Self-Talk and Seroquel

[TaniaJPS]

I posted this on my support board earlier today, but nobody has read it. (no views). I thought maybe it would get more attention here. I'm attention seeking!

Here's my post:

I'm on lesson 3 now. It fits me to a T. I am quite honestly a negative thinker. A raging perfectionist.

I realized hat I am even a perfectionist in my anxiety.

I won't take a Xanax because I don't think I've me the appropriate level of discomfort or panic in order to take it. My expectations and the bar is raised even for when and if I'll take a Xanax.

Went to the family practitioner today to discuss my upping of Zoloft from 50mg to 100mg (I've been on 50mg as maintenance for almost 5 years), I ended up taking a questionnaire for bi-polar disorder and Adult ADHD. I was "diagnosed" with both. Lovely.

He gave me a prescription for Seroquel. I'm not convinced. Of course I came here and I've read nothing but horror stories.

So, fittingly, I'm freaked and can almost guarantee I won't take it. But, I don't know. I mean, I'm trying to help myself and I think the program is helping to an extent. But, it might be too soon to tell.

Do any of you think it's alright to simply NOT go along with the doctor and NOT take the Seroquel? That drug seems quite a bit messed up to me and I really don't think I have bi-polar disorder (even though I scored 9 out of 13 and the bar is 7 out of 13 or higher). I mean, yes, I'm HIGH ENERGY, but I don't remember ever being truly depressed (except for once or twice - but doesn't everybody?).

And isn't the manic or mania of bi-polar disorder something akin to talking to or being on-the-level with God and making judgments and committing actions based on a surreal god-like feeling? Or is it less than that and fitting for a more broad spectrum of people to experience mania?

[Guest]

I don't want to freak you out but.............................................I was on Seroquel for a month or so. I have been diagnosed bi-polar by 3 different psychs over a period of 30 years. It was causing extreme anxiety in me and I came close to having a panic attack, something I haven't had since age 18. I'm now 58. I called the doc and told him I was going off of it.

He's not sure now if I am bi-polar. I've never heard voices or thought I was on a mission from God [like the Blues Brothers] or seen things. But I have had some mood swings which I don't see but my wife does. To me there are reasons for the mood swings. When I'm not thinking negatively I'm fine which the wife interprets sometimes as "mania". Then negative thinking will kick me in the rear and I'll be down. Diagnosis: bi-polar because of rational causes to the different moods. I am on a small dose of meds though and have been for 30 years.

Different people are going to have different opinions about the Seroquel and about the doctor being in charge of making the decisions. I left the decisions in the docs hands for over 20 years and it got me no where. Only by starting to make my own decisions about what meds to try, how much to take, why they weren't working etc. did I get better. Since then meds have been reduced by 80% and totally off of anti-anxiety meds for 5 years now. I was on anti-anxiety meds for about 26 years. I say listen to the doc, but take that info and make your own decision and then learn from it. It's okay to make mistakes. Docs do it all the time.

[Guest]

Hi Tania:
Doctors are not always correct in their diagnosis. They are human and err.
And in my opinion, they are often much to quick to say that everyone is bi-polar.
But that is just my opinion.

However, to say that being bi-polar is to act
God-like is quite off-base too. There are dif. levels of bi-polar, I think. In a manic stage some people do spend erratically, without judgement.

You can go on-line and read about bi-polar disease.

My brother is bi- polar, He takes the medication you mention. In the heighth of his worse manic episode he thought that he had millions of dollars. He thought that he was making money with his negotiations at the bank,
when in reality he was borrowing and buying.
And when he'd drive off in his car, he would get lost. His disease is now controlled by the medicines he takes. He is mostly rational now.
He is in a nuring home now because he also developed dementia.

Obviously his was an extreme case.

I'm not an expert. I really have no real answers.
But I do think you are smart to question a bit before just taking anything that they prescribe for you.
I hope that others, like Don57 has done, will
offer more concrete suggestions and help for you.
Bless you!
MaryJane