Venting Misdiagnosed as Bipolar

[thatonegirl]

So I've been battling my mental health basically my whole life, but it's been particularly hard for the last 6 or so years, so I've been in and out of doctor's offices trying to get that sorted.

Initial diagnosis in 2020: Depression, Anxiety, PTSD
Diagnosis in 2024: Bipolar II
Diagnosis today: ADHD

I've been thinking for a while that the bipolar diagnosis was wrong. None of the antipsychotics or mood stabilizers ever touched my mood, and it's been getting progressively worse no matter what. But it's hard because every diagnosis has basically been my suggestion. My doctors don't seem to put any thought into it on their own, I always have to prompt them to check into something else even when they can clearly see my condition continuing to deteriorate. This time though, I'm thinking we're on the right path finally. I told my doctor honestly that I've been thinking lately suicide is my only option, and she didn't like that, but I think it's making her take me more seriously. She printed out a venn diagram for me about Bipolar Disorder and ADHD and it has pretty much confirmed to me that I'm right. I'm starting Straterra tomorrow. Hopeful it'll work, but if not, we'll try a stimulant next.

In case anyone else could benefit from this:


Has anyone else taken Straterra by chance? What was/is your experience?

 

[jengablocks]

i have adhd and i've been misdiagnosed the exact same way ! its really frustrating to remember. i think if u dont present like typical adhd ppl do, they're reluctant to diagnose it for some reason.. i had the same experience with mood stabilizers n stuff.

i tried strattera once a long time ago and the effects were really subtle for me , like i couldnt tell if it was doing anything. but i think i might've not had the self-awareness to be able to tell either way at the time. u have to really pay attention with some meds, it feels like some dont do anything but 1-2 months later u realize that some things are easier than they were before.

im on qelbree now, it's another non-stimulant that helps with similar stuff. it helps with time management,, liek i feel a bit more grounded overall and not as prone to the feeling of looking at the time and not knowing how it got to be so late. not as scattered, maybe ? with adhd u sort of feel like life is just a series of moments , like u cant comprehend anything beyond whats physically in front of u right now . it can help with that !

but im also on a stimulant and thats the main thing that helps me with actually doing anything . im on a lower dose of it, though.. higher doses almost work a little too well ? like when all the brain noise is gone i think a bit too clearly about the things that are bothering me. like, without it, my brain is a snow globe that's been shaken, it's fuzzy and staticky and noisy. but stimulants make that go away and i can see the Horrors clearly in there now . i hope that analogy makes sense..! it was just something that blindsided me , since i spent a lot of time before that trying not to think about certain things, which adhd "helped" with in a weird way . but thats probably uncommon and weird !!!

i hope u can find something that works !!

 

[ColorlessTrees]

ive almost been dxed with bipolar but im pretty sure its adhd x pmdd. i was for all intents and purposes the same sort of chaotic ball of energy as a child, with regular mood swings and reactivities to simple comments or rejections, as well as intense hyperfixations and focus discrepancies, struggling with stuff that wasnt fun for me and going all out on other subjects that were, especially in school.

theres a lot of overlap but imo its just way more common for women to recieve borderline bipolar dxes because of the whole hysteria bullshit that persists to this day, especially with older or careless psychs

thank you for sharing this

 

[thatonegirl]

i have adhd and i've been misdiagnosed the exact same way ! its really frustrating to remember. i think if u dont present like typical adhd ppl do, they're reluctant to diagnose it for some reason.. i had the same experience with mood stabilizers n stuff.

i tried strattera once a long time ago and the effects were really subtle for me , like i couldnt tell if it was doing anything. but i think i might've not had the self-awareness to be able to tell either way at the time. u have to really pay attention with some meds, it feels like some dont do anything but 1-2 months later u realize that some things are easier than they were before.

im on qelbree now, it's another non-stimulant that helps with similar stuff. it helps with time management,, liek i feel a bit more grounded overall and not as prone to the feeling of looking at the time and not knowing how it got to be so late. not as scattered, maybe ? with adhd u sort of feel like life is just a series of moments , like u cant comprehend anything beyond whats physically in front of u right now . it can help with that !

but im also on a stimulant and thats the main thing that helps me with actually doing anything . im on a lower dose of it, though.. higher doses almost work a little too well ? like when all the brain noise is gone i think a bit too clearly about the things that are bothering me. like, without it, my brain is a snow globe that's been shaken, it's fuzzy and staticky and noisy. but stimulants make that go away and i can see the Horrors clearly in there now . i hope that analogy makes sense..! it was just something that blindsided me , since i spent a lot of time before that trying not to think about certain things, which adhd "helped" with in a weird way . but thats probably uncommon and weird !!!

i hope u can find something that works !!

I've definitely felt the reluctance from just about every doctor, it's so incredibly frustrating.

I've heard that about the non-stimulants, that they are a lot more subtle. I'm definitely hopeful though, it's encouraging to hear that it does eventually work. I totally get what you mean about the things you try to ignore that the stimulants make you think about though. I'm glad you found a combo that works! I'll keep gelbree in mind too in case straterra doesn't work out. Thank you!