ADHD & Bipolar - How can you tell it apar | ADHD Information

Hi!

I recently was diagnosed with ADHD (I'm 25 yrs. old) by one doctor and was relief I might add. However, she referred me to a pharmacologist to get the Wellbutrin, when I met with her, she in turn said that I don't have ADD but I'm Bipolar Type II.

Well, I'm confused because honestly I do feel a bit low at times, as we all do, but depressed. No. She explained to me that I can't have ADD since I did very well in grade school and had a "photographic" memory. If I indeed suffered from this disorder than I would have had the symptoms very early. Mine did not fully kick in until college, although, I did notice memory and concentration difficulties in high school.

Can any one give me their thoughts on this? I'm confused and frustrated that I'm not getting any help with my problem. Oh, I should mention I've been prescribed Lamectil, which I feel uneasy taking.

Thank you,

BB

 

   Bad grades  may result from ADHD but aren't a symptom.  Their are a number of great sites  with online tests. Amen.com is a good one. TO be diagnosed with ADHD/ADD   you must of  told/ shared  some childhood stuff that pointed that way.  Everything I have read says  the symptoms   have to be present  as a child. Bad grades isnt listed on any of  the  tests.

 

I am also Bi-Po II and ADD.  Mine did not fully kick in until college.  I've been on Lamictal for about a year and no problems.  It's a mood stabilizer but is also used as an anti-seizure med...many of these meds serve dual purposes.  PM me if you want.

Thank you Bobel. I will check it out. I had no problem with my grades, as a matter of fact I was always on top of the class, concentration was okay when studying by myself, and had good memory. In class I was a big dreamer and had this impulsive energy. To this day I will be walking on the street and then suddenly I'll have the urge to run and I  will start running. It looks strange to those around me but I can't stop.

Thanks again.

about a month or so ago, i had some bad emotional
episodes and went to the doc to get off of my
welbutrin (i'm not saying it is a bad med -- just wrong
for me). he mentioned bi-polar disorder b/c of some
of the symptoms i was having and of course i blew it
way out of proportion. he wanted me to try another
anti-depressent (which i didn't), and said, "we can
see how this works, if you are showing some
bi-polar tendancies, the wel-butrin may work better."
since then, i've read that welbutrin would not be good
to take for bi-polar, so who knows?


the two disorders are often misdiagnosed for the
other or co-morbid. it wouldn't hurt to seek a different
opinion. just be careful b/c sometimes
anti-depressents can make some of these
symptoms appear and they are actually only side
effects of the meds, thats what it was in my case. (i
do think they are good meds. ESPECIALLY for PMS.)

You don't have to do bad in school in order to have
ADD. Some of us learn interesting coping strategies
very early on. My grades were never stellar (of
course zeros in h.w. didn't help.) i did manage to
graduate college with a masters and now i spend
my time with six year old clones of myself.

 

 

My first reaction is to get a second opinion sooner than later. I am a 31 yr old women, with a 13 year old boy...I am going through a divorce and sought counceling to make sure both me and my son get through this with out any unhealthy behaviors errupting......I was shocked when during my session I found my self being evaluated for Adult ADHD.....oh boy....was that one test that I aced...actually I have always aced tests...job interviews etc....it is the day to day stuff that seems impossible for me...

After diagnosis i went to the book store and bought two very good books....have been reading them in spurts ever since...lol....They are "Driven to Distraction" and Delivered from Distraction...both written by a guy ...Hollywell.  In the second book there is a great chapter on ADD and Bipolar disorder....PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE GO GET THE BOOK....READ IT AT THE BOOK STORE...WHAT EVER YOU NEED TO DO...It explains the difference between the two disorders, it also explains that they can coexist.  Anyway, get the second opinion and try to read at least the chapter I referenced above...It answered a lot of questions for me. As I had been diagnosed with BP disorder a few years ago....and took lithium----which by the way was a horrible experience, only because I am not bipolar I am ADHD with high stimuli seeking behavior and depression....although very similar in symptoms...very different than Bipolar...good luck!!!

Bipolar disorders type 2 is called rapid cycling bipolar. It means instead of being in a mania for days or weeks, you tend to have a good day of mania, then rapidly switch back to depression. It is possible to have both diseases. I was told I was type 2 myself, but never responded to medications. I gave up until a month ago. Make sure you always get second opinions. Even if you have to wait awhile to see another doc. One docs opinion is not gospel...-CassBP II is less mania, more depressive episodes not rapid cycling mania.

Sounds similar to some of my experiences. I am a 27 year old graduate student. I was originally diagnosed as having moderate depression and was put on antidepressants at the student health center. For the first few weeks it seemed that it was working, but would then tapper off. Each time I went in they increased, changed or added new medications. At the end I was on over 100mg of Effexor and over 100mg of Welbutrin. By the way I am female and only weigh a little over a 100 pds, so this was a very large dose. Anyway about two or three weeks after this med change I went into mania end then had a terrible crash, the worst depression I've ever had. I ended up in the hospital and a school psychiatrist went through my records. He was my saving grace and discovered that I was misdiagnosed. By the way taking antidepressants is counter indicated for bipolar patients and can illicit some very bad responses!

Now correctly diagnosed I was put on lamictal, but I was still having some problems with concentration, mostly reading. Being a graduate student requires alot of reading, which I am very slow at. Going on a hunch I was screened for adhd and after several test it was confirmed. Since I was stabilized on lamectil my psychiatrist started me on very low doses of ritalin to make sure I wouldn't react poorly and flare up bipolar moods.  After about a month and no problems he then changed me to concerta. I really like concerta, no afternoon crashes or anxiety like I had with ritalin.

In the end my advise is go to a psychiatrist or a psychologist that is a specialist. And read this, it might help you decipher  http://www.adhdnews.com/bipolar.htm 

Also feel free to contact me. I've done alot of research in many medical journals such as jama.

By the way doing poor in school isn't always a cue to adhd! Sometimes your innate ability will override your deficiencies.

Best wishes! AJ

I am so relieved to know that there are more  people out there going thru what I'm going thru! I almost wanted to cry when I read the messages. I also have ADD and Bipolar type 2. Hey, maybe we could start a new forum for us. (Ha Ha!) I am new to the message board, but have been struggling with bipolar and ADD for a while. I'm 31 years old and was diagnosed ADD at 17, but my mon disagreed and I went untreated. After failing so many classes in college I went back to a mental clinic who said I was bipolar, not ADD. I was so depressed from failing out of nursing college my senior year that the ADD was overlooked. Long story kind of short I went to another college, took Depakote, and graduated with honors. Got another psych doc who re-diagnosed ADD last year, and I'm just starting meds. Strattera was not effective so went to Concerta...Medicaid cut...on free sample of Metedate. It's only been about 4 weeks. Too bad I had to fail state boards 4 times before I realized I needed stimulant!Do you have shopping problems with ADHD or is that just with bipolar

Thank you all for your wonderfull responses! I went to see another doctor for a second opinion and he diagnosed me with adult ADHD. Currently I'm taking Ritalin and things seems to be a bit better, however, it is too soon to tell.

Sorry, for my first somewhat incoherent message!!

all the best,

Barbara