Anyone have experience with bipolar?

[BippityBoppity87]

Sorry, already posted this on another thread, but I would be greatful for answers!

There had been mention of a bipolar diagnosis, don't know what to do. Ok I was a bit hyper in therapy today, but I'm just happy. I have to fill out a mood/depression chart thing and I have honestly had nothing to grumble about the past few weeks.

I've picked up more shifts at work, I don't need as much sleep, my spending has been a bit bad ok, I'll admit that, but I'm not in huge debt or anything. I get by. My DP said I sounded hyper on the phone after I left CBT this morning, but I was just being chatty? Nothing wrong with being a bit happy and chatty surely!

Does anyone have any experience of this?

It's awful! I'm just making a tit of myself but at he same time I know I'm making a tit of myself but I really don't care. People have been looking at me funny at work too. For some reason I thought it was hilarious that I couldn't say 'meme' and just kept thinking about it over and over again. Laughing like a loon. Oh god, I have work tomorrow. This is going to be interesting

I' actually sitting here laughing and I haveno idea why. Just at how much of mess I am right now I suppose!

Once, I kept saying 'vagina' and 'cunt' in the canteen where I worked following by hysterical laughter. Everyone was just like wtf. It was horrifying. I also TALK AT people, they don't get a chance to answer and I just go on and on. It feels fucking brilliant at the time, then when I come down I realise what a twat I've been.
I would contact crisis and tell them you are manic. Mania can become more serious, and you are at risk. Please contact them, before you go sky high and get sectioned and lose your driving licence experience talking

Sorry OP for hijack. I think Bop needs some words of advice.

Oh god I do that. But it's texting mainly. I'll write about 4 or 5 lengthy texts to someone, regardless of what time of day it is and whether they text back.

I almost rang the crisis team yesterday as my heart wouldn't stop racing, I thought I was going to burst out my skin. And the butterflies! Oh god the constant butterflies in my stomach. It's the same feeling you get when you're really excited about something, but I have nothing to be excited about!

And I look at people in the street and think why are you so serious and gloomy?! And everything just feels a lot slower and I get agitated as everything's too slow.

I don't drive, thankfully. I do have a drivers license, but haven't driven in about 10 years.

And I've been chain smoking like crazy. Usually I'll smoke about 10, but I could easily smoke over 20 a day at the moment.

Hi Steak 😊 it’s always good to meet others!

Bippity, sorry review didn’t go so well. Who’s arranging the psych appointment? Just wondering if you have a care coordinator like a cpn or similar? You might find some good help and support via Bipolar UK - when they were called Manic Depression Fellowship they used to run great self management courses, some of that material might be available online.

www.bipolaruk.org

Hi WhyDidIEatThat My therapist. The psychiatrist I used to see is in the same building so she said she was going to have a word with him about how I've been the past few weeks and to have another meeting with him. I have a key worker, I don't know if that's the same thing? I've only met her a couple of times though.

That's helpful thanks, I'll have a wee look at it!

How are things today? 😊

Much better. I took my wee sheet with all the numbers on it, in case I had to ring MHAS. But I've just been happy and more productive. I work in a bar though so I can get away with being a bit bubbly sometimes! If I worked in an office it would be a different story!

Problem is when it gets busy, it just encourages me more haha. I feel I'm at that ok stage where it's not going to make me go overboard. Problem is, it can quickly turn to getting impatient if I think everyone is going too slow. But I mainly think it in my head, I've got in trouble far to many times in the past!

Please tell your psychiatrist ALL of this, print this thread off and take it if you need to

Can you not get srri induced hypomania? I would assume that was a completely different thing. But I've had periods throughout my life where I have been very up followed by a very horrible crash. This is exactly why I didn't want to take another srri. I told them this is what happened when I took citalopram, which resulted in me not remembering about 6 hours of my day (or what I had done) Had an intervention the next day with my flat mates at the time as I didn't get in I think until about 9am the next morning. I still don't know what I did to this day!

Yes, and as far as I know it cannot alone be used to diagnose bipolar as it isn't considered true mania. However SSRIs are overstimulating to many people with bipolar.
Citalopram is the most evil of the SSRIs IMO, didn't make me manic just horrible side effects, lasted 2 days. No sleep, zero, but not in an elevated happy way. Just lay blank. Awful.
I would suggest you go to the GP Monday and show them what you wrote her.

That's what I thought. It's very hard to tell, as I had been so low and quite suicidal for so long (since last October) that in the past month or so, it's just been a complete turn around. I think to myself, right is this normal happy for me or am I going a bit too far. The therapist asked me I think 3 weeks ago if I had been diagnosed with having bipolar disorder, I said no? Then she gave me this look and had a look through my notes, I was thinking, ok that's reassuring. Thanks for that 👍

Then on Friday just gone, she said that she was going to try and rearrange for me to see the psychiatrist again.

And now I'm wide awake when I should be sleeping arghh!!! Even though I took my tablet at 9 this morning. And I keep thinking I'm seeing mice darting around my living room. Cue me having a mini panic attack every 5 minutes.

I had massive regular arguments with my psychiatrist about drug induced mania, it felt like they tricked me into the diagnosis- like it was a trap I walked into? I’d had one episode before which I thought you were ‘allowed’, in the same way anyone can have a one off seizure but not have epilepsy followed by one episode of depression and to me that didn’t add up to a whole life changing disorder. Either way (and I still sort of think I’m right and they’re wrong) I can’t have any antidepressants at all now, I hope you see the psych soon OP for a proper review. 💐

Sertraline is the 'test' drug apparently. It is the most common for inducing mania. It happened to me but I stopped it really quickly. Fluoxetine is like taking speed for me.
FWIW I knew I had bipolar, she told me and asked what I thought and I just said 'I know'.

Took me 15 years, 4 suicide attempts and 30k worth of debt to get diagnosed with bipolar!

I've had a very similar experience @NotUmbongoUnchained Starting when I was about 15 with a very serious suicide attempt. Then a couple more over the years. Got myself into 8k debt in the space of a couple of months at uni. I'm 31 now.

That's what I thought. Looking back I had one pretty bad episode when I first started uni. Then I had probably a couple in between that at work, which weren't as bad over the years. I've had more depressive episodes than up though, with very few 'feeling normal' in between.

That was to @WhyDidIEatThat oooops! Haha

What does that mean 'test drug?' @Steakandkidney

When the dr came round a few months ago and prescribed me sertraline he said 'I'm not going to lie, I don't think this will work' I thought ok what does he mean by that? I wish I'd ask. I was already really miles better that day, but o think it's because the mirtazapine was out my system by then and I felt like a different person. So it's hard to tell at that point if it was the sertraline that kicked it all off, or that was the natural way my mood was going anyway?

Sorry I'll stop going on now haha! Not even 12 o'clock and my mind's racing! Arghh!!

Do you self harm Bip?
I only ask as sometimes that can be characteristic of Borderline personality disorder and in that case antidepressants are not as likely to work because it's something you need therapy for.
It is very similar to bipolar in the mood swings, but anxiety goes along with it, as well as dissociation. They need different treatments which is why sometimes it takes ages for psychiatrists to get a true picture. BPD is especially true if you have a history of trauma.