Bipolar 2, strong tendency towards mania and psychosis when symptomatic.

So I have chronic anxiety. I've always had it, it's just how my brain is wired. I tried taking SSRIs, but it made me manic, and I didn't notice much of an effect on my anxiety.

I'm not asking for someone to tell me what to take, but as far as I know antidepressants are THE anxiety medication.

Is there anything we can take for chronic anxiety?

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If so, what were the circumstances? Did you agree with the decision? Were you provided with resources or outpatient care?

Anyone developed gait issues on Seroquel? Like not being able to walk straight, especially when you’re walking next to someone and then you keep bumping into them and can’t keep your balance? Wondering if I should do further testing, I’m scared it’s a neuro thing.

How are you guys doing?

After a pretty intense manic episode, my years of dodging medication / going on and off meds have ended these past 100 days. Im on lithium and olanzapine and during the beginning i felt numb pretty much, almost immediately (probably partly placebo). now its my first time making it this far and still taking medication. i usually lie or go off it. Manic me is very hard to snap out of.

So ive been stable, as much as i could say, and taking my meds and going to therapy. But these past 2 weeks ive noticed something, and because its so unusual, i feel worried. im actually Happy. But i have never felt like this. Like im really worried. its almost like im in a manic episode WITHOUT the delusions, im doing everything manic me would and cutting out the irresponsible parts (still irrationally spending money, but i feel thats just me as a natural person).

i want to reiterate im not exaggerating this, i know the difference between happy and mania, its such a striking difference. This is like mania but before the deep end, and im still taking my meds, i havent changed anything. ive never felt this uplifted while medicated. I have had people ask me if im manic, to which ive just replied “im taking my meds still!!” and that shuns them off, so now im even more confused.

so i guess what im asking is, can i experience a manic episode on my medication, do i have to tell somebody that its happening, is this normal? Like am i really feeling mania subdued due to my meds?

My psych just prescribed Vyvanse. I will start it tomorrow. I have been in a depressive funk for about two years. YEARS. Has anyone taken this med? My psych told me to watch for mania.

Seriously. Every antipsychotic I’ve been put on seems to MAKE ME IRRITABLE. I don’t honestly think I have bipolar 1 at this point. My antidepressant is Pristiq, my anxiety meds Buspirone. A combo that was working well sans the anxiety. I started seeing a new psych and she was determined to diagnose me with bipolar 1 despite my own hesitancy towards the diagnosis. She’s put me on Abilify previously (I quickly became angry) and then swapped the Vraylar (I’ve been on it over a month and am steadily become more irritable). Yall this happened before. I’ve literally had medications like Haldol make me violent in the past. I’ve been put on other antipsychotics too with similar results. I’m debating stepping away from this psych and going back to just using my primary for med management.

im someone who when I wake up i kind of need the first 4 hours to just be really slow and chill or else i'll be anxious and agitated for the entire day. recently i've had to start waking up earlier because im off of a school break where i could sleep in. im finding that waking up earlier has been putting me in a melancholic mood for the whole day and im worried about it snow balling.

currently I wake up on the weekdays at 5 am before i need to start getting ready at 8 am because again..I need those hours to just wake up and..do whatever I want even it it isnt anything because i get anxious when i wake up and immediately have to be occupied for..the next 7-10 hours of classes and obligation.

now i know the simple fix is probably just going to sleep earlier..but i get really anxious thinking im losing time on doing things that actually make me happy when i have to spend such an unproportionate time on school.

my life feels like it’s a never ending roller coaster that i can’t get off of. i am unstable and ive known this since i was 11yo. ive been aware my whole life but in-denial because i did not want to be different from others. they originally treated me for depression at age 13, but the meds made me feel like a robot and i went off of them for years and those were definitely some dark years, ive OD’d and been on 1799 holds in the hospital, tried to jump out of cars several times + more risky things & i’ve ruined so many relationships because i can’t get myself together. i’ve had some rough moments & i went untreated for 12yrs till i got reevaluated twice by two different drs both diagnosed me with bipolar and i still chose not to take the meds they prescribed me.. but now that i am getting older and have accepted what i have i started taking meds again, i am on 100mg of lamictal but this is not enough and at times i want to stop taking my meds because i feel like i am mentally strong enough to overcome this illness with out meds, i just really hate when im in a episode its almost like i cant stop it, like im on a rampage. i hate to admit it but if im being completely honest i like the feeling of raging out for days & i dont feel sorry for all the things i do or say within that time because i feel as if i owe certain people a hard time. i know it sounds like im a terrible person but in those moments i truly feel that way like everything i do is justifiable. i feel superior like it gives me this feeling i cant get on normal days. i can feel it coming on like a slow build up but there’s nothing i can do to stop it, then it finally hits me & feels fullblown & i just rage on and off for multiple days through out the week or so but when im finally done raging and im all alone i feel this empty kind of feeling, like im not good enough and cant seem to do anything right or be with anyone because i know im different and its hard to be around me. it feels so hard just to be me. &i know it's exhausting to be around me and i hate that. i hate the fact that i can't even escape myself. feels like im a prisoner of my mind. i enjoy the highs it gives me but sometimes wish i wasn't this way. i wish i could still have the highs but with out it being built off of rage & not have the low times. this disorder has taken so much of me, i can’t keep a job for more than 6mo luckily im actually able to get jobs with out any issues but i can’t seem to keep them for a long period of time & i am the same way when it comes to relationships, i have children with two different people and i also ruined those relationships as well. i dont understand why it had to be me that ended up with this ugly disorder but its made me hate myself for a very long time, im so tired of feeling so alone. i just want to be normal and feel real happiness for once. has anyone overcome this illness? is there any hope?

Has anyone done this, if so, what was your experience?

Hey everyone, I was diagnosed back in 2022 but have recently started taking Valproate as Lithium was causing me severe joint pain. Besides the Valproate, I am also taking Seroquel.

I already have fine/thin hair to begin with and have noticed that my hair is significantly more thin and the texture has changed completely. It's more coarse/rough. I'm feeling very self conscious and am wondering if anyone else has had this issue. I'd much rather be healthy and stable than risk coming off this medication, but was wondering if anyone is on Carbamazepine and their experiences with that one (I am going to be talking to my doctor about switching medications). I am allergic to Lamictal so that is a no go.

Looking forward to reading your guys' experiences with Valproate.

I’ve been on Lamictal 150 mg (prev 200), modafinil 100 mg and Zyprexa 10 mg for a year. I’ve been on all the other mainstream bipolar meds and have had ECT.

I’m not depressed but I'm completely flattened with absolutely no motivation, cognitive decline, poor memory, poor attention span. I can’t shower, do laundry, cook, clean or do anything else. Just lying in bed, staring at the ceiling. I'm not sure which med is causing this at this point. I thought it was lamictal but could also be zyprexa.

Add dose please too

Anyone taking trifluoperazine 1mg

Lately I've been getting tired way earlier than I should and my evening energy feels like it's at an all time low. This is getting worse with the days getting shorter and it's frustrating because I feel like I'm missing out on valuable time.

In terms of medication that affects my sleep, I'm on Adderall in the morning along with Klonopin and Wellbutrin. In the evening I take Latuda, Lexapro and remeron to help with insomnia. To be clear, this issue started long before I started taking remeron to help me sleep.

I feel inclined to blame the lexapro, though I'm only on 20 mg. I haven't considered it but maybe it could also be the Latuda, I take 40 mg right after I eat dinner. I used to take the lexapro in the morning, but I switched to evening to try and help this issue, it hasn't improved.

Currently I'm using a therapy light in the morning to try and help with my circadian rythm right after I wake up. I just really need this to improve and I don't necessarily want to have to switch meds or doses.

Has anyone else experienced this issue? Was it with these meds? How can I fight it?

I would really love some help people because I'm out of ideas.

Pour ceux qui ont été diagnostiqués avec une crise bipolaire, comment a été votre réaction à l'époque, comment avez-vous travaillé avec votre état, comment est votre état actuel, et que me conseillez-vous parce que j'ai récemment été diagnostiqué avec une crie bipolaire et j'ai commencé un voyage pour un traitement, et parfois je me sens désespéré et j'arrête de prendre des médicaments sans aucune consultation médicale, et parfois j'ai peur que cette maladie soit génétique et puisse être héritée aux enfants et souffrir de cette maladie sans culpabilité.

Im feeling out of sorts and my sleep is starting to go to shit(yes I know…) and I can’t help but wonder if it’s related to the current king tide cycle.

I track my mood and swear there is a correlation between lunar cycle/events and my mood. With the earth approaching its close point to the sun in its orbit and the moon approaching its close point to the earth in its orbit the effects of the gravitational pulls are intensified.

Hence the mess you’re seeing on the coasts.

Our bodies are something like 60% water and the brain is like 75% water so it makes sense that we would be impacted too.

Is anyone else feeling it or have I just been spending too much time around white girls with nose rings?

So I’m currently taking 42mg Caplyta and I love it! No symptoms and no side effects- can’t speak highly enough of it!

But my family and I are planning to move to Ottawa, ON next summer and apparently Canada hasn’t approved Caplyta. No idea when they will.

So my psychiatrist wants to switch me to Vrylar. I’ve already tried abilify, Geodone, and latuda. All had terrible side effects and abilify straight up didn’t work. So I’m nervous to change meds again .

Anyway, what are your experiences with Vrylar? What Side effects? Im mostly worried about daytime tiredness and that numbness feeling. I know everyone is different but I’d still like your thoughts.

Hi everyone, I have found this page to be incredibly supportive and helpful. I have BP2 and wake up daily with severe anxiety that lingers throughout the day. I currently take Lamictal 200mg and my psych wants me to add an extra 50 in the morning. I am tired of living this way. Taking hydroxyzine or gabapentin for anxiety in the morning is just a bandaid. It doesn't help in reality. Just makes me tired or sleepy. I am a recovering addict so I doubt I'll be put on something like xanax. I try all of the therapeutic techniques. I am scared I will live like this forever. It's been over a year, even during 7 months of inpatient treatment. Any help or experience would be appreciated. Also, I was on multiple antipsychotics for a while along with Lamictal. I had terrible terrible side effects to all and was unable to handle trying another.

Without going into too much detail since this has been extremely traumatizing, last year I had a horrible manic episode triggered by stress + poor medication habits that made me go on a gambling spree, commit a crime and flunk out of university. Ever since then my credit score has been ruined, lost many friends, balls deep in debt, lost my gf, moved back in with my narc parents and also ruined my business plan (partners kicked me out).

Do NOT ever hop off your mood stabilisers guys. Seriously. This shit set me back at least 2 years.

It has been a sobering experience seeing how people, including your own family and friends, treat a mentally distressed person.

I don't want sympathy. I'm just here to share a very tough lesson I had to pay for.

So a while ago I was put on olanzapine and took it over the course of 6 months for drug induced mania. Now since coming off this drug I have felt what most other people also describe after coming off this drug low flat mood, anhedonia and depression. Now im wondering whether lithium with its neurogenic properties can possibly restore the ability to feel pleasure or whether I should go back on a low dose of olanzapine+ prozac which is what my psychiatrist gave me as an option to treat my symptoms. I just need to know which drug I should go on based on your experiences. Thanks.

My medication has helped me out of being actively suicidal but I still feel hopeless. My days are managable but I feel no excitement for the future. I can't envision falling in love, thriving in a career, enjoying life, nothing. I feel like going to my psych, they just see that I'm not actively suicidal anymore and think that i must be fine. I'm tired of feeling hopeless. I want to feel excited again. I'm tired of therapy and the pills and the appointments. And if they're not even working all that well, I don't see the point. At least when I was unmedicated, I could tap into excitement.

I'm currently in Canada, and sorry if my question sounded dumb. I'm struggling every day, and I need some advice on navigating this illness.

Earlier this year I was sent to the hospital because ofsevere suicidal ideation. I was diagnosed with MDD before that. I was enrolled in a short-term psych program, and they gave me an SSRI, which triggered a manic episode. Then they started me on APs, and it took us some time to find the right meds for me. I was stable for some time before this new depressive episode started. The doctor decided to discharge me from his care while starting me on lithium now. It just doesn't sit right with me, or is this something normal in the psychiatric field? Should I find a new psychiatrist immediately, or just sit here and hope that the new med will work for me?

Any advice will help thanks a lot!