Supreme_Supreme
02-08-2007, 11:54 AM
Okay, I was diagnosed bipolar 5 months ago. I used to get manic half the day and then I was depressed the other half, therefore I was a rapid cycler. I went on lithium for 3 and a half months. I was on 300 and 600 mg for awhile and then 900 mg then back down to 300 mg towards the end. I then started switching to lamotrogine, I went up to 100 mg of lamotrogine in 1 month while still taking 300 mg of lithium. All in all, this all took 4 and a half months. Two weeks ago, I stopped taking the 300 mg's of lithium and started gradually going off lamotrogine. It has now been 5 days since Ive been off everything and I feel fine. I have a couple of questions. When will I relapse into my old cycle. Will I have the same rapid cycle as before, same hours and everything? How long can I just feel fine like I do right now? Are there any thing that will make people relapse faster into a cycle. Will alcohol or marijuana use make me more prone to relapse back into my cycle? Does stress play an issue. For any of you that have ever stopped taking ur meds, could you please let me know how long it took to become "bipolar" again.
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tsohl
02-08-2007, 03:47 PM
Hello Supreme and welcome to the board.
I am curious why you are going off your medications. :confused: Often people do it because they doubt their diagnosis to begin with, start to feel better and decide they aren't really bipolar and don't need their meds. This lasts right up until they have the next episode. In your case, you seem to accept your diagnosis and realize you will have an episode, so I'm wondering why you'd choose to do this.
I don't believe any can answer your questions as bipolar disorder encompasses a whole spectrum of symptoms, and it varies so much from one individual to another. There are certain generalities one can make though. Chances are like 99% that you will have future episodes. There is no way to determine when this might happen. Some people go years between episodes. Some people cycle every day. There are no predictable patterns....That's why it is such a roller coaster illness. :dizzy:
Chances are you will still be a rapid cycler. Usually the longer someone goes being untreated, the more common it is to have rapid cycles. Stress is one of the main triggers for an episode. Most books about BP have an entire chapter about stress, how it affects BP, how to reduce it, etc. Chronic stress can suppress the immune system. When you're depressed it affects the amount of cortisol that your body produces. When this goes on for a period of time, this increased level of cortisol actually alters the biochemistry of your brain.
Using marijuana and/or alcohol can trigger an episode and can make the symptoms more intense.
Your final question I don't have an answer for. Since you were recently diagnosed, your body hasn't had much time to get used to the meds you were prescribed...so I don't know how long it might take for you to start noticing symptoms again. But, rest assured, even when you feel "normal," you are and will continue to be bipolar.
Hope you find some answers to your questions on this board. Please keep posting with your comments and questions...and,
Take care.
Tsohl
I am curious why you are going off your medications. :confused: Often people do it because they doubt their diagnosis to begin with, start to feel better and decide they aren't really bipolar and don't need their meds. This lasts right up until they have the next episode. In your case, you seem to accept your diagnosis and realize you will have an episode, so I'm wondering why you'd choose to do this.
I don't believe any can answer your questions as bipolar disorder encompasses a whole spectrum of symptoms, and it varies so much from one individual to another. There are certain generalities one can make though. Chances are like 99% that you will have future episodes. There is no way to determine when this might happen. Some people go years between episodes. Some people cycle every day. There are no predictable patterns....That's why it is such a roller coaster illness. :dizzy:
Chances are you will still be a rapid cycler. Usually the longer someone goes being untreated, the more common it is to have rapid cycles. Stress is one of the main triggers for an episode. Most books about BP have an entire chapter about stress, how it affects BP, how to reduce it, etc. Chronic stress can suppress the immune system. When you're depressed it affects the amount of cortisol that your body produces. When this goes on for a period of time, this increased level of cortisol actually alters the biochemistry of your brain.
Using marijuana and/or alcohol can trigger an episode and can make the symptoms more intense.
Your final question I don't have an answer for. Since you were recently diagnosed, your body hasn't had much time to get used to the meds you were prescribed...so I don't know how long it might take for you to start noticing symptoms again. But, rest assured, even when you feel "normal," you are and will continue to be bipolar.
Hope you find some answers to your questions on this board. Please keep posting with your comments and questions...and,
Take care.
Tsohl
Supreme_Supreme
02-09-2007, 05:41 AM
Im stopping medication because I have found the secret cure for bipolar. Im just really worried that its been 2 weeks and I still havent fallen back into my old cycle. I feel fine right now. How long will this take?
Supreme_Supreme
02-09-2007, 06:27 AM
Im freaking out, I'm scared that by agreeing to try out lithium, Iv'e killed my gift. Will my mania ever come back? I really hope so.
Paige1989
02-09-2007, 07:54 AM
Your mania is apt to surface here and there, even on meds...but I wouldn't recommend looking for mania. Yeah, it feels great at first and you never want to come down from that high that makes you feel like you can accomplish anything, but that's only hypomania (a lesser form of the real thing)...once it switches over to full-blown mania, it can be a nightmare. As good as it feels at first, it feels that much worse later on, and the possibilities of crashing after a manic episode are high so I wouldn't looking for it because it's really just looking for trouble. I hope you take my advice into consideration.
Paige
Paige