20 replies to this topic

[ManWitPlan]

I don't want to have to keep taking benzos as soon as the sun goes down but I just feel like complete crap every day during the evening time. The funny part it almost feels shocking that it happens because I feel amazing during the morning hours. I'm on invega which is suppose to keep a steady dose all throughout the day so I don't know if more medication would do the trick or even be worth trying.

I do get more tired as the day goes on but who doesn't. The only difference is I feel like complete crap during the night hours. I'm not sure if this is just psychological or biological but can anyone relate to this? Is this something I have to just put up with? The change happens so quickly that by the time it happens I don't know what hit me.

This has been going on since being "becoming" bipolar 7 years ago. It is sort of a lonely miserable feeling.

[crtclms]

I almost want to say it sounds like sundowning syndrome, but I am pretty sure you do not have age onset dementia. Has the evening always been a difficult time for you, or is this something new?

Mornings for me consistently suck, even when I am not having migraines. I wake up achey and sick to my stomach, and have some non-migraine level head pain, even on days I will otherwise be headache free. I have always assumed that was my unfortunate personal circadian rhythm, which granted is out of whack from being bipolar.

My dad says that MI people do tend to have good times and bad times of day, and that it varies from person to person as to what time of day it is, but it is generally consistent for that person. I get better in the evenings.

Edited by crtclms, 15 August 2012 - 10:39 PM.

[koali777]

I so understand...I feel awesome every morning, even if I'm not perfect. Once it starts to be dusky, I get paranoid, or apathetic, or depressed, or bored and hopeless. I read about a syndrome that is similar but it had been a part of dementia or something (don't quote me on this, I have no link to post). You may be tired, or just not like the dark even if it's subconscious. I feel the same way on super dark and cloudy days so for me I think it has to do with the sun.

Haha...PS...I didn't read the other reply but maybe I was onto something because they talked about the sundowner's syndrome first I'm very sorry that you have to suffer though.

[Closure]

That sounds somewhat like the ultradian cycling I used to get, in that you have a period in which you feel really good and another period in which you feel really bad each day (and not just variation in severity of symptoms over the course of the day). There would be one part of the day where I would be hypomanic, with usually a slow onset, and another part of the day where I would be crushingly depressed, with usually a rapid onset. During one period I tended to get my hypomania during the day and early evening, and then would crash hard a bit later on in the evening; during another period I tended to crash into being very depressed late at night, and would remain that way through the morning, gradually lifting in mood until I became hypomanic in the early evening.

[melissaw72]

I'm the complete opposite, I love my nights. When the sun goes down my stress goes down.

[Odetta]

I used to get anxious at night. Then I switched to taking my lamictal at night with the geodon and trazadone, and the anxiety has went away. It didn't even move to another part of the day. Maybe it's just coincidence, but I'm not looking a gift horse in the mouth.

[ManWitPlan]

I almost want to say it sounds like sundowning syndrome, but I am pretty sure you do not have age onset dementia. Has the evening always been a difficult time for you, or is this something new?

Mornings for me consistently suck, even when I am not having migraines. I wake up achey and sick to my stomach, and have some non-migraine level head pain, even on days I will otherwise be headache free. I have always assumed that was my unfortunate personal circadian rhythm, which granted is out of whack from being bipolar.

My dad says that MI people do tend to have good times and bad times of day, and that it varies from person to person as to what time of day it is, but it is generally consistent for that person. I get better in the evenings.

Well if we are talking about if this has happened my whole life then no. During my childhood/before i got diagnosed. I use to love staying up late. I would stay up late play video games till the next school morning. Then once the bipolar onset came I began to hate the night time. And its been like this ever since.

[CarpeDiemBananaBreath]

Interesting to know that I am not the only one that goes thru this. I am not consistent though. There are some evenings when I am ok as well so I don't think that follows the circadian rhythm theory. Well just wanted to say you aren't alone, sounds like something possibly consistent with bipolar. Would be a good idea to put a poll in the depression group as well as the anxiety if you are up to it.

[gizmo]

I start to get feelings of restlessness, agitation, and anxiety at night, starting around 7 pm. I basically have to force myself to stay up until its time to go to bed - which lately, has been around 9 pm.

I never used to be like this. I used to be a night owl. But I think it's just a symptom of my mood episode right now.

[thesystemisdown]

I prefer night, or early morning, as well.
Horrible sun!

[Sweets]

deleted

Edited by Sweets, 28 November 2012 - 05:55 PM.

[YetAgain]

I can relate. With me, it's totally psychological. I love mornings. The earlier, the better. Morning means the start of a fresh, new day. Full of promise. Evening means the day is pretty much over, and whatever I did, or didn't, do is over and done with.

[crtclms]

Interesting that so many of you do better in the morning, I would have thought it would be distributed more evenly. Maybe I am talking about a different phenomena, I'll have to ask my dad.

Some of the old school anti-depressants have a side effect of early rising, but I don't think it is enjoyable from what I have heard.

ManwitPlan, if you feel it is a big change in your behavior or daily routine, it is worth asking your pdoc what could have caused it. I would be prepared for him to have no answer (just in case), but I would still ask.

[melissaw72]

I can relate. With me, it's totally psychological. I love mornings. The earlier, the better. Morning means the start of a fresh, new day. Full of promise. Evening means the day is pretty much over, and whatever I did, or didn't, do is over and done with.

For me, it seems like my day is just beginning as the day gets later and later. I hate getting through the day (daytime). Especially the mornings. I HATE after like 6 or 7 AM. I like between 1-2 PM because good TV is on, but other than that I try to sleep early evening so I can be up at night.

[humanoid]

It goes either way for me with nighttime (could be really down or really up) but mornings are never that great for me and I'm generally not awake for most of the day. I just prefer to be most awake when it's dark out. It's pretty weird, though...I never know if I'm going to feel terribly depressed and start sobbing or really hyper and ridiculous (everything is so funny when it's 4 in the morning!)

My schedule is terrible and I wish I had a more normal routine, but this is the way it's been for a while. Blah.

[koakua]

I definitely get depressed and anxious almost always in the evenings. I'm not sure why. Maybe because I'm not as busy, but I can also get especially anxious after the time when it gets too late to call someone without feeling like you'll wake them up... It makes me feel trapped. I think the darkness can make me feel lonely. I can fight off depression and anxiety for most of the day but by night time my thoughts have caught up with me.

Also, sometimes I have this feeling of almost being afraid of the dark, or like the darkness/shadows are an ominous force... I'm not sure if that is a side effect of risperdal or if that is part of being sza.

[Likeabowlof0ranges]

I have that sometimes. I haven't figured out what it is or how to stop it. I really like the middle of the day like 12, that is the best time for me. I also like early mornings if I'm not depressed. I do badly with the cold when I'm depressed ha. But night times have always sucked for me, my mum said I used to get anxious for as long as she can remember as soon as it is dark out. I think my thing is more an anxiety issue. So many bad things can happen at night and you won't know about it until tomorrow morning.

[VioletB]

Far and away, the worst time of day for me is from 3-5 or 4-6 PM. It´s probably the time of day when I most notice that I haven´t gotten done as much as I´d hoped, which makes me miserable. On the meds I don´t notice that much anymore, but it's the time of day when I'm likely to nap out of depression rather than being tired. It's been this way for years.

I´m sorry you struggle so much with nighttime!

[sylvan]

I wander through my mornings. Everyone at work knows that if you want an answer from me, wait until after lunch. I hate mornings. Always have. One time I had a job where we had to keep track of how many forms we did during the day. My count right before lunch was always very much lower than everyone else. Then, after lunch, I'd pass everyone and usually end up having more than everyone else. This really showed me that I'm not a morning person.

I'm not real crazy about evenings either. Actually, I don't really wake up until around 8pm. Between 6pm and 8pm, I can barely keep my eyes open. But come 9pm, I'm ready to go. I usually end up staying up until about 2am. I try to go to bed earlier but I can't seem to do it. I'm wide awake.

[Kodos]

Diurnal mood variation:
http://neuroskeptic....e-to-laugh.html
http://www.beyondblu...link_id=89.1196