Sex drive....

I was wondering if anyone else Bipolar has an increased sex drive when manic/hypomanic.  This past episode (currently hypomanic), was the first time I have ever experienced this.  I get to the point where sex is all I can think about.  I know that hypersexuality can be one of the symptoms of mania.  I have other symptoms, such as increased speed of thoughts, inability to concentrate, decreased need for sleep, euphoria, irritability, and anxiety just to name a few.

[ILADVOCATE]

Yes this is very common in bipolar. Many people experience it, myself included and I believe there are at least two other threads about it.

[Evelyn455]

what exactly causes the high sex drive in a person with bipolar?...and will this illness cause lying and cheating on a spouse?

[Xila31]

One of the symptoms of bipolar is poor judgement and risk taking. Sometimes this happens to be extramarital affairs. It can also be drug and alcohol problems, or spending or gambling excess amounts of money. Also things like randomly quitting jobs, dropping out of school, etc. Bipolar can really tear up a life if it is going untreated and the person is having sever manic and depressive episodes. Judgement just goes out the door as the person is trapped on their own personal hellbound rollercoaster.

In my own past I have quit many jobs and dropped out of college,  and missed important life opportunities all due to being in an episode. These moves appeared logical at the time, and often I even thought about doing it for weeks or even months. But, a lot of times they were split second decisions. People just thought that I was horribly irresponsible and didn't care. The truth was, I was breaking under pressure during untreated episodes.

Hope that helps.

[MaDonna42]

I also suffer from this because of BP. All of a sudden all of I could think of was sex. I was also doing things I had never done before. I have to fight these urges every day. It is really hard since the doctor has not found a medication that works for me yet.

[wj74]

Yep. Me too.

[rogelio63]

Me three,,,

[blacksoul004]

yes i can deff relate to that. sometimes it feels like i want it more then my partner n i am a woman! lol. there have even been moments were im begging for it more often then usual. at times my sex drive goes up to about 2 or more times a day... if the other can keep up lol. and believe it or not, it has caused some problems.

Heidi

[MaDonna42]

I can relate to the 'being a woman' part. And yes, it can cause problems. I have been married for almost 24 years and I am still a very young woman. I got married when I was just a baby! lol....  The problems arise when other guys show me attention, I guess you can call it that, and I like it. That is one of my biggest problems with being BP. This is an urge that I continue to fight!  I just try to avoid any situations that might lead me to do anything I might regret. I have found there are ways to pleasure yourself and maybe this will help you some?? But, if I may, I do want to give you just one word of advice from let's just say, someone "older" who relates to you.. Be Safe out there girl.... God Bless