I'm living in a homeless shelter in New York City , & I have to be falsely diagnosed with Bipolar & take Depakote, just to get housing-a place to live. Isn't that messed up? I know I'm not Bipolar. & ever since being on depakote, I haven't been able to have a menstrual cycle.
2007-01-19 15:14:31 · 11 answers · asked by Anonymous in Health ➔ Mental Health
Find someone at the shelter or Legal Aid, or a case worker to explain your concerns to. My feeling is that there is a misunderstanding somewhere. I truly do not feel that there was an intentional effort to mistreat you. I would continue to take the medication and not conceal it as suggested. That is just plain ignorant advice. You are in a stressful situation and a mood stabilizer just might be helpful for right now, regardless if you are bipolar or not. I was really surprised how the first few answers assumed you were not legitimate. You sounded very sincere in what you wrote and anybody with half a brain could have figured that out. To assume you were "trolling" without giving you the benefit of the doubt shows a lot of immaturity and I hope that your feelings were not hurt by these brutal, insensitive people. Take care and find people that you can trust.
2007-01-19 17:04:02 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
Dapakote is a good general mood stabilizer and can be used alone or in combination with other meds. Someone mentioned Bipolar 2 and I can understand how an MD might choose Depakote with that diagnosis (dx).
Sometimes a mental health diagnosis speaks of "features" or "traits". Maybe your diagnosis is "features of bipolar" or "bipolar traits". So check specifically and you have the right to have that explained in a way that you understand.
The menstrual cycle is problematical. As suggested it may be a nutritional issue, stress related, etc. I have not heard that is a side effect of Depakote. I would assume if you thought you were anorexic you would have mentioned it. Should be checked out though.
BTW, you express yourself quite well. I hope the best for you.
2007-01-19 16:29:32 · answer #2 · answered by morahastits 4 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Wow, I really don't know where to beging here.
First off it is illegal for a dr to knownlingly give you a false diagnosis, then give you medication for it. And the dr doing so should be reported and have his or her lisence pulled.
Secondly, while depakote is a great drug for treating bi polar disorder, it can be very dangerous. Having been on it myself, I know that you have to have regular blood tests to make sure that the levels are safe, and it is not doing any harm to your body.
You really need to do some research, and get some serious legal help. Obviously if you have stopped menstrating something is going on. While that can be a "normal" side effect with certain medications, its not ok if you are taking the meds for a codition you don't have. You are putting your body at serious risk. I am not from new york, so I can't tell you exactly where to go. But I do know that all states offer no cost legal help to ppl in your situation. I would look into that. If all else fails, contact all the local media.
2007-01-19 15:24:40 · answer #3 · answered by evil_kandykid 5 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Well look on the bright side of no period for one thing, if you were given this diagnosis just so you'd have a place to live, why can't the shelter find you a permanent place to live such as an assisted living facility or apartment for mental health, the depakote is a mood stabilizer but not the main drug used for bipolar dz. Patients rights should entitled you to have a second opinion about your diagnosis . Good luck to you.
2007-01-19 15:29:40 · answer #4 · answered by rn71953 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Many homeless shelters have 'puters donated so the residents have access to e-mail, job searches, etc. So the ignorant twits who live in the suburbs and have no idea of reality ought to apologize to you.
Why do you say that you are falsely diagnosed? Depakote is a mood stabilitzer, and there is more than one kind of bipolar. The use of Depakote exclusively suggests Bipolar II ... that is biopolar without the mania. Bipolar II can be relatively mild and therefore can respond well to Depakote.
Have a talk with your MD or case worker if you have one.
2007-01-19 15:27:34 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 3⤊ 1⤋
It means that you have a chemical disorder of the brain. This is no different than a person with diabetes having a imbalance of the hormones that control insulin. While this is listed as an organically based "Mental Illness" in the DSM-IV-TR, do not confuse the condition with more stigmatizing terms as insanity and so on. There is a wide spectrum of bipolar conditions, how they present and how serious they are. From the sounds of it your doctor(s) are considering that you have Bipolar IV or Recurring bouts of depression with the possibility of a predisposition to Bipolar due to family genetic history. What does this mean? You may continue to experience only depression or eventually you may experience hypomania or mania. Just realize that either way, excellent therapies are available to keep the condition under control. Also, cases where remission or full recovery are becoming more common. The key is vigilance sticking to you therapy and reporting any changes to your doctor immediately, and the "belief" that you will overcome this or mind over matter.
2016-05-23 23:34:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think I would be grateful to whomever helped me get housing, and count my blessings. I have never heard of that. No menstrual cycle? Is that normal with depakote? It also is a symptom of poor nutrition and anorexia. Please keep healthy. Best wishes for your future.
2007-01-19 15:20:32 · answer #7 · answered by winkcat 7 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Depakote is a very dangerous drug, with very serious side effects, (research it yourself, do a www.google.com or a www.ask.com search on it). If I were you, and you cannot find another way to get housing, then I would pretend to take it, and instead keep it under your tounge, and find a way to safely spit it out and discard of it somewhere. These false diagnosis are a big medical racket, I've heard of it happening elsewhere besides New York City.
2007-01-19 15:25:24 · answer #8 · answered by lepooche 2 · 0⤊ 4⤋
Go back to your Dr. and tell him about it .your hormones may be chanching due to the meds. put don't know anything closer about those pills. hope every thing will get better for you. Cant you find work. or is it to hard to get from social assistant back on your feet. Good Luck
2007-01-19 15:26:07 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
No one's making you swallow those pills. What you're doing seems like an awful lot of trouble, to find a place to live. You should try doing what most other people do.... working and saving. That's a lot of trouble too, but it doesn't leave you with a medical record of having an undesirable mental health issue.
2007-01-19 15:21:23 · answer #10 · answered by IAINTELLEN 6 · 1⤊ 5⤋