Hi there,
My name is Gord and I am happy to get to listen, read and share about the issues affecting everyone suffering from bipolar disease or related . I was initially diagnosed with major depression and ended up on Effexor for several years. Then the doctors I saw felt that I was suffering from bipolar 2 illness as I clearly did not have a true ( hyper ) manic phase. I was put on lamotrigine a couple of years ago but things took a turn for the worse this year as I had continued problems at my work with focusing, being distracted , cycling a lot in my head etc. My doctor decided that I should come off Effexor and he has given me Seroquel to help me sleep. Then he tested me for ADD/ADHD and at the ripe old age of 53 I find that I have ADD. This has given me a new outlook on my mental health problems and changed how I feel about myself . The connection between ADD and Bipolar disease is quite strong and self-medicating ( I used to drink ) for people with ADD also fits in quite well. Right now I am trying to sort out the signs or symptoms that both illnesses present . It seems as if there is a lot of overlap and that can even confuse someone trying to make a proper diagnosis.
I am open to any information people want to share . How many members here have both ADD and Bipolar to deal with ?

Thanks