This overview "101" was exactly what I was looking for. Many thanks.
After being diagnosed as a typical only child at 8, depressed after my husband & child died, then clinically depressed while caring for my Alzheimer's-suffering dad (all of which were treated with lots of drugs but not, in my opinion, successfully), I was told that all that was wrong & that all my life I was dealing with a bi-polar condition. I've been treated with low doses of neurotin (had to stop because of side effects, speech probs) now topamax (milder side effect of skin prickling, mainly around mouth). The change this medication has had on my life has amazed me & leaves me convinced that I finally have a proper diagnosis.
I was already on cymbalta from my MD for statin pain, which the psychiatrist says will moderate the topamax & prevent my tipping over into mania. To my knowledge I've never had a manic episode. Do I now have to worry about this "mood stabilizer" becoming an upper? & is this the way these 2 drugs interact? My pharmacist says no.
Anyone who's been there, please advise.

hi jude,
have you noticed any mental fogging with the topamax?
there are other mood stabilizers if this is not working for you.
bizi
welcome to the forums.

Nope, no fogging that I've noticed. No feedback suggesting any.
Thanks so much for what you've posted. No wonder my psych recommended that I come here. Your welcome is also appreciated.

nice to meet you jude.
I am sorry for your losses. are you living alone now?
do you have family support?
I have a husband and no children and worry about my future.
bizi

Very nice to meet you, Bizi <envision me grinning broadly with joy>!
Yes, I've been alone for about 20 yrs now--though not really, because I have critters.
What was left of my family thought me odd & always tried to shift me off on the other side of the family, so I disowned them all. They were relieved, I was too, & now my "family" is one I've put together from a few very excellent friends. There are three of them, 2 younger than me who are my healthcare surrogates.
I worry about my future too. Probably everyone with a grain of sense does. Having kids (considering some of the kids I know) would not necessarily ease those fears. It's a very scary world.
I'm glad I found this website. You, Mari, wave, the others. I know it's going to help.

Hi everyone, just wanted to post on this bipolar thread and see if anyone has ever heard of a case such as mine.

I'm 56 now and I've had a major depression every 10 years since I was 25. Major where I couldn't sleep, lost significant weight and wanted to die (suicidal thoughts) for much of the depression. Hospitalization required.

The end of 2010 started another depression which lasted about 5-6 months. The doc subscribed remeron which he said would help me sleep and give me back my appetite. This worked, I gained all of my weight back but I also went into a significant (2.5 weeks) mania stage where I needed hospitalization.

They took me off of the remeron and put me on lithium and seroquel which definately leveled me out.

My question is, how uncommon is it to become bipolar at age 56, or have I been bipolar all along, just without major mania?????

I am really gleaning a lot from the board, thanks for those that contribute so much.

late onset is not typical, but not impossible.

were your prior depressions typical (melancholy mood, loss of interest in activities, low energy) or did you have agitated depressions (agitation, anxiety, irritable mood?)

also wondering if you were ever medicated for depression before this time?

if not, it is likely you had a manic reaction to the antidepressant Remeron, which can happen to bipolars and non-bipolars. but bipolars are more predisposed.

there is debate regarding whether a diagnosis of bipolar can be made based on a manic reaction to an antidepressant alone. the DSM clearly states that mania as a drug reaction cannot be considered, and that there must be manic or hypomanic episodes in the patient's history. however, some pdocs do, and some even give it a name (Bipolar III, where the DSM describes only bipolar I, II, and NOS).

perhaps when you were hospitalized, and they took your history, they were relatively able to establish or suspect prior periods of hypomania and went with Bipolar as being the "best-fitting" diagnosis for you at this point. this would also serve as a caution to new doctors who might otherwise feed you antidepressants and, possibly, make you manic again.

the deal with antidepressants is not all or nothing, either. just because one makes you manic doesn't mean another will. just keep track of your reactions, and let new doctors know. also slow titration is always prudent.

hope that helps

~ waves ~