To CrazyBeautiful1

[chayamalka]

I am hypomanic and sometimes depressed. Hypomanic means a little manic, just talking too much and skipping subjects, not doing anything outrageous. I am on an antipsychotic called geodon. The docs usually give bipolar pts antipsychotics, like resperadol, seroquel, zyprexa(ng), or geodon, or abilify. It depends on which one fits for your condition. Your ADD may be just when you are manic. Antidepressants can make a bipolar person manic after awhile. My daughter(42) has suffered from depression for a long time and is on lexapro. But sometimes she talks nonstop and gets irritable and angry( still single and upset about that). She blames it on PMS. But I fear she is turning bipolar. It runs in the family. I read somewhere is the patient gets enough depressed situations over the years it can turn into manic depression. I know you feel there is a stigma with bipolar. And you feel embarrassed. But try to go to places where people with mental illness hang out. Like a psychosocial clubhouse. You may feel better with people who have it too. Oh, and my brother was on lithium for about 30 years. He was ok with it. You have to take a blood test regularly to make sure it is not affecting your kidneys and you have to eat salt. The is also depakote for a mood swing stabilizer. You have to take a blood test for that one too. I am telling you all this from my experience. I have anxiety too and PTSD. When I get manic I also talk about the traumatic things that happened to me. That's when I know I am getting manic, so I talk to doc about upping my geodon. When I get mellow I talk to the doc about lowering my meds. When I get too depressed(usually when my heart condt acts up) I ask the doc for Wellbutrin. It is the only antidepressant that gets me outta the depression quickly and after 2 weeks I get a little hyper and then the doc tells me to stop it. Then I am ok. That's how I manage my bipolar. I don't know what bipolar 2 is. But get a proper diagnosis first. Then get the proper meds for it and you will be ok. Most people don't even know I have a psych condition because I stay on my meds and inform the doc and my therapist of my moodswings. So good luck and I hope you get the proper care for your condition.

[CrzyBeautiful1]

Xila, that is EXACTLY how I feel when I'm that way. So that is also part of the manic phase? I always thought the manic phase was extreme happiness. No wonder I've went this long denying to all my docs that there is no way on earth I was bipolar. I'm in those moods all the time! I dread waking up, not knowing what kind of mood I'm going to be in that day.

[Xila31]

I get really irritable, frustrated, snappy, angry, unable to relax, and I just feel completely not at ease. I feel like I am racing on the inside. I have these even when my body is exhausted. I have trouble focusing. For example, if a news article is more than 1-2 paragraphs long, I can't read the whole thing. I get agitated and I can't pay attention that long. I can't concentrate on long conversations, either. I become a terrible speller.

[CrzyBeautiful1]

Thank you so much for the very helpful post. I have taken Depakote and Seroquel before. The seroquel was prescribed for my insomnia and depakote for my migraines. I didn't take the depakote long enough though. I'm still a little confused on the hypomanic phases because I'm not sure when I'm in one. I do get to where I'm very talkative and won't shut up. My family sometimes teases me about it, asking me if I ever stop to take a breath, but when I'm in that mood I like it! I have chronic fatigue from my hypothyroid problem, so when I'm really "up", I take advantage of it to get stuff done. I do have a question though...When I'm in the mood that I call my "crazy psycho mode", is that part of the manic phase? I am the most impatient person I know and I'm very irritable. I snap if someone's tone is off when talking to me. I hate hate HATE it when I'm like this, but I cannot help it.