The nurse practitioner I’m seeing about my ADHD diagnosed me with bipolar disorder
She literally could not have surprised me more if she tried
This makes no sense to me but it’s scaring me a lot :(
I don’t really remember having manic episodes? Depressive maybe but it’s usually after something bad happens to me and not really consistently…
I told her I put off making this appointment cuz I’ve been feeling really bad recently, then she just asked me a few questions like if people say I talk too much sometimes or if I do things impulsively and prescribed me an antipsychotic (aripiprazole) wtf
I asked some family and they haven’t noticed anything like this… idk :(. Has this happened to anyone else? Am I just in denial? I’m afraid to take this drug she gave cuz I really don’t need to be even more tired all the time… or tardive dyskinesia or something (unlikely, worst case)
Definitely echoing the need for a second opinion on this one.
Aripiprazole isn’t too bad. Obviously it’s a psychiatric med so there’s going to be some people who don’t vibe with it, naturally. It’s unlikely to knock you out like quetiapine - some people find it activating and some find it to be a bit sedating depending on how you happen to respond but it’s very unlikely that you’re going to be a zombie on it.
There’s a chance that it might have an effect on your ADHD symptoms but evidence supporting this is pretty slim.
Honestly I’d be looking for a different prescribing professional. A hasty bipolar diagnosis is sketchy, aripiprazole as the first treatment is very questionable… I think that’s a fair indication that you’re going to be pushing shit uphill trying to get an accurate diagnosis and a coherent approach to treating symptoms.
Without knowing more, this is the kind of situation where I’d expect it to take at least 3 months, likely longer, to eliminate bipolar and to move onto a more accurate diagnosis. Then you have to cross your fingers and hope that they land on ADHD. Then I wouldn’t be surprised if they prescribed you something wack like guanfacine monotherapy or atomoxetine straight off the bat, which could easily blow out your timelines by another 6 months before you might be able to get around to the first-line treatments. Idk if I’d be willing to piss a year up the wall trying to chase down an accurate diagnosis unless it was my only option.
Obviously this is just speculation but it’s what I’d expect from a nurse practitioner who is apparently so haphazard in their clinical practice.
I actually got an ADHD diagnosis from a psychologist at this clinic. It’s weird, this is my 2nd visit with her (nurse practitioner) about it and after the atomoxetine she gave me didn’t help she wants to treat me for bipolar (she didn’t specify what type, idek if she actually diagnosed me cuz idk if she can even do that but she prescribed me the aripiprazole). I’m just really confused about this whole thing :(
Idk if this keeps being weird I’ll have to see if I can extract my ADHD diagnosis docs from them and go somewhere else :(
This bipolar thing is really scaring me though, “looking into it”, as they say. I asked some friends and family and they said they never noticed anything like manic or depressive episodes from me
Thank you for your input, tbh I’ve just been stressing about this all day I’m gonna go try to relax
Well if people around you haven’t ever noticed any manic or hypomanic episodes in you and you didn’t report having these to the nurse practitioner then I feel like the bipolar diagnosis probably isn’t a good fit.
I really shouldn’t gloat by saying that I called it. Suffice it to say that your post set my expectations for this clinic at that level and this tracks.
Sorry you’re having a bad time with it. Go rest up and come back to this post/situation/both of them when you’re feeling up to it - there’s no time pressure.