Mania and Hypersexuality

[SilentRage]

I had recently posted a question about Mania and Hypersexuality on here but no one really responded. Am i the only one who suffers with this symptom which i dont think that is true. Those who do suffer with this how are you able to control your urges. I keep myself locked up in my room just so i dont do anything stupid or crazy its like i become very promiscious and then i feel dirty afterward with full of regret. I hate men with a passon. the reason for this was explain in a previous post.  and this is around the time it really seems to get worst, and so is my migraines and all the other symptoms i have right now. The heat from the warm weather and my hot flashes isnt helping anything. do any of you have any suggestions?

[Bear13]

I definitely think that hypersexuality is an "indicator", at least for me, of the onset of a manic phase.  I went manic back in October of 2007, and stayed that way through March of 2008, when I finally realized that something was definitely WRONG.  I was extremely hypersexual, and had several partners.  Of course, this did not end well for me, but when I realized what was happening, I immediately told my pdoc, and we added a mood stabilizer to the mix of medications.  Given the results of that period of my life, I am extremely wary of sex now....  I find that when I have the urge, masturbation works well, but doesn't exactly fill the need to be touched by someone else, even if they didn't mean anything to me anyway......I find it hard to reconcile, quite honestly.  I can't get over the feeling that I'm loose, or easy....it puts a damper on the sexual urges for sure, but at the same time, being celibate is a different route for me, and it working...thank god, no serious health problems have resulted, because as I said, I was definitely not careful, didn't use protection.  Ended up being tested for every STD known to man, just to reassure myself that I didn't catch anything, which, thankfully, I did not.  It's scary to look back on that time now, because I could have very easily been hurt.....  So, no, it's not unusual, but it can be problematic, especially if certain precautions are not taken....

[BeeKeeper]

I recently posted this samw question here because I'm really struggling as well...even with mood stabalizers (Lamictal).  I guess we just need to keep playing with the right amount.

One thing I wanted to mention that I thought was interesting was from one of the pdocs.  She said that ther is a relatively easy way to destinguish between sexual addiction and hypersexuality.  She said sexual addiction is when it is always on your mind in some for or fashion...the desire is just always there.  Hypersexuality occurs only when you are in a mania or depressed state.

[ILADVOCATE]

  Well it has a fairly strong side effect profile but each person reacts differently to each medication. Lithium, Depakoate and Lamictal are the mainstay of psychiatric treatment. Some of the lesser used mood stabilizers (Keppra, Trileptal) can cause personality alterations for some people and some that are hardly used at all such as Clonidine have a high risk of that (all this from personal experience as well). But there are also promising new experimental mood stabilizers that since they are approved medications but used off label might well have promising results (such as Lovaza which is an anti-cholesterol medication which is basically a synthetic version of fish oil). Lamictal has a relatively "clean" profile as regards cognitive confusion and sexual side effects.
  As for the next generation antipsychotics in development the glutamate antagonists given that they do not cause prolactin elevation they would be likely not to cause sexual side effects for anyone (and so far not in the studies). I know glycine does not cause any sexual side effects for me and that I am recovering well from chronic prostatitis (in treatment with saw palmetto) and don't have repeat urinary tract infections as I did before, from the past use of anti-cholinergics that were neccessary. So it seems promising with new mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics in development that sexual side effects will be a thing of the past.

[SilentRage]

All I know Depakote is the worst medication ever.

[ILADVOCATE]

Well as for Lithium and Depakoate I'll take a quote from my psychopharmocologist that comes from clinically accurate sources "Lamictal is the least likely out of the mood stabilizers to cause cognitive confusion". Of course people have occassionally run into that but I didn't. The same as regards sexual side effects and it didn't cause sexual side effects for me. I was getting them at the time but that was because of the antipsychotics I was on which do cause those, although the atypicals clearly much less than the typicals (Haldol and the older ones were heavily likely to cause prolactin elevation which resulted in a decreased libido, the atypicals from Risperdal onwards far less so) to cause that. You are on Lithium and Depakoate together and although its a highly effective combination, with both together if you are experiencing decreased libido and some cognitive side effects that's not surprising.
   As for Lamictal sure its worth asking about and I don't see why your psychiatrist wouldn't try it but because of the slow titration rate by FDA regulations it would have to be raised at the rate of 25 mg. per week and 150 mg. is the starting effective dose so it would take at least a month and half and probably more before it could reach a targeted effective dose. Then your psychiatrist would gradually titrate you off the other medications. So if he does agree for you to go on Lamictal that's how it will occur and you will feel slogged from all the medications together as I did but at the end you may get a better side effect profile overall. Certainly worth asking about as unlike when I started it in 1998, Lamictal is now FDA approved as a first line mood stabilizer in the U.S.

[LeftCoastChick]

My pdoc was concerned about my impulsivity earlier in treatment, because I've dated 4 women since last January. I told her, look I haven't dated in over 2 years, so I was enjoying myself, and it wasn't except one, casual sex. I told her I wasn't getting any younger ;)  I miss the company of women, so I told her it didn't all have to do with sex. My best friend is even concerned, and said that I shouldn't date until I'm totally stable, geez, that could be a decade! But then a couple of women who've been interested in me, changed their minds when I told them I was BP. Since I've been off SSRI's I actually have a libido, I feel more alive then I have in 15 yrs in that respect. Being single I would be a bit more erm sexual, I'm always very safe and discerning with whom I sleep with. (these days, my 20's were a different story)