mania and dopamine

[adel_ezz]

Hi

I wonder since you are all learned in BP , whether it is the dopamine or the seretonine or both that are responsible for mania.

Why I am asking this is that I was manic twice under a tricyclic antidepressant (anafranil which acts upon seretonin and dopamine and epinif..). I am worried that sometimes I feel depressed even under my mood stabilizer. So I fear to use this antidepressant again. But if the dopamine is the only agent in mania, then to lift me up I can use AD that are SSRI only.

Tell me your view pls
ezz

[mamaruns]

I do know that taking an antidepressant without a mood stabilizer can cause mania, also I take Mirapex (a dopamine drug) to help treat my fibro and I'm under "special watch" because the dopamine meds can cause mania even in people that aren't bipolar.  My husband was taking Mirapex as well for his fibro and he had to stop because it made him feel manic, and he's not bipolar.  So I can't speak for the seratonin, but the dopamine can definitely make someone manic.

[shortcircuited]

Epinephrine is a major upper all on it's own.

Prozac can trigger mania, and it works on serotonin.

All anti-depressants are activating, but combining these things (and others) may make it more likely to over-activate you.

[adel_ezz]

Thank you very much for your clarification you and  shortcircuited.

You said however that your husband felt manic using AD yet he isn't bipolar. This issue I want to settle once and for all. They say that "normal people" under AD don't get mania. So if you get it it means you have been all along bipolar and AD uncovered it but it didn't turn you into one.

Now what you say is that one can turn manic under AD without being bipolar. If this is true then I am not bipolar because I turned manic under tricyclic AD. However perhaps the names aren't important. Now I take tegretol to prevent a manic recurrence. So I presume you can't tell whether your husband is BP or not. What do do you think?
ezz

[Jikan]

Namaste,

Serotonin and dopamine are both related to most psycholgical disorders such as bipolar disorder.

You didn't mention whether you were taking a mood stabilizer to counteract the manic symptoms that can be triggered by an anti-depressant.

If you are bipolar, any anti-depressant is capable of initiating a manic stage.

You need to speak with your provider in detail about your concerns and symptoms.

Michael

[mamaruns]

Actually my husband does take ADs (Paxil) but that doesn't make him manic, it was the Mirapex that made him manic, which is not an AD but is rather being used off label to treat fibromyalgia.  The ADs themselves don't make him manic.  Hope that clarifies things a little bit more!