John M. Grohol, Psy.D., CEO & Publisher of PsychCentral.com, generously offered us our own space on Psych Central to blog about topics of interest to those in the bipolar community – people with bipolar disorder and their loved ones, physicians, psychiatrists, therapists, and anyone else who’s interested in learning more about bipolar disorder. Although we’ve been hosting our own Bipolar Blog for over a year now, we jumped at the opportunity to gain additional exposure, share our knowledge and insights with more people, and listen to what you have to say.
Over the coming weeks and months and hopefully years, we will be posting news, information, and advice about the diagnosis and treatment of and how to live well with bipolar disorder. We will introduce you to the latest news, studies, and breakthroughs; offer tips on how to identify your stressors and triggers (and get them under control); offer strategies for maximizing the potential benefits and managing the potential side effects of the many medications used to treat bipolar disorder; and show you how to team up with your doctors and members of your support group for more effective mood stabilization.
Although we will provide you the information we think is most helpful, we appreciate any feedback you can offer. If you have a nagging question that nobody’s been able to answer or a topic you would like to see us address, please post it on our Ask a Question page. Of course, we can’t diagnose or recommend a specific treatment plan over the Internet, and we may not be able to answer every single question, but this will provide us with valuable guidance for choosing topics to write about.
We look forward to sharing our blog and our bipolar journey with you. To find out more about who we are, visit the About Us page.
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On behalf of the entire Psych Central community, I’d like to welcome you to the site! I’m looking forward to your future entries.
Congratulations on your new site, looks great.
I’ve been trying to get some info, to no avail, on the combination of Lamictal (titrating up to 100) and Cymbalta (60 mg). Do you have an comments?
In your experience, guessing, or on stats, on average, how many years do patients/clients tend to be misdiagnosed or not diagnosed before appropriate treatment/help with Bi-Polar I or II?
Thank you,
Bug.
Hi Kathryn -
Thanks for checking out the blog! I am glad that you like the site.
In terms of Cymbalta (duloxetine) and Lamictal (lamotrigine) there are no specific reported negative effects to such a combination. Of course, everyone is different and there may be other medications or factors involved when judging risks, but all on their own they do not contraindicate one another. Many times Lamictal is added to antidepressants to boost the antidpressant effect and/or to reduce cycling frequency - of depressive and manic episodes.
I don’t know the most recent statistics on misdiagnosis - the numbers are fluid because of the shifting approach to diagnosis of bipolar disorder in adults and children. But there is a solid percentage of people who present and are diagnosed with major depression who will ultimately show symptoms of bipolar disorder. Many people report having spent several years between their initial symptoms and a correct diagnosis even when they are presenting with manic or hypomanic symtpoms. Doctors must be vigilant in taking symptom histories from people presenting with depression to try to avoid these difficulties.
Hope this helps!
Candida Fink MD
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