Originally Posted by crocky

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