast as I could!

I just dont want to feel like a zombie with no emotions at all, you kmow. but something has got to give. i think we are getting on track here. amazing i have found out more here than on the medical sites!
brock

huntsonora · Sep 17, 2004

I live in Lubbock, but my territory runs fro Plainview all the way down to Midland/Odessa. Feel free to email me at [email protected] if you have any questions...

Drummond