Ok first of all I don't have a bipolar disorder but I'm just starting to question it. It has ran on both sides of my family. For the past couple of nights I have not needed any sleep. I just get racing thoughts that will keep me up in the night if I try to even get any sleep. I know that these are sings of manic. Even when taking seroquel I still don't fall asleep. And its 400mg of to which is a pretty decent dosage for my age and body weight. Does anyone have any suggestions for me. Especially when it comes to the racing thoughts. I just want them to go away.
No one here can diagnose you since we are not medical progessionals, but do you ever have periods where you feel extremely happy, have increased energy and are severely depressed? If so, it's very possible you could have bipolar. If you're curious to know whether you do or not, I would discuss this further with your psychiatrist.
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Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-05-2009 at 07:52 PM.
P.S. Racing thoughts are a part of mania, but a manic episode usually occurs when someone hasn't slept for 5 or more nights. The only exception to this would be if you're a rapid cycler like I am and your moods change every few days, several times a day or (in my case) every hour and sometimes every minute.
If Seroquel isn't helping you sleep, I would ask your psychiatrist to either increase your dosage or switch you to a different sleep med. I take 100mg of Trazodone when I'm feeling level and 300mg when I'm manic or can't sleep. When I take 100mg, it works within 20 minutes. When I take 300mg, it works within 5.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-05-2009 at 07:48 PM.
You can definitly have racing thoughts with hypomania, which doesn't necessarily involve staying up all night (although it can.)
Whatever is happening, you sound concerned enough and that this is disrupting your life enough that you should see someone. If you don't know how to find a psychiatrist, try asking your primary doctor for a referal.
I should mention that it's quite possible you could have BPII which is characterized by hypomania (mild mania) and depression. You could also have a milder form of bipolar called cyclothymia which consists of mild hypomania and mild depression.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-05-2009 at 07:57 PM.
If it would actually be a bipolar 2 disorder could the bipolar be the cause of my psychosis?
This would depend on whether you have psychotic symptoms during a manic or depressive episode. If you do, you could have BPII (or BPI if you've had at least one manic episode) with psychotic features or atypical BPI (depending on whether you've had a manic episode before). If you experience psychosis during normal mood as well as during manic and depressive episodes, you would be diagnosed as having schizoaffective disorder bipolar type.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-06-2009 at 12:19 PM.
What if you don't get psychotic when your manic or hypomanic?
If you aren't psychotic during a manic episode (psychosis doesn't occur during hypomanic episodes), this would mean that you have BPI or BPII without psychotic features.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-07-2009 at 12:32 AM.
When do you hallucinate? Only during normal mood? If that's the case, I wonder if you have schizophrenia instead since this illness can cause symptoms that are similar to mania immediately before and after a psychotic episode.
At any rate, I would write all of your symptoms down (i.e. when you hallucinate as well as other symptoms you have) so that your pdoc can make a correct diagnosis.
__________________
Atypical Bipolar I Disorder with Rapid Cycling
Meds:
Depakote 1500mg
Prozac 40mg
Risperdal 1mg titrating to 6mg/day
Klonopin .5mg (2x/day)
Trazodone 100mg or 200mg PRN
Last edited by dreams in neon; 03-07-2009 at 12:42 AM.
