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sahra50
sahra50 Community member Posts: 13 Listener
I recently had a telephone consultation with a Psychiatrist, an as a result of that have been prescribed Lamotrigine. This referral was from the request of my GP for bipolar. The Psychiatrist prescribed this medication but made a point of saying he wasn't diagnosing me with bipolar. I don't understand, why prescribe medication for the symtoms. Would this be done if I had symptoms and signs of something like arthritis?

Comments

  • poppy123456
    poppy123456 Community member Posts: 53,321 Disability Gamechanger
    HI,

    You won't just have a diagnosis of any condition just by a telephone consultation. There's a process you need to go through before a diagnosis can be made and with bipolar, they would need to rule out other things first but the process can take quite sometime. There's no specific test for bipolar.

    The medication you've been given is good for those with depression as well as bipolar. At higher doses it's also used to treat epilepsy.

    May i ask what you were expecting from this telephone consultation? If you have any concerns then you should go back to your GP and speak to them.
    I would appreciate it if members wouldn't tag me please. I have all notifcations turned off and wouldn't want a member thinking i'm being rude by not replying.
    If i see a question that i know the answer to i will try my best to help.
  • cupcake88
    cupcake88 Posts: 1,273 Pioneering
    Hi there @sahra50 I just googled your meds as hadn’t heard of them it says it’s for people with epilepsy and bipolar . 

    I was diagnosed with anxiety , ocd and ptsd psychosis. I’m perscribed sertraline and quatiapine now if you google sertraline it was say it’s a Anti depressant but is good for ocd and ptsd regarding quatiapine if you google it it will says for people with bi polar and schizophrenia But because pychosis and anxiety is a symtom That people with schizophrenia have I’m prescribed it . Hope that makes sense . 

    If that medication doesn’t work they prescribe you with some thing else I have a friend who has bi polar she was put on a medication called lithium but it made her really poorly so she’s on a anti pychotic like my self . It also depends on your symptoms .  

    It  Can take along time to actually Get diagnosed for mental illnesses how is the medication helping you ? Are you feeling better 
  • cupcake88
    cupcake88 Posts: 1,273 Pioneering
    I also wanted to add that all of my medication reviews by my psychiatrist have been over the phone . When I was diagnosed it was before COVID and when you could have a face to face consol . I Think seeing a psychiatrist is better face to face so they can see you and you react to certain things rather than a telephone consoles . That’s just from my experience.

    but just like poppy said it takes time to be diagnosed . 
  • sahra50
    sahra50 Community member Posts: 13 Listener
    Sorry I don't know how to respond individually..how can I do that please?
  • sahra50
    sahra50 Community member Posts: 13 Listener
    I was with my GP and then was passed to healthy minds, then back to my GP an then a referral was made to to a Psychiatrist, I had an an assessment over the phone an a further assessment via a Psychiatrist. I just wanted clarity. I've been very very high or very very low. It's  very extreme. I just wanted to understand if there is a name or a reason I'm like this or if I'm just very odd or indifferent to everyone else 
  • Cher_Alumni
    Cher_Alumni Scope alumni Posts: 5,741 Disability Gamechanger
    sahra50 said:
    Sorry I don't know how to respond individually..how can I do that please?

    Hello there - to respond to people individually enter the @ symbol and then, with no space in-between, start typing a member's username.  From there you should be able to click a users name and reply to them directly.  I hope that makes sense :smile: 

    I hope your moods begin to stabilise soon and that our members replies offer you some comfort.

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  • Tori_Scope
    Tori_Scope Scope Posts: 12,488 Disability Gamechanger
     I've been very very high or very very low. It's  very extreme. I just wanted to understand if there is a name or a reason I'm like this or if I'm just very odd or indifferent to everyone else 
    This could be symptomatic of bipolar disorder @sahra50, but none of us are in any position to diagnose you. As the others have said, it can take a little while to go through the process of getting an official diagnosis. If you're unsure, I'd definitely recommend getting in touch with your GP or psychiatrist to ask about what your next steps might be. 

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