Manic?

Ok so I have been researching signs of mania.  How exactly do you know if mania is hitting?  How do you know when it is time to call the doctors.  I was so depressed before my diagnosis and have not truly known what my "normal" is EVER!  I have struggled with this illness for so very long - approximately 27 years.  Now three months after finally getting diagnosed I have been struggling with med management.  I am on 100 mg Lamictal and abilify.  since starting the abilify, I have been very exciteable.  I only sleep 4 to 6 hours a night for the last 2 weeks and that is only because my husband forces me to go to bed, I struggle to fall asleep for hours then finally crash and as soon as my eyes open while I roll over, I wake up.  I instantly have bursts of energy.  I cleaned my entire house and I talk super fast.  I can feel my blood rushing through my body and my heart racing.  I am suffering from slight tremors as well.  My family (husband and daughter who live with me) say I am hyper.  My mom whom I talk to daily says I am just finally happy.  My friends at work (one of which is bipolar and the other is an RN) told me I am manic and need to seek help.  I am unable to concentrate on any one thing for more than a few minutes.  I get sick when I eat and see sleep as a waste fo my time.  I have panic attacks just thinking about having to go to bed.  

Ok so now that I am writing all this, I think I may be manic.  What does everyone else think?  Am I just happy?  There are times when I can calm down during the day to concentrate, but not for too long.  I have learned to fake being ok for so long, I am unsure of my own feelings.  

Help!!!

[Bubulous]

Your just happy.....not.  You are manic.  Most of us enjoy it while it lasts and feed it because it is great to be out of depression.  I can't tell you whether it is time to go to the hospital or not.  I am also not sure you would listen as one of the symptoms of mania is an inflated ego.  What to look out for is...

If you are at work and you are talking more then you are working or getting wrote up, that is a red flag.
If you start hallucinating that is a red flag.
If you make life altering decision at the drop of a hat that is a red flag
I have seen mania so many times that I know when to get help.  If you aren't ready to go to the hospital yet, enjoy your mania.  However if you lose control go to the hospital and have them adjust your medicine to better stabilize you.  Long time since I talked to you....
Good Luck my friend and watch out for the manic depression that will inevitably follow the mania.  I promise you will need to be admitted if you haven't by then.

[freebird227]

My greatest concern with mania is I know what is right around the corner which in the downslide...never knowing how low I will go and how long will it last. I rapid cycle and for me that is a blessing. I don't stay anywhere long. I have been blessed with a rather stable Bi-Polar life since 2010.. some tweeking here and there but no major depression. I have recently had a med change because I changed Dr.s... I was not happy about it at all and normally I would have rejected it but he came so highly recommended I agreed..... Oh My Gosh....Between me having a healthy almost sugar free diet, no coffee...herbal tea. No alcohol or drugs as I am a recovering addict. Regular exercise.. reasonable bedtime and some form of Spritual meditation.....I am at my best ever..... For me, it can not be just about the meds...for me it is a life change with the proper medication that brings balance into my life........Take care of you... Bi-polar doesn't have to be unmanagable all the time.

[Bunkyburman]

I need to stay away from Caffeine - that is for sure.  I need it when I am depressed and crave it when I am manic.  I am trying to understand it all.  I slept the longest last night at 7 hours.  I have not done that in two weeks.  I think it is sheer exhaustion.  I am however truly enjoying this high.  I really like having the energy and the list of projects that I can accomplish.  After suffering from depression for over a year with no light in site, I am excited about how I feel.  I am very concerned about how low I will go.  What goes up must come down.

Thanks everyone for the support.  I have a psych appt this morning.  Let's hope this beautiful mind is not put to sleep!

[Bubulous]

You may rapid cycle after a while.  I can't tell because all of us cycle differently.  The depression could and probably will be severe but you can make it through it.  Time slows down when you are depressed, well I don't have to tell you anything about depression.  If you haven't fell into manic depression in a while I will give you some tips that I have figured out.  The manic depression will pass.  Sometimes after you make that switch and the mania is gone it in itself can cause depression.
Improving your concentration is important as you start coming down.  I was put on b12 when I fell back into rapid cycling and it seemed to help.  Having a routine helps too.  Wake up and take a shower, then sit down and journal about the day before if you have time I don't know what shift you work.  Vent to somebody but give them time to talk as well.  Work on thought stopping.  If you are going through a mixed state it is harder to catch and challenge the negative thoughts.  Obviously you can tell you are depressed but the last mixed state I was in, about a moth ago I felt all these emotions at the same time:
Fear, anger, love, and insecurity.
That is what make the depression so complicated and it is overwhelming.  I rapid cycle, and I always have for the most part.  Anyway if you figure out other says to come out of the depression let me, well everybody know how long it lasted and how you came out of it.  Knowledge is power.  In my case The depression, at least the manic depression can last anywhere from 3 hours to a day or two.  Good luck and try to catch it as early as possible.

Larry  

[TroubledGirl91]

Hiya. I have recently been diagnosed with mixed mood disporder so i know exactly how you feel. What you have described definitely sounds like mania and its hard because you never know when its about to start its just this overwhelming burst of excitement and energy and u cant control it at the time!!
I would definitely see a psychiatrist as doctors just done understand when u try and explain whats been happening they just say 'everyone gets highs and lows its normal' but this is not normal!!! After one session with a psychiatrist i had a diagnosis, lots of treatment options to choose from, if i have any question i just call him and he always takes my call and i started the right meds straight away.

Keep us updated i hope everything works out its a tough this to be going through.

[Bunkyburman]

So the Psych said I was manic and needed to get it under control.  She increased my abilify and gave me sleeping pills.  I did my first increase last night and since it takes a while to feel the effects, nothing has changed.  However the sleeping pills did help but now I feel drugged in the morning.  I hate that.  

So I can tell that I have moved into a mixed episode.  I am no longer euphoric, starting to feel agitated with my energy boosts.  The anger portion of coming down from mania is what worries me.  I also fear the depression.  I will be sure to let you all know how and when I get out of it once it starts.  Until then, I am enjoying the energy I still have.

Oh!  B12 - wonder pill.  I love it all the time.  It definetly works if you remember to take it!

[Bubulous]

Hang in there.  I hope this doesn't turn on you, but we both know that it likely will.  Yeah definitely keep us posted whether you are manic or depressed....and don't make that "typical" mistake we all do and come off your meds.  I don't think you will but it happens and I have done it more times than I can count.  

[Midijane]

Hi Bunk,

Glad you saw you psychiatrist and made med changes. I just saw mine and did the same. Im on my way up right now and feeling pretty good today. One thing I just dont get is how its possible to change moods so quickly. Ive read about the rapid cycling but Im just wondering... how much time do you typically spend in depression and in mania? Since starting the mood tracker, I bounce between the two every week. When I was taking Lamictal, Effexor, and Abilify I felt great for almost the entire summer. But I had to stop the Abilify bc it made me dizzy. Still adjusting other meds for now and havent found the right cocktail yet.

My doc suggested a sleeping aid also so I just started Melatonin last night. Had a decent nights sleep but was tired this am. I hope the anger/agitation doesnt upset you too much. I find guilt goes along with it.

Now go clean your house, run some errands, and cook a good meal for yourself with the extra energy you have :)

[Bunkyburman]

I am now feeling what I think is normal.  Still hav energy to complete tasks and with sleeping pills I am able to sleep 7 to 8 hours which is helping to settle me.  I hope I don't go down, staying like this is acceptable.  I have never been "normal"  I am wondering who that person is and how I will adapt.  I truly never thought I would be the bipolar person that wants to come off meds or wants to stay manic.  To be honest, when I was diagnosed I did not believe it.  I thought, well I don't really have manic episodes.  I will never forget my downs.  Well, was I shocked with this last episode to hear all that I have read coming out of my own mouth.  I did not want to come down from my high and almost did not take my meds.  I have completely forgotten what it feels like to be depressed and don't think I will ever get there again.  Boy I am classic bipolar.  Big spending sprees and euphoria hit hard this time.  My husband, coworkers and children advised me that I either needed to see the psych and get meds or be hospitalized.  Well, here is to taking meds and lets cross our fingers this does not dip the other way.  Until then,  hanging in there

[Bubulous]

Yeah if your still a little elevated, and that is about where I stay, you will most likely stay that way.  Your mind will sleep and help you balance out what you have seen and thought through the day.
When I was in treatment last year, after coming off of an addiction to pain pills, I went manic.  I started feeling like myself at the beginning of it then I started feeling pretty superior.  
I have some of the craziest behavior and I stay haven't been really manic in about three weeks and that was because of coming out of a pretty deep depression over a break up.  Without going in to too long of a story, I work and cycle a lot like you.  I can tell you what I have learned but I will send it to you a private message.  Give you something to read.

[schizofriendia]

Mania can involve a loss of insight into yourself so some people just aren't able to tell they are manic.

[Bubulous]

OK, I am going manic.  I should have or could have noticed it earlier but sometimes the signs are deceiving.  It started yesterday morning.  I woke up a little elevated but I have been a little elevated since I came out of the depression.  The reason I didn't notice it earlier was because it was the little things that were different, at first.  Everyday I wake up and go through a normal routine.  I take a shower first thing when I get up.  When I was in the depression, I just wanted to rinse off, get out, and get dressed.  I had to talk myself into every step of this.  I would say take your time and enjoy the shower, but I didn't.  I would say put your deodorant on and fix your hair but I either didn't really want to do it or I just didn't.  Then I sit down to write in my journal about the day before but rush though it and usually only write a paragraph and quit because I am just going through the motions.
Anyway without making this too long I will tell you about the difference today instead of what I think led up to it.  I woke up yesterday morning and took a long, hot shower.  I sang and wasn't in a hurry to get out.  While I was in there I noticed that I had about 6 bottles of body wash that barely had anything in them so I combined them into one bottle, this was a sign that the OCD was kicking in.  I got out, looked at myself in the mirror for a while, flexing, and grinning lol.  I put on my favorite clothes and fixed my hair.  I came out, grabbed my journal, and sit down to write in it.  I wrote two pages and I wrote neatly.  That is one of the biggest differences I notice between being depressed and Manic.  I write all the time and when I am depressed it is sloppy and rushed...that's what she said...lol.  When I am really elevated or manic my handwriting is perfect and it flows very well with more adjectives and passion.  The reason I didn't think anything about it was after that I kind of leveled out and felt "normal" or whatever....euthymic, perhaps.
Later on in the evening, I worked out, then 30 minutes later I worked out again, then I cleaned, then I took an air conditioner out of the window and cleaned it.  I started chain smoking and cigarettes taste much better when I am manic.  I tend to chain smoke because the seem to taste so much better.  It wasn't until about midnight that I really noticed the mania. Instead of getting tired all of a sudden I got this burst of energy.  My body started tingling then my head did. I say that it feels like I am sneezing.  It is a weird sensation but when it happens I have no doubt that I am manic.  As time progressed I got more and more energy.  I worked out again.  I finished a poem I had been working on for a month and started a new one that I will finish today, I have no doubt.  In between all of this I have been on and off here all night frantically scanning for someone to help.  
This one is hard to explain but I will try.  I am aware of every movement around me and am sensitive to every sound.  My reflexes are sharpened and I test them every chance I get.  Like instead of placing something somewhere I throw it to see if I can make it land where I would have placed it like pens, shoes, silverware in the sink, and so on.  I feel more awake right now then I did at midnight.  I can't lie, it feels good.  I don't really want to feed it but I have already lost control of it....oh well.
This is the short version of how I feel when I am manic.  I will keep you posted as this progresses, it could last for a while or go away in the next hour.  I did just start coming out of a deep depression about a month ago after the loss of a relationship that I had put a lot of love and faith in.  That is likely the reason for this.  I didn't stop taking or lower my dose of medicine.  This is just how I cycle.

[Bunkyburman]

you have explained me to a "T" - that is how I felt last week when I first started this thread!  Keep trying to contain it and take your meds.  I am a little more stable today, but the blood rushing so fast with tingles and the racing thoughts.  The colors look brighter and everything is great is hard to leave.  But you can do it!  Control.!