What happens if a person who is most likely bipolar receives a depression dx and is given meds for depression?
My brother in law is so classically bipolar. He recently went to the doctor in a depressed state. THe doctor gave him Effexor (a SSRI medicine for depression, anxiety). What will this do for him? I have heard this is a common misdiagnosis for bipolar. Anyone have any stats, info on this situation?
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Wow…some of the people on here should not be allowed to post answers.
It is common for somebody with BP to first be diagnosed with depression…often times they only seek treatment for those symptoms related to depression. Antidepressants can trigger manic/hypomanic/mixed episodes in some bipolar people…but it is not something that happens in every case. Very often antidepressants are needed…the lows of bipolar can be extremely bad and persistent…but when treating BP, doctors will almost always use an anti-D in combo with a mood stabilizer (like lithium, depakote, lamictal, trileptal, etc) or antipsychotic (abilify, seroquel, zyprexa, etc …these often have mood stabilizing effects).
Treating bipolar generally necessitates the use of several medications and it can be difficult to find the right combination.
One last thing…Effexor is not an SSRI, it is an SNRI – targeting 2 types of neurotransmitters – serotonin and norepinephine.
M’dear, bipolar includes "depression"; that’s one of the poles.
watch him close and go back if no good results
When my son was 5 he was misdiagnosed with ADHD…They put him on Ritalin Well he ended up in the hospital…It sent him absolutely crazy…He tried to jump out the second story of our house because he just couldn’t think strait…Well needless to say he was bipolar…Anybody who is suspected of having bipolar and they are put on any kind of stimulant needs to be monitored closely
They should have realized that he was bipolar. If they didn’t there would be somthing wrong, if it was a doctor that specalized in that kinda of thing. Maybe he is just suppost to take them on his down moods. I’m not sure. The medicine might be just for evening out his moods or somthing. You should ask him about it.
No i don’t have stats but if the person is bipolar they should not be treated with depression and i sure the professional will agree.Because simply put anti depression are to simulate or give the person mental energy.the manic mood is too much mental energy.So that could make the mania worse and can cause some very bad symptoms.call the doctor and let them know.Talk to a professional.
Yes depression is one of the poles but depression meds alone will not work for a person with bi-polar because they swing between depression and mania, there are different classifications of bipolar. I was misdiagnosed in my very early twenties with depression and for years they changed me from one medication to another but nothing worked for long. Finally, I found a doctor who took more than a cursory look at my symptoms and had me take a test that they use to assess bi-polar disorder. After twenty years I finally received a proper diagnosis and the correct medication a mood stabilizer. I feel better now than I have in 20 years. If your BIL saw his family physician please urge him to see a psychiatrist immediately for a proper psych evaluation.
If a person who is bipolar receives SSRIs, they could possibly switch from a depressed state to a manic state. Effexor is the most likely of the antidepressants (an SNRI, actually) to cause people to flip. Therefore, a mood stabilizer should be used for someone who is truly bipolar rather than an SSRI. of course, each case varies and depends on the previous medications that each individual has tried (so as not to say that is necessarily the wrong medication choice in this case; usually best to listen to a doctor, but feel free to get a second opinion always.)