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Bipolar Disorder/Just out of curiosity

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Expert: - 7/29/2010


Question
Hello,
I have been diagnosed with Bi polar II and have been put on 1000mg of sodium valproate, this isn't the main issue as I have done my homework on the drug. My question is actually, what would happen if I wasn't REALLY bi polar? like, it was a misdiagnosis or something.. or really im just a fuck up... or i dont know.. what would happen to me? would it just make me dull? I don't really know :S

thankyou

Answer
Hi Charlotte . . .

Valproate is usually prescribed for people with a seizure disorder or a mood disorder. If you had neither and took it . . . especially a small dose such as 1,000 mg a day,. little is likely to happen. That dose seldom dulls one's cognitive functioning, and while it can be somewhat sedating initially, the sedating effects usually wear off after a couple of weeks.

If you suspect that you have been incorrectly diagnosed or treated you should seek a second opinion from an expert psychiatrist.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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