Rapid Cycling

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2006
Rapid Cycling
7
Sun, 04-08-2007 - 12:13am
Does anyone experience this?
I have a major probem with it.
The mania and depression together are so hard to handle.
My doc just upped my meds again I swear they do not help.

Sparkleeyes..........

Live life well & Always look ahead.

iVillage Member
Registered: 09-01-2004
Sun, 04-08-2007 - 9:22pm

I have in the past, during a time of extreme stress, but it was finally brought under control by upping my Lithium and adding a low dose of Lexapro to my Wellbutrin.

iVillage Member
Registered: 08-11-2006
Mon, 04-09-2007 - 1:22pm

I am/was a rapid cycler also, deep dark funk in the A.M., hypomanic by lunch, downhill slide by quitting time, start to ramp back up around bed time which led to insomnia which made the morning funk worse....throw Zoloft into that and I was literally ready to kill someone or break something in the A.M. Also, to REALLY make things interesting I had noticed a longer "overall" cycle that would swing back and forth over about a weeks time or so, sometimes up to a month....overall in that if "this" cycle was low it would make my rapid cycling low even lower and my manics not as high, if "this" cycle was high it would make my rapid cycle mania's higher, and my lows not as low.

DW just recently found a web site that explains even better what happens....this website breaks down ones personal levels into three categories, emotional, physical, and intellectual, and shows how the three of these categories cycling leads to the weird symptoms we see....say ones emotional and physical are "low" while ones intellectual is "high", it leads to sitting on the couch KNOWING all the stuff one needs to get up and get done, but just can't force oneself off the couch to do it. While this doesn't help in knowing what to do about it, just knowing what is going on helps in dealing with it.

I have been on Lamictal about 6 mo or so and have noticed those mixed states not happening as often. It is possible to get "stable" even from a rapid cycling state. I FIRMLY believe allot of rapid cycling problems are caused and exacerbated by anti-depressants....especially those of us who are early onset. JMHO.

Good luck and hang in there,

tk

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iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2006
Wed, 04-11-2007 - 7:08pm
It sucks sooo bad to be all over the place.
Nobody around me gets it.

Sparkleeyes..........

Live life well & Always look ahead.

iVillage Member
Registered: 03-30-2007
Thu, 04-12-2007 - 10:03pm

Can you share the url to the site your DW found?

Thanks,
Robyn

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-10-2006
Fri, 04-13-2007 - 10:15am
Robyn, This is TK's DW here. I believe the link he was refering to is.
http://www.psycheducation.org/index.html
It is very informative and backed by a lot of research.
Brenda
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-29-2003
Sat, 04-14-2007 - 10:55pm

Wow, can I relate! I've got one for ya...mania and depression AT THE SAME FLIPPIN TIME. That's a fun one. I would have to say that my will to beat this has had as much effect as the meds though. I would like the depression to be a little more controlled and to have the little things not effect me so easily, but I haven't quite found that piece to the puzzle. My doctor added Lithium to my existing Depakote prescription, which seemed to have an almost immediate effect for me. However, I had to stop taking it after two days because I got sick and broke out in hives all over my body. He tried Halodol (sp?), but it made me unable to focus at work and made me too spaced out to function. That too lasted all of two days, after which I refused to take it anymore. He tried one other thing (can't remember the name) which I took for a longer period of time, but it didn't do anything to improve my symptoms, so he took me off of that. I am still sure that there is something out there that may help me, but for now I am just sticking with the Depakote and hoping that my family can tolerate my occasional breakdowns, even though they don't understand them.

Keep trying. Be your own advocate. No matter who else understands what is going on with you, I think deep down you are probably the best person to fight for what you need. Communicating that to somebody else is the tricky part.

~Dawn

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-19-2006
Tue, 04-17-2007 - 9:31pm
it's horrible isn't it.
i am dealing with it.
good luck to you, it's nice to know there is someone who understands.

Sparkleeyes..........

Live life well & Always look ahead.