Lamictal/Bi-Polar question...?!

Lamictal/Bi-Polar question...?

I was recently taken off Wellbutrin due to horrible side effects and the worsening of my depression. I have been reading up on why this happens and I was wondering if anyone had an answer for this one. I was reading that if you are taking an anti-depressant and your symptoms get worse from the medication it can be called Bi-Polar #4. Now, my psychiatrist says that she believes that I am Bi-Polar, my psychologist believes that my psychiatrist is nuts and that I have major depressive disorder and severe anxiety/post traumatic stress disorder that can be relieved through exercise, ativan and self-help books and new age thinking (yay). So, my question is, with both of those opinions in mind. Can you GET Bi-polar disorder from anti-depressants (e.g. Bi-polar #4) or are you Bi-Polar in the first place? Thanks!

Anti-depressants do not cause Bipolar Disorder, they can however precipitate a mania in someone who is predisposed even if you have never had a manic episode previously. Often times when this occurs in a person with a history of only Depression, the diagnosis is changed to reflect the presence of an underlying Bipolar Disorder. The concomitant use of a mood stabilizer, like lamictal, decreases the risk of a medication-induced mania when anti-depressants are necessary to treat the depressive symptoms.
You mentioned that your depression worsened when on Wellbutrin, but you didn't say that it precipitated a manic or mixed episode, so I am unclear what symptoms were exacerbated. The Bipolar diagnosis would make more sense if you had a manic or mixed episode, or if there was a family history of the disorder, but lacking either I would be suspicious of the diagnosis. Bipolar is extremely overdiagnosed, especially by psychiatrists, as it tends to respond well to medication. It is often confused with PTSD if the hyperarousal is misinterpreted as mania and anxiety is not a distinguishing feature of either as it tends to accompany both disorders. It's impossible to give a diagnostic impression without a complete history, but lamictal could well help treat symptoms of either Bipolar or PTSD, and it is unlikely to cause any harm either way, so it wouldn't hurt to try it.