One of the annoying things about having a serious mental illness like bipolar disorder is that doctors blame all physical pain on bipolar disorder. It feels like if you have a hangnail it must be because of bipolar. It feels like the pain from a broken leg must be from bipolar disorder. Doctors just seem to leap to the conclusion that bipolar is always to blame even when other physical ailments are or may be present.
Physical Pain and Bipolar Disorder
I have talked before about how bipolar disorder can include physical pain for some people. I have also talked about how bipolar disorder can amplify existing pain. I can’t explain either phenomenon but I know they exist.
So I do understand that if you go to a doctor and complain of vague pain, they may want to blame it on bipolar disorder. However, this doesn’t mean that bipolar disorder is always to blame.
Bipolar Disorder and Fibromyalgia
Unfortunately, bipolar disorder is comorbid (co-exists) with many conditions including fibromyalgia, according to a recent meta-analysis. This analysis looked at nine studies and found that a comorbidity of bipolar disorder in fibromyalgia of 21%. In contrast, in the general population, bipolar disorder occurs in about 2-4%, depending on how you define bipolar disorder. In other words, in those with fibromyalgia, there is a 5-10 times greater incidence of bipolar disorder. (Unfortunately, the link going the other way doesn’t seem to have been investigated yet.)
Additionally, this 2016 study suggests a shared pathophysiology between bipolar disorder and fibromyalgia.
In other words, just because you’re reporting pain, it doesn’t mean that pain is only because of the bipolar disorder. And, unfortunately, doctors seem to refuse to look beyond the bipolar disorder for a reason. Of course, it also doesn’t mean you necessarily have fibromyalgia either, but it can mean that you are suffering from some other illness. (And I don’t need to mention that physical complaints can indicate something very severe such as the early stages of cancer.)
Need for Pain Medication in Bipolar Disorder
Additionally, if you are in pain and you have bipolar disorder, many doctors won’t prescribe pain medication because they assume you are drug-seeking. Yes, it’s true that more than 50% of people with bipolar disorder have had a substance abuse problem in their lifetime, but that doesn’t mean that every one of us is drug-seeking. It also doesn’t mean that our pain isn’t real and doesn’t deserve treatment – just like everyone else.
Every Physical Pain Is Not Bipolar-Related
Doctors (and patients) need to remember that not every physical pain is because of bipolar disorder. Yes, when you have a brain disorder, it can affect every aspect of your being, but that doesn’t mean that other illnesses don’t or can’t exist as well.
So if your doctor is writing off your genuine, chronic, physical complaints as only being related to bipolar disorder – don’t believe him or her. Doctors often write us off but we don’t deserve that. Be persistent. Present research if you have it. Or even find another doctor. We deserve quality healthcare treatment and the prejudice that some doctors show against those with bipolar disorder should not stop us.
It’s not just with bipolar disorder and pain, psychiatry has a nasty habit of filtering every single symptom through the lense of “the illness”, even in those cases where the illness was a misdiagnosis.
Get angry and also have a bipolar label, no matter the circumstance, you’re agitated and need to be “calmed”.
Withdrawals from meds, it’s just the “original illness” coming back. You need even stronger, more disabling drugs.
Upset at being confined in a filthy looney bin and losing any semblance of equal protection under the law? Looks like you need your brain fried with a high voltage current and some time out in the “seclusion room” (solitary) to keep you out of trouble.
Rod you are preaching to the choir, you are not safe to even accept a mental health diagnosis, my heart breaks for your experiences. I think it might be worse in the USA health care system.
Hi, I was trying to comment on another subject regarding empower but couldn’t for the life of me find success in commenting but luckily I can here.
I have read Natasha’s blogs before and enjoyed the information. I feel compelled to write down my experience with Dr’s and not believing someone with a mental health diagnosis.
A few years ago I started a relationship with a nice person that started off a bit questionable but continued on anways. I was off meds for years and only medicated myself with marijuana, sure it might not be the best but it had less side effects than the meds I had taken by a long shot. This person used marijuana as well but also had a controlling nature that caught me off guard. The person didn’t like the fact as soon as I came home from work I lit up a joint and two days after moving in was voluntold that we are quitting the habit.
At that point I should’ve got the heck out of there but stupidity prevailed and I stuck around. Two weeks after quitting severe depression settied in and I mentioned that since quitting my depression became severe…their reply “bullshit, I don’t believe you”. Now, this was a reply that you never say to anyone yet alone your partner and again I should’ve moved back to my own place but I have no idea just why I didn’t. I didn’t want to take meds right away so I went on some natural supplements and they helped a bit but there were a few that I needed to take that I wasn’t.
A few months on the meds and I made the mistake of mentioning to a coworker that I was dealing with depression/anxiety…to say this was a mistake is an understatement if there ever was one. The fool offered me some of his valium the next day and I had never taken it and even though I had a careless, freak of a Dr put and left me on clonazepam years earlier never warning me about the insane withdrawal those things cause and fully experiencing them…I tried it. The first one gave me a severe headache and should’ve thrown the rest out immediately, I just left them on my dresser instead. A couple of weeks later on Christmas day I had to go to her first family gathering and still feeling a bit anxious etc I made the stupid move to try another one except this time I felt calm and it felt nice.
The next month I asked my Dr for valium and he refused saying it was addictive and so instead I wondered about going on a med combo that had somewhat positive results, unfortunately the meds were now generic and I had no idea that generic meds are NOT always the same as the name brand…heck, generic drugs aren’t even tested for efficacy so let that sink in for a moment, yes, from everything I’ve read generics are basically approved on the basis the name brand got approved (clinical trials performed by the very company that stood to profit from them and negative or severe side effects tossed into the shredder at the end of the day).
The generic pills did absolutely nothing besides making me much worse than if I had taken nothing and gradual serious side effects such as, headaches, lowered immune system, insomnia, severe headaches, frequent urination, hair loss, memory loss, fever, stiff neck and photosensitivity…these came on so gradually I didn’t recognize them.
I should’ve stopped them after the first week and shunned the big pharma approach….for me I have just only so much patience for corruption and I knew this before going back on them but I just did not want to take time off work. At the two month mark the meds made things so bad that I mentioned to my Dr that I was given valium by a coworker and I felt relaxed (if the meds were working I wouldn’t have even mentioned the valium.
So, the Dr gives me a huge bottle if valium with unlimited refills, valium is contraindicated for depression because they can cause depression and valium is meant for short term use only-4 weeks max!!! Now, I’m on three meds and I should’ve stopped the first two because I was seeing zero benefit but my Dr would put people on meds and just leave them on them indefinitely whether they worked or not.
My Dr was beyond careless and after being on them for a year and having to take time off work (I was transferred to a hudeous position by a tyrant manager that was just bad news and I should’ve absolutely refused the position) and became very depressed as would anyone would be…awful position let me tell you. That manager wasn’t good for anybody and whenever the manager approached someone it was always bad news. Right when I was pushed into that position refusing adamantly was the only way to go but I was getting good at being stupid, no help from the meds.
To cut to the chase, my Dr left me on the junk meds for too long and after stopping the first couple I remained on the valium for a good two years only to be told that valium could be causing my depression yet my Dr kept me on it. Right then putting my foot down and saying enough of the valium would be the prudent thing but a few months later I started getting ringing ears and came across an angst filled website that claimed valium causes ringing ears and I said that’s enough and tapered off the valium without telling my so called Dr and fiance (never a good idea but I was tired of just being kept on meds by a incompetent dr).
Things were okay but just over two weeks off the valium I was caught off guard by severe withdrawals and had no idea it was from the valium I stopped almost three weeks earlier. I went to my Dr and told him my depression was through the roof and he never asked about the valium and put me on alprazolam. Okay, you cannot go on alprazolam after valium and come out on top….just Google going from valium to alprazolam and the only results will be going from alprazolam to valium…you cannot go the other way for a reason, it’s way too short acting.
Immediately interdose withdrawals caused severe depression and I was lucky to get three hours out of a pill before I had to wait 12 mote to take the other one. I was about to go out if town and I was going to miss my next appt and I was now on short term disability and the insurance company knew when my next appt was do I figured I would go the day before I left.
I was just going to go as a walk in and decided to phone the office to see if that was cool and a very very old/senile substitute receptionist said sure and I proceeded to get ready. Minutes later I heard the answering machine click in and never should I have listened to It and instead just left quickly and see the Dr but stupidly I checked it and it was the senile receptionist calling me back and she never even knew who she was calling and instead said someone from this number called and the Dr had an opening at 1230….this was a psychiatrist office and that is as unprofessional as it gets.
I was shocked someone would actually leave a message from such an office without knowing who they were calling but that’s another story. She said there was an opening at 1230 and I said I’m okay with going in right now but she kept saying there was an opening at 1230 so I took it not realizing the alprazolam would be in withdrawal at that point.
Got there at 1230 sharp and noticed the door was locked and didn’t realize they locked the door at lunch. I reached for the doorbell but at the last second I noticed the senile person staring at me from the office….she forgot that she pushed the appt on me and instead of ringing the bell I thought she would contact the Dr but instead she stared at me for a good 15 minutes. Having enough I rang the bell and my Dr let me in, as soon as I got in the office I mentioned that I would’ve been there 15 minutes ago but the receptionist wouldn’t let me in.
This Dr was a certified fool and would make fun of patients often and I said I think that receptionist was going senile and he got angry about the remark and I told him I was just making an observation( this Dr would make fun of patients but hey, that is okay) and we got in a mild disagreement and I was already feeling rough from the withdrawals.
Right away he blew things off and asked how I was feeling and I told him I was feeling rough. Immediately he looked at my chart and said I wasn’t on an antidepressant and I told him was taking natural supplements and didn’t want one. He then asked if I had taken a certain med and I said I had never heard of it (old 1960 med considered 2nd most dangerous med in overdose) and then asked about my sleep as his hand was testing on the phone and I said my sleep was good…7 hours.
He picks up the phone and calls in a prescription for the med and adds another one without asking me anything or talying to me. I then asked if it was safe to take these meds with the supplements I was taking and he said absolutely without looking them up yet he wrote them down even.
I went home and looked up the garbage he was prescribing and the side effects looked like they were from a bottle of cyanide. I called the pharmacy and asked if they were safety take and the pharmacist ( had a few problems with this place) that could barely speak English said they were safe and what time was I coming to pick them up! I was a bit ticked at not only the lack of info but the fact I was being pressured to pick up meds that I was expressing concern with, do I asked the same question and got the identical answer. At this point I should’ve told them to keep the meds and I was to take my business elsewhere but stupidity prevailed….that and withdrawals.
When I picked up the meds I wasn’t asked a thing, no question if I had taken them before, no question if I had a question just where is your money.
I was concerned about these meds and as the night wore on my withdrawals were kicking in worse and I tool them along with the anxiety med, if I had taken the anxiety med earlier I would’ve thrown them out. I had a vicious nightmare and the meds and reviews said vicious nightmares, I couldn’t get out of bed in the morning right away and my fiance started screaming at me to gefvup and clean the house because we were having a house sitter when we are gone.
She really was mad because 1, it was her nature 2, she was stressed from her job and she would let me know it even though I said to stop that nonsense a long time time ago but some people don’t change. Sorry for the long story so I will get to the point. My fiance had severe anger/control issues and also would give out deadly silent treatment and I mean deadly.
I got everything done before we left but that wasn’t good enough and I had to endure a violent display of anger and silent treatment for six horrific hours as we drove and I could barely kero my eyes open 18 hours after the so called “meds”. If I wasn’t so sick from the meds I would’ve gotten out if the car while it was still moving and walked home gladly but I was too sick. After the six hours of hell they had the audacity of wanting to break up as soon as we got to the hotel! This person wanting to break up with me was not unlike a thief taking back a stolen item and complaining it doesn’t work.
We made it through the night but barely and it was the worst day I had that I could remember. I took the meds and woke up feeling even more sick, drove for another 8 hours and got lost because of the other persons directions and if it was my fault I would probably have a knife would in me and settled into a bed and breakfast. My fiance went on the laptop and I pulled out my meds and looked at them. I mentioned I didn’t want to take them anymore because they were making me sick and she immediately demanded I keep taking them. Shocked, I them said to look up how dangerous they were before she demanded I keep taking them and she refused and demanded I keep taking them. I looked at the pills and did NOT want anymore more silent treatment.
Two weeks later I was rushed to the hospital suffering from a severe reaction. The ambulance took half an hour to arrive and two kids showed up at my door and did NOT want to help me. I had to beg them to take me to the hospital and I even had to beg the 911 operator to send an ambulance…I’m serious.
I was slowly brought to the hospital and during the ride the other ambulance attendant was being severely rude to me whole I was trying to answer her useless questions between times I could breathe. I eventually gave her the bottles of pills because after repeated attempts to explain the meds I was taking she couldn’t understand. I then asked why she was being mean to me and she replied “you’re not being mean to me”. I was shocked at the response and realized this person was far from normal, very far.
She never gave me the bottles back and they just left me in a wheelchair and deserted me at the hospital. Awhile later a nurse walked up to me and asked what was wrong with me and I looked up and said I was having a severe reaction to meds and mentioned them. She then rolled her eyes, left and an orderly began wheeling me away while apologizing that the nurse told him to do this. He wheeled me to the general waiting room and left me there…to die. Five hours later a Dr said to go home I was having a panic attack and to go home! I told him I wasn’t having a panic attack and was Having a severe reaction to meds and he said I can believe what I want to believe but I can go home…I was never triage and the idiot Dr never even knew what meds I was on!
I woke up in the morning with brain damage, muscle damage, severe nerve damage, melted digestive tract and…kidney damage. My life was now over. I stopped all of my meds not realizing I was going to go through humongous withdrawals from stopping the alprazolam and waited until my fiance got home from another self fulfilling business trip. Three days later I picked up my fiance from the airport and went for dinner, I was wanting to tell her what happened to me in person and after ordering I told her I had severe reaction to the meds and I wasn’t feeling well anymore. Her reply”aren’t you going to ask about my trip?”
I think that basically says it all right there. I went back to my Dr told him what happened and he then looked at my chart and the natural supplements I was taking and the meds actually had a fairly serious interaction between them in which he never looked up and found out he never prescribed them before!
He said I could sue him if I wanted to but I told him to just help me get better. He did nothing of the sort and then tried to cover things up by changing his notes and I caught him and he panicked. The pharmacy admitted to not checking for interactions and the manager had a private conversation as to how they were going to cover this whole thing up. The hospital made a fake triage report to cover up their sheer negligence and they didn’t know I had the original and now had two copied from the same visit that were completely different. I spent 40k trying to fix the damage and my therapist said to sue those fools silly. I went to a lawyer with my fiance and the lawyer said everyone will try to cover things up and they sure did.
Two days after seeing the lawyer and I told my fiance I wanted to go ahead with the lawsuit and she threatened to break up with me, what a sweetheart. After a year and a half I had zero intentions of living with the damage and decided to end my life. I was brought to the hospital by two buffet champion police officers and in the morning my fiance picked me up and said nothing, more silent treatment. Upon arriving home I was told I was now sleeping on the couch.
We broke up and things just got worse. I went over a year with two hours sleep due to the withdrawals and the brain injury, my kidneys were spilling protein, my hair went 30% gray three weeks after the reaction and my health was gone.
I ended up not suing anyone because I was planning on dying instead since that would be much easier I figured. Just before the time expired to sue anyone I contacted another lawyer and the person would phone me at work instead of phoning me at home and it got to be too much and he phoned me around two weeks out from the time expiration and started freaking about getting the case started but I had a client in front of me and I was just not doing well at all and told him I couldn’t talk at the moment and he just kept freaking so I had to hang up and it wax probably not the best choice but dealing with work on two hours sleep was bad enough without some lawyer calling me at work when I’m sure they had my home number and I would be much more inclined to discuss things away from work….I probably should’ve just told him I would call him back but honestly, I didn’t need a lawyer freaking out when I was trying to do my job and that wasn’t very easy after the damage.
I’m sorry for the long story and I guess the point of all of this is 1, Dr’s are completely unaccountable for their mistakes 2, pharmacies will cover it up as well 3, hospitals will cover things up too.
Any psychiatrist I have seen since this has happened never believed me that the reaction occurred and even contacted my caregivers to say that nothing happened and I am delusional…does this story sound delusional? I think I’m making pretty good sense considering what I went through.
To add insult to injury, I ended up getting prescribed a med for sleep but the pharmacy never mentioned to not eat grapefruit with it and I suffered more brain injury on top of this….I am not joking.
Listen, I have learned far more than the average person ever could about how corrupt Dr’s, pharmacies and hospitals are than most people and once you have a diagnosis, just like posts above me have mentioned, it’s all related to your diagnosis and it’s impossible you have a broken leg or brain injury or nerve damage…how on earth could you?!
Look, you know those meds we take? Well, they’ve never been tested longer than six months so if you are on them longer, you are now a part of the clinical trial but now it’s real and not made up behind closed doors. Pharmacies miss interactions all the time and the results are dangerous, the pharmacy I went to was part of a grocery store and the started with an S, I’m not afraid of mentioning their full name but it’s a one word name that ends in way.
The pharmacy sent me a letter saying they orally warned me about the interaction and the Dr said he would monitor it…this was part of that private conversation they had in which the pharmacist accidentally told me about. I called the head office and said the letter was a complete lie and they were trying to cover it up and the woman said it will be my world against theirs.
The head office was in Calgary. I called the pharmaceutical association about the carelessness and guess what? The person at the association gave me a number to call but before they called me back the association person phoned the pharmacy to tell them that I was going to call and gave them a heads up….they aren’t regulating them, they are a team!
I’m not saying stop your meds one bit but listen to what I have to say; none of these people are accountable…NONE of them! The pharmaceutical industry is so full of corruption just look up gsk, phiker, Ely Lilley, Merck, Johnson and Johnson and any others and check out the massive fines they have filed against them…gsk has a 3BILLION dollar fine for illegally promoting drugs off label and most likely from fraudulent testing policies as well and we take these meds like candy and you think it’s good for you?!
I guarantee you any ceo of these companies would NEVER let any of their children take these meds so you think it’s magically safe because it’s dispensed by a white coat, over paid drug supplier?! Psychiatry has been considered the dirty little secret of medicine and here’s why….the drugs have minimal efficacy, ate ripe with dangerous side effects and they cure NOTHING…NOTHING. Name one illness psychiatry cures? That’s easy….none.
I’m sorry if I sound a bit cynical but I think I have a right to be because I have seen the wanton disregard for safety all of the industry has displayed and I’m sure I’m not alone.
I wish I went to the paper and let the public know the bs non-treatment I received by a joke of a hospital and a fool for a Dr.
Be safe and take care
Peace and thanks for reading!
P.S. I caught the Dr changing his notes and backed it up because I received a copy of the clinical notes from the insurance company and there was NO record of Mr even seeing him that day….Dr’s protect each other it’s a brotherhood and I m very aware of it. The Dr’s have a 4Billion trust fund set up to vigorously fight off any lawsuit and believe it or not that fund is financed by the public, you can check it out and it’s true, at least in Canada it is. Every single word I wrote is painfully true and I wish I never ever went on meds in my life….there has been so e evidence that meds worsen your illness over time. I know some people are helped by them and whatnot but the reality is no one knows just exactly how thsee meds work if at all and the serotonin theory was disproven years before prozac came on the scene.
Dear Tabby,
I could have burst into tears reading your comment. I too have osteo arthritis , pretty much from head to foot… and it hurts, excruciatingly. Many times my pain responses have scared others, including neuros and other health care professionals, who rationalize their behaviors through your BP diagnosis, to abandon you alone in agony.
Happy Holidays to you Natasha!
Our doctors have said the same. I do believe it causes a lot of health issues. I have witnessed it with my sister. Knowing her when she was really well, having this illness, and then watching her health decline. Keep working at it is all I can say. You can stay on top of it. Not let it win you over. It’s exhausting I know. Exhausting as caregiver for me to chase it. Refuse to give up.
You’ve had an amazing year. You are an amazing person. I think you know that. The best to you this holiday season. Thank you for sharing. Take a rest!
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year,
Cookie
I have had my seizure disorder diagnosed as a valid seizure disorder from even a Epiliogist (? spelling) at Duke… to then get a list of past meds and current meds (primarily psych) and suddenly, he had no idea what was wrong with me. Refused to prescribe any medication “if you do not have actual seizures the anti-epileptics would be harmful to your health and even, in some cases, perhaps life threatening.”
Silly Neuro…. AEs are also prescribed for psychiatric disorders and are fed to 1000s daily.
Another Neurologist, of lower level of expertise, diagnosed me with a valid seizure disorder…. until she too got the list of meds taken in past and those of current,… then had her Nurse Practitioner meet with me to tell me “well, you do have Bipolar. Maybe they are mood symptoms.”
I’ve quit going to Neurologists.
After I had my near death car wreck nearly 10 years ago… suffering from Severe Osteoarthritis in my left ankle from where it was nearly decapitated and the nerves not all back to now have bone on bone grinding… Primary decided to send me to… TA DA… a Neurologist for Pain Management.
I went… was handed a 4 pg, front to back, questionnaire upon first visit and one page was all about mental health, symptoms, depression, etc.
I handed in 3 pages, front to back… I threw away the 4th page.
He didn’t prescribe me anything that first visit… wanted me to take Advil round the clock. Said the joint damage too bad for a Steroid Shot.
I didn’t go back.
Nah Sug… once you are mental…. EVERYTHING is mental
I hurt and live with chronic daily pain. I have seizures and live with them eroding my brain and scaring people.
Once you are mental and they know it… Everything is then mental… less you are oozing or dripping.
Good on you, Natasha – you are very right in drawing attention to this issue.
People with mental illnesses need rights. Now.
Exactly! I am fortunate to have a GP, would be impossible to find another.My BPII has been under control for years now, finally finding coect meds that have LASTED! Pdoc retired & GP tried to change them..2 days and I stopped..was fine before & Pristique w my others drove me mad/manic/mixed. Then I lost 50+ lbs, hands weak and shaky, walking funny, muscles twitiching & More. Am only allowed to mention 2 smptoms at a time per appt. First he said it was meds, then Stress. It wasn’t untill I fell over in his office he sent me to neuro. I kept asking about my b12, he kept saying fine, but had done the wrong test. B12 requires a serum B12 test alone. I was in the DANGER ZONE and required immediate regime of shots..possibly some of neurological damage would heal, The neurologist was the one who told him to check that, and also do tests to rule out cancer for my continued weight loss that he kept dismissing. Remember? I am a mental health case, that he doesn’t realize is also very bright. I am not my DIAGNOSIS! So I just came back fm my 3rd emergency scan after a CT scan found 2 growths in my pelvis. One on my ovary and another on pelvic bone. A post menopausal woman does NOT get cysts on her overies..unless adding the pelvic bone. I just hope these scans didn’t find anything outside. This is an important lesson to EVERYONE! We MUST be our own advocate, Unfortunately I have no pain..so accepted the B12 as being it. but they don’t know which comes first..the chicken or the egg. I’ll keep u posted..’maybe’ it is all in my head..not just mine tho. I had those scans and tests done w/in a day..sometimes takes 6mo – a year wait !! :-/
Lucy ..Isn’t it amazing you posted this today Natasha?? Exactly what I was steaming about Lol
Natasha, once again you nailed it, I suffer from a lifetime of pain and it works hand in glove with my late in life BPD diagnosis. A couple of weeks ago I was stopped at a red light and was rear-ended by a vehicle going 45mph. My head to toe arthritic pain is exacerbated exponentially. I am having to get an attorney because my diagnosis is all ready an issue with the ER and my primary care physician. Thank you for your previous blog about being accountable and rational about a BP diagnosis. That advice has helped me to stay out of mania and anger and even depression. I am self aware this time that this pain is all physical.
Cyndee, Just wanted to point out that since bipolar IS a physical issue that manifests as a mental illness doesn’t mean there aren’t also other physical issues related to it. Specifically, bipolar symptoms are thought to be caused by inflammation in parts of the brain – so are migraines and seizures. In fact, many of the bipolar meds are anti-seizure meds which also help with preventing migraines and seizures. Clearly your issues are related. Also, studies have shown that those with depression actually feel more pain than those who don’t have depression. Makes sense when you know that part of depression is a lack of dopamine or at least an inability of the brain receptors to react to the dopamine production. So Natasha is exactly right…. there are many other physical issues that are co-morbid with bipolar. However, doctors are now beginning to understand it’s not a matter of it being ‘in your head’ but an actual physical reason why those with depression and bipolar have these other physical issues, and there’s often more pain with them because of the same physical issues that cause the depression. It’s not so strange as you think that when you are properly dealing with bipolar, you are also properly dealing with the migraines and seizures. Congrats are your success in dealing with your bipolar, migraines, etc. Any one of those issues can be awful. Having all of them is just unfair. Good for you that you have found some resolution!
Yes, yes, 1000 times yes! It’s not restricted to bipolar though, any mental health diagnosis on your chart anywhere and you have to be prepared to fight to convince many doctors about things that nobody else would have to even justify.
I have heard other people with bipolar disorder complain about this same thing, but must confess my pdoc isn’t prone to blame bipolar for other ailments. The only time he has cautiously blamed it (wrongly) was when I got a rash from an antipsychotic. I was personally bound and determined not to blame it so I saw a dermatologist who confirmed that the rash had NOTHING to do with bipolar disorder medications. I ended up using a cream for about a week and it went away and then continued the antipsychotic again. [Note: It is better safe than not to follow your pdoc’s advice on stopping medications because of rashes. SJS is serious stuff.]
I have scratched my own head about the strange onset of “other” maladies after the worst of my bipolar struck. Especially in terms of other brain issues. For example, I never had migraines before the worst of my bipolar struck. Then suddenly they started, and for a while they were very bad. And then at a point it was suspected that I had epilepsy (Simple Partial seizures with no convulsions). Again, only after the worst of my bipolar struck. Then other weird occurrences, which I sort of self-diagnosed as depersonalization and derealization and both my pdoc and tdoc confirmed was likely the case. Luckily now I have had a break from all of this. I’m not quite sure why everything has subsided. My bipolar has eased up significantly too.
At one point I even was told I was an alcoholic, but after years of believing it it turned out not to be the case. I certainly self-medicated during the worst of my bipolar, but never reached full fledged alcoholism. [Note: I know some people legitimately do have this dual diagnosis. It is just in my case I didn’t. I can now drink very small amounts with no problem. I choose to drink very very little, because that’s the smart thing to do for people with bipolar disorder on medications.] Anyway, it was difficult for a while having all of these diagnoses thrown at me. Very. But again, I don’t think my pdoc ever thought bipolar disorder was the cause. I have no idea what the causes were. But yes, they did all strangely ease as my bipolar eased.