Bipolar rearing it's ugly head

It’s good that you reached out for help.

I also have bipolar and am on Lithium for the mania and Mirtazapine anti-depressant for the depression.

You said, “I suffer from Bipolar , depression and anxiety disorder."

You also said, “I'm currently taking Cymbalta 60mg. 1x a day, and I have Xanax but don't take it b/c it makes me feel worse the next day.”

Webmd.com says: “Cymbalta (duloxetine) is a selective serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor antidepressant (SSNRI).
“Cymbalta is used to treat major depressive disorder in adults. It is also used to treat general anxiety disorder in adults….”

Well, that deals with the depression part of bipolar, or manic-depression, and Cymbalta also helps with the anxiety that you talked about.

But what medication are you taking for mania?

You mention anxiety (“I can't work because my anxiety is so bad it literally makes me feel paralyzed”) and depression (“I am also depressed and can not concentrate.”)
You then say, “I am arguing with my family and have terrible mood swings.”

So you do have mood swings. Healthline.com says about mania:

"Mania is a state of elevated mood. During manic episodes, you may feel very high-spirited, energetic, and creative. You may also feel irritable. You may engage in high-risk behaviors, such as substance abuse or increased sexual activity. You may spend money foolishly, make bad investments with your money, or behave in other reckless ways.
“Manic episodes can last for a week or longer”

So if you have the mania also, are you taking anything for that? Again, I take Lithium for the mania and Mirtazapine for the depression. If you’re only taking an antidepressant and you are bipolar, it can throw you into mania. It has me.

These ailments are often inherited, as in my case for I got my bipolar from my mother’s mother. It can skip a generation. My mother did not have that condition. Is there anxiety or bipolar in your family?

Also, this same grandmother of mine who had bipolar, there were no, or very few, psychological medicines for mental illness at that time, 1930s and 1940s. She spent her life in a mental institution 150 miles from her house and diagnosed as schizophrenic because they didn’t know about bipolar at that time.

So, we can be glad they have medicines today that treat these conditions. Very glad.

That is tough. I think finding a new psychiatrist sounds good.

Some years ago I found out that I did better with a female psychiatrist than a male.

You can look those up on the search engine of your computer by typing in "psychiatrist for your home town." You can go through the list and write down the names and addresses of those which interest you, then go through your list and pick the one you like the best.

If you have a women's health center in your town, maybe at a hospital, you could call the director and ask if she can recommend a psychiatrist. Look up local hospitals on the search engine, then go to their websites and see which ones have a women's health center.

Write down the phone number then call the ones that have that. I know this is not easy to do when you're sick, which is when you need it the most. I was in that situation and put it off until I had a nervous breakdown.

This website recommends CBT (cognitive behavioral therapy) in its resources, which is talked about in the area just above the names of people who have written in.

It's saying that one's attitude about the illness, or other problem, is very important. I believe that also, and since reading information about that, I try to be positive going into a problem that I can solve it.

This puts my mind into looking for ways to solve it, rather than looking for ways to lose to the problem, which is the way I use to look at it in my negative mind state.

Big difference. Same brain, just looking for ways to win rather than looking for ways to lose.

You know you need something for bi-polar but you barely have energy just to get by during the day. I know how that feels. But you really need to start somewhere. Once you get on the proper medications you will feel a lot better. I know you are scared to try something new but you really do need to. I would look into therapy too. A good therapist can be like a new best friend. It really can lift your spirits.

So I say let's get started. I take Pristiq, Lexapro, abilify and Xanax. I don't get a hangover from the Xanax. Maybe you could try a different benzo. Have you tried abilify for bi-polar? There are many others too. Newer medications. Have you asked the doctor for something for sleep? I use to take ambien and it helped me a lot. Often a half of a pill would work, and every other night instead of nightly. It might be something you would like to try. My husband takes melatonin. That is another option.

I hope you take the steps to get better. It makes a huge difference when you get your meds straightened out. It is work but worth all of it. I hope you start to feel better soon. Don't give up. Just a few more steps...

Hugs, Karen...