I think I am a Rapid Cycler - Bipolar Disorder Message Board

windimeria2000 · 05-03-2009, 06:14 PM

I am bipolar and I believe I am a rapid cycler. After reading the message boards I am more determined that I am. The reason I believe this, is that my moods does change often with a trigger or an unknown trigger. Does the Psychiatrist treat rapid cycler's with different medication than say a Bipolar person who cycles every 6 months? Was just wondering. I am currently taking:

Abilify 2.5mg
Pristiq 50mg
Klonipin .25mg every 6 hours

Today I was really aggrivated at myself. I have been sick for like 2 months and missed some of my college homework. I had 2 bouts of upper respirtory infection and an hormonal issue. Now my finals are coming up and I am not prepared. I know that it is not my fault but the situation just made me angry. I wanted to cry, throw things, destroy things and hurt myself. When I get that angry I have to up my dosage of Klonipin to .5 mg and try to calm myself. After taking a nap I can now think straighter and know that I will just have to adjust and do the best I can with the time before my finals in getting prepared. I can logically say now that my world is not over because of unpreparedness and sickness and that there are always another semester to retake course if needed.

From looking at the above tamtraum I took, does it seem possible that I am a rapid cycler?

katlin09 · 05-03-2009, 09:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by windimeria2000

I am bipolar and I believe I am a rapid cycler. After reading the message boards I am more determined that I am. The reason I believe this, is that my moods does change often with a trigger or an unknown trigger. Does the Psychiatrist treat rapid cycler's with different medication than say a Bipolar person who cycles every 6 months? Was just wondering. I am currently taking:

Abilify 2.5mg
Pristiq 50mg
Klonipin .25mg every 6 hours

Today I was really aggrivated at myself. I have been sick for like 2 months and missed some of my college homework. I had 2 bouts of upper respirtory infection and an hormonal issue. Now my finals are coming up and I am not prepared. I know that it is not my fault but the situation just made me angry. I wanted to cry, throw things, destroy things and hurt myself. When I get that angry I have to up my dosage of Klonipin to .5 mg and try to calm myself. After taking a nap I can now think straighter and know that I will just have to adjust and do the best I can with the time before my finals in getting prepared. I can logically say now that my world is not over because of unpreparedness and sickness and that there are always another semester to retake course if needed.

From looking at the above tamtraum I took, does it seem possible that I am a rapid cycler?

A rapid cycler would be someone who cycles between depression and mania and all you've mentioned is manic episodes.....so I'm not clear on why you think you may be a rapid cycler? And generally no, the meds are the same for treating all kinds of Bipolar, just depends on what works for you.

kat

dreams in neon · 05-03-2009, 10:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by katlin09

A rapid cycler would be someone who cycles between depression and mania and all you've mentioned is manic episodes.....so I'm not clear on why you think you may be a rapid cycler? And generally no, the meds are the same for treating all kinds of Bipolar, just depends on what works for you.

kat

Kat is correct.

What you've described sounds like mania. It isn't unusual for people to feel irritable during a manic episode, but that isn't the same thing as rapid cycling. When someone rapid cycles, they cycle between mania and depression.

For example, I'm a rapid cycler and my moods change every hour and sometimes every minute. I can go from feeling manic to extremely irritable to severely depressed and back to manic again.

Conversely, I can start off feeling severely depressed. Minutes later I can cycle into mania and then irritability before it starts all over again, but in a different pattern.

It is also important to remember that rapid cycling isn't only caused by environmental stressors. Many rapid cyclers like myself feel a given way for no reason at all. I have periods where I feel severely depressed, but can't explain why. I may also feel irritable without there being a reason.

There are meds specifically designed to treat rapid cycling (Depakote, Lamictal and Lithium), but they are the same as those used in non-rapid cycling bipolar.

katlin09 · 05-03-2009, 10:32 PM

I defiitely am not a rapid cycler I am a BPII w/ med resistant suicidal depression. I stay depressed 75 to 85% of the time roughly and the only time I cycle into hypomania for the most part is when I have a major med change on to a new med, and then off of it if it doesn't work. Usually this occurs with mood stabilizers and anti-depressants for me. I'm on 8 meds, Lamictal, Abilify, Topamax, Wellbutrin, Buspar, Clonazapan, Trazadone and Serquel prn. My meds get changed often or tweaked because I am so med resistant.

I am rarely manic and rarely stable. I self harm and it gets pretty serious at times, it depends on what's going on as to how bad it is.

This is something you should talk to your pdoc about, the rapid cycling thought, as he could explain to you how your symptoms relate or not.

kat

dreams in neon · 05-03-2009, 10:43 PM

I've been unstable for the past 2 years, but my rapid cycling didn't start until 12 months after I was diagnosed with schizoaffective. From that point on, my moods were all over the place and the meds I was taking at the time (Depakote and Risperdal) no longer seemed to help.

Now that I'm taking Depakote, Fluoxetine, Risperdal, Trazodone and Clonazepam, it's working great in preventing rapid cycling, mania and severe depression.

As I said before, I'm currently in a mixed state, but that has more to do with my health problems than it does anything else. I feel better (i.e. level) now that I've had my symptoms treated at the ER.

To the original poster: I would suggest that you write a mood chart or journal of your mood swings. This will help your pdoc get a better idea of whether or not you rapid cycle. From what you've told us, it doesn't sound as if you do, but I could be wrong given the limited information you've given.