Mania?

[Kris]

I'm not too familiar with mania, at least I don't think so.  I had some issues when I weaned myself off my AD in February.  I was okay for a while then I started in with these rage issues.  I was pissed off about every little thing.  So bad my kids started becoming concerned (I'm a very even keeled person).  I'm ready to crash my car into someone elses, old drivers especially, I'm snappy, hate everyone, etc.  I did get back onto an AD, Cymbalta.  I've been on it for about 5 months now.  Recently those rage feelings have been coming back, I am switching to another AD, but I'm concerned about what I'm actually experiencing.  Today I waas ready to withdraw from EVERYTHING and everyone.  Seriously.  Job, husband, kids, family, the whole thing.  Was ready to board a plane to who knows where and just stay.  Is this mania?  I mean what the hell?  KRis.

[ScatterBrain_UK]

To hazard a guess I'd say no. Some ADs can TRIGGER mania but I don't think I have ever heard of it being triggered by stopping antidepressants. Sounds more like depression (with agitation)?

[Bianca]

I'd like to know the answer to this as well.  I thought mania could be fun at times though.  I guess depending on how severe it is.  Yours seem pretty severe and definitely NOT fun.

I'm here for you Kris if you need me

Love, B

[emmalyn]

I'm not too familiar with mania, at least I don't think so.  I had some issues when I weaned myself off my AD in February.  I was okay for a while then I started in with these rage issues.  I was pissed off about every little thing.  So bad my kids started becoming concerned (I'm a very even keeled person).  I'm ready to crash my car into someone elses, old drivers especially, I'm snappy, hate everyone, etc.  I did get back onto an AD, Cymbalta.  I've been on it for about 5 months now.  Recently those rage feelings have been coming back, I am switching to another AD, but I'm concerned about what I'm actually experiencing.  Today I waas ready to withdraw from EVERYTHING and everyone.  Seriously.  Job, husband, kids, family, the whole thing.  Was ready to board a plane to who knows where and just stay.  Is this mania?  I mean what the hell?  KRis.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Hi Kris,

I don't know if that's mania. It doesn't really sound like it to me, but I'm a newbie. It sounds very unpleasant and I bet if you can see your pdoc about it they'd have a good suggestion about what to do. If the impulsivity gets worse make sure you are talking to someone about it.

*Hugs*

[Anne]

Oh Kris, I'm so sorry you're going through this.  I too have been through this at times and it is extremely unpleasant.  I don't know if it qualifies as mania or not, but my tdoc did say that aggitation is a form of bipolar disease; and Lord knows I've had a lot of that. I sometimes feel as if I have an electrical storm going on in my brain and I'm just so crabby and I want to kill everyone; I just hate it when I explode at the kids and everyone is afraid of me.

Talk to you pdoc or tdoc.......

I just know how miserable this is  

[jafco]

Hypomania is a state involving combinations of: elevated mood, irritability, racing thoughts, people-seeking, hypersexuality, grandiose thinking, religiosity, and pressured speech. Bipolar II Disorder is characterized by states of hypomania and depression.

Although the DSM-IV-TR classifies hypomania as a mood episode, it is only considered part of bipolar disorder in the context of cycles into depression or more severe mania. A small percentage of the population may experience hypomania without ever having experienced depression or mania. Although some of these people may require treatment or therapy, according to DSM criteria they do not have bipolar disorder.

[null0trooper]

I'm not too familiar with mania, at least I don't think so.  I had some issues when I weaned myself off my AD in February.  I was okay for a while then I started in with these rage issues.  I was pissed off about every little thing.  So bad my kids started becoming concerned (I'm a very even keeled person).  I'm ready to crash my car into someone elses, old drivers especially, I'm snappy, hate everyone, etc.  I did get back onto an AD, Cymbalta.  I've been on it for about 5 months now.  Recently those rage feelings have been coming back, I am switching to another AD, but I'm concerned about what I'm actually experiencing.  Today I waas ready to withdraw from EVERYTHING and everyone.  Seriously.  Job, husband, kids, family, the whole thing.  Was ready to board a plane to who knows where and just stay.  Is this mania?  I mean what the hell?  KRis.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It sounds like my first few hours on Wellbutrin -  maybe a bit more noradrenaline than my body

was expecting. (Not that the drivers on my commute wouldn't deserve being rammed off the

road...)

I think you're right to consider switching. But if it's hitting this hard now maybe you should try to get

an appointment ASAP (i.e., Monday)  instead of waiting for the next regularly-scheduled one.

Print out a copy of your post to bring with you, and ask your doctor if it's just the medication

no longer working or whether something else is going on.

[kthreekids]

I would def. call your pdoc.

From what I have read it sounds a bit more like agitation than mania...I am no doctor but I would run a search if I were you.

Regardless...it is awful for you so I would be calling the dr. asap!

Hang in there...this too shall pass!

Kel

[ncc1701]

Heya Kris.

This sounds like some of what I've experienced in my nasty mixed states.  Especially the car-crash scenario.

DSM makes little sense on this point but from what I understand, mixed is when you feel both depressed/miserable, and irritable/manic at the same time.

Not all manias are fun/happy.  I for sure have never had a mania that I can say I miss.  They all were/are rage-filled, miserable, revved-up nightmare states in which I can function at work but not much else.

I find it hard to distinguish from an agitated/irritable depression; ther psych who diagnosed me as BP NOS isn't too worried about boxes in DSM, more like "whatever works.".

You may or may not have either some kind of BP NOS or an atypical depression.

Chat with your psychiatrist for sure; different meds might work better than what you're taking.

--ncc--

[whatsgoingon]

Stopping ADs can trigger mania, especially if you've been on them a long time/stop cold turkey. I know somebody that happened to, but she wasn't bipolar.

Rage can be a part of mania, from my very limited experience- I sometimes experience short, intense rages followed by really intense omg-i-can-totally-fly-im-so-ace euphorias.

Don't know what all this means or if it's any help though!

[sun_zoom_spark]

I find it hard to distinguish from an agitated/irritable depression; ther psych who diagnosed me as BP NOS isn't too worried about boxes in DSM, more like "whatever works.".

I asked my doc once what the difference was between dysphoric mania, mixed state or agitated depression. He told me they were all basically one in the same. Like you said it's really not the label it's the condition. It's just screwed up. Lots of fine lines and grey areas to investigate.

Agitation and anxiety that is uncontrollable and unpredictable accompanied with extreme mood of either flavour is trouble regardless of the label.

[revlow]

Hi Kris,

I agree with ncc1701 and jafco. You may want to learn about the different forms of bipolar disorder that are not the typical mania/depression. This site is an excellent resource on BPII, and other types as well: Mood swings without "manic" episodes: Bipolar II --more than plain depression, but never delusional or psychotic

You might want to read this over before you see your doc the next time.

Best wishes.

[Dweii]

Just wanted to add that mania CAN be triggered by stopping ADs. It happened to me, full on, with hallucinations and all, after stopping Lexapro.

http://www.antidepressantsfacts.com/antide...rawal-mania.htm

[Glen]

Helena is absolutly correct. Going up or going down they can mess you up.

For an explaination as to why that is try reading this. The original is not available but thanks to Google cache it is still alive on the web.

As I see it, any time you do something to the brain, the brain tries to counter it and is always trying to restore balance. In bipolar disorder, even the countering is sometimes excessive. After a manic episode, many patients crash and become depressed. There is evidence to believe that the mechanisms their brain use to try and bring them down overshoot and drive them to depression. Eventually, they go back and forth and have these cycles. So one of the things that may be going on with stimulant use in someone who is bipolar is that even if you don't trigger actual visible highs (because their own brains are wired so they can counter the effect), you might be starting the brain's biochemical process to try to counter the effect. By giving the stimulant, you have therefore turned on these biochemical pathways that are driving them to depression.

[Kris]

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!  I am going to be doing a lot of research.  You guys definately are S.M.A.R.T!  I really appreciate all the replies.  My mania/rage has subsided, well slightly. Seems like things trigger it, like getting ready to go home after work and my boss saying uh, I've got one more thing I need you to do.  WTF!  Boy was I pissed, kept it all in til of course I got in my car, drove a little too fast on the way home (not dangerous), but it was a little snowy, two cars in front were two cop cars, they stopped on a dime, between the snow, speed and distance I very slightly hit the car in front of me.  Wake up call for sure.  Thank God she was cool, she knew it was the cops' fault, not damage, so we both took off.  Won't be telling my husband!  I'd never hear the end.  Kris

[revlow]

Helena and Glen:

Thanks for those references -- really interesting!

[Kris]

Boyd, I sure hope Lexapro works for me.  I did Zoloft for 11+ years and like you on your other med I tapered myself down to experience being "normal".  I did okay for a couple days completely off Zoloft and then came the rage/mania.  When your kids ask you to go back on meds, you know something's wrong. 

Next came Cymbalta which was okay for a while, but I never felt it was really the "right" drug.  Hence the rage listed above.  And ya should have seen me yesterday.  T-day dinner I must have thought I was a comedian, threw bread at my son, (oh all w/in-law family around), make off the wall jokes about my mother-in-law (who thank God didn't hear) and cracked up to the point of tears at one of my own jokes.  I feel like crawling into a very large hole and staying there today.  I'm so embarassed.  I'm lucky this was only at dinner and I "stablized" for the rest of the day.  Funny how you don't see how much of an asshole you're being at the time.  Guess this is how a drunk person is or "tripping" is.  BTW, I don't drink or have ever really gotten drunk - hence the reference. 

If this keeps up I'm gonna sew my lips shut!  Oh, only day 2 on the Lex for me.  Cross my fingers and toes this works.  These mood swings are killer!  (not really a good thing for my kids to experience).  Mom's always been the level headed calm quiet person.  I should have worn a bag over my head

[Kris]

Good to know Boyd, my dr. has me taking it in the morning, although when I took Zoloft all those years, I did take it around 6-7 pm.  Didn't seem to mess with my sleep.  I'm very "sleep" sensitive having some PTSD tied into it (haven't figured it all out yet), so anything that mucks with my sleep (Cymbalta) goes into the garbage after awhile.  Did you ever take Lexapro in the morning? 

I'm gonna try to be very patient with this med like I did the Cymbalta.  I took Zoloft for way too many years before I realized it was not working as well.  Duh!  Kris.

[Kris]

Thanks again Boyd.  Hmm, hot flashes.  Perhaps all these things in combo, mixed in with a bit of PMS or pre-menopause, the lovely freaking bleaking November days, a butt munch boss and what do you get?  Well either mania or what some term as the great ole mixed state.  We MI's should all bunch together like Indians, and drive the "sanies" out of a state.  We'll take it over and call it Mixed State.  Ohh, too much coffee this morning!  Better go before I have to apologize.  Kris.