Some doctors are saying that Bipolar gets worse as we age..... have you experiened this?
hugs, Caren
Bipolar 1
I have. Research has also proven this to be true if it is left untreated.
I started experiencing clear symptoms of bipolar at age 20.
I was medicated in 1991 for severe depression and auditory hallucinations, but the Lithium and Prozac I was put on did not help either one.
However, the Lithium did prevent me from having more severe manic episodes.
I was later switched to Paxil along with Lithium for my depression which helped it to some extent, but not enough to keep me out of the hospital.
I decided to stop taking meds somewhere around 1997 since a large part of my depression centered around losing my hearing and I was receiving proper training in alternative communication techniques at that time.
I was able to function well until December 2004-March 2006 when I experienced my first manic/psychotic episode. I was manic and started hearing voices more intensely than usual. I also became extremely paranoid.
I ended up losing orientation x3 (person, time and place) in February 2006 which required involuntarily commitment for a little over a month.
My bipolar stabilized while IP, but then became worse 12 months after I was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder bipolar type. I started rapid cycling, so my diagnosis was changed to rapid cycling BPI.
In December it was changed yet again to atypical BPI with ultradian rapid cycling.
I've been unstable for the past 1.5 years, but this was due to an inattentive pdoc who refused to treat me. Whenever I said I was rapid cycling or manic, he would tell me to schedule an appointment with him in 3 months.
I'm now seeing a wonderful pdoc who I can't say enough good things about. He takes my treatment seriously, allows me to be an active participant, he accepts my input in regards to the meds I'm prescribed, he addresses my symptoms immediately, permits me to take extra meds when I am rapid cycling, anxious or manic and has been upfront with me about the severity of my bipolar. I appreciate all of these things because I now have a better understanding of what I'm dealing with and feel comfortable knowing that if I'm struggling with mania, mixed episodes or severe depression, he will be there to help me through it.
__________________
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; 06-21-2009 at 11:43 AM.
my pdoc told me that as we age the manic episodes become less but depression becomes more. Which i thought sounded very grim. Sorry to pass this news on. best wishes limelight
Hi CarenR,
electric blue here, nice to meet you. I am very new to this site and have never joined a site before this, but so glad i did. Everyone has been very supportive. I don't know how old you are but was interested in your question. I am 53, aahhhh!!! lol. I have found that as i have aged the usual things have happened, eg, head south. My bp has been just awful i have fretful days or hours, i have been a lot worse than i am but lately it's become worse and i haven't known how to cope with it. If you read some of my posts, you will get an insight as to my probs. I try a bit of common sense to overcome some of it, but yes to your answer, for me anyway, it's become worse and that has led me to seek out help from this site. It's wonderful to meet so many like minded people so that calms me down a bit. Take care, stay well and happy today!
my pdoc told me that as we age the manic episodes become less but depression becomes more. Which i thought sounded very grim. Sorry to pass this news on. best wishes limelight
Limelight,
This is true if a person is medicated, but if their bipolar is left untreated, it can lead to progressively worse manic episodes.
You also may be interested to know that more people with bipolar experience depressive episodes than manic episodes. It is rare for people to have more manic episodes than depressive episodes. Rapid cycling and psychosis/delusions are also not "typical" symptoms for many people who have bipolar.
__________________
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
Hi Caren. I also have found that my symptoms have gotten worse over the years. I was diagnosed when I was 22 and now I am 25. Isn't that sad! My episodes are starting to last a LOT longer. Escpecially the depressive ones it seems like. I just can't shake this last episode of depression it seems like.
__________________
Current Meds:
Abilify 30mg
Lamictal 200mg
Wellbutrin xl 450mg
Lexapro 10mg
Ativan 0.5mg, then 1mg at bedtime
Hi Caren. I also have found that my symptoms have gotten worse over the years. I was diagnosed when I was 22 and now I am 25. Isn't that sad! My episodes are starting to last a LOT longer. Escpecially the depressive ones it seems like. I just can't shake this last episode of depression it seems like.
I have the same experience Llama as far as depression is concerned. Now that my rapid cycling is under control, I find that my depressive episodes last much longer since I don't cycle continuously between mania, extreme irritability, level mood and severe depression like I used to (thanks to my new med regimen). You are lucky though in one respect. You were diagnosed early. I wasn't diagnosed until age 35 even though I began to show signs of bipolar when I was 20.
__________________
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; 06-21-2009 at 01:42 PM.
The depressive episodes have definitly been much better controlled--but in my case that's clearly a result of proper medication, finally. I've actually had more issues with hypo-mania in the last few years that I used to, but I think that's because only 2 years post-diagnosis, we're still working on the meds balance. Right now I don't take a typical mood stabilizer, only lamictal, but that may have to change.
Everything I have read says untreated, bipolar worsens over time.
i think mine maybe isnt "getting better" but it really is much better than it was when I was diagnosed at age 13. maybe thats because im so convinced i have a hold of it?
on top of the fact that my therapist told me young adulthood is when it spirals out of control.
sounds like much fun. not.
You may feel better knowing that isn't always true. Sometimes when a teenager or young adult is experiencing mood swings, it's due to the "normal" emotions they experience during the time. Bipolar doesn't help matters, but it doesn't explain everything they go through. I wouldn't worry too much about this if I were you or Llama.
__________________
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
I honestly wouldn't be too concerned since not everything a teenager or young adult experiences in terms of mood swings is due to bipolar. Most of it is, but not all.
__________________
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
on top of the fact that my therapist told me young adulthood is when it spirals out of control.
sounds like much fun. not.
insatiable and llama
all three of my children have experienced different aspects of depression, and with early intervention they are all leading normal lives now and when depression seems to be returning they have the tools and access to my pdoc if necessary. so it is not all doom and gloom.
Hmm, well, I have not been properly diagnosed with bipolar, but my psych thinks I may have it. It runs in my family. I'm having a lot of symptoms of it and it's driving me crazy. My mood changes within five minutes, sometimes. It's very draining. I'm only 16, by the way. But yeah, if I did have bipolar, I'd say it's getting worse.
insatiable and llama
all three of my children have experienced different aspects of depression, and with early intervention they are all leading normal lives now and when depression seems to be returning they have the tools and access to my pdoc if necessary. so it is not all doom and gloom.
iw
iw is right. When I was in my early 20s, I was severely depressed and hospitalized 6 times within 3 years. However, that was a good experience for me because I had access to a pdoc at the time and group therapy where I could talk to others who experienced similar feelings to me. I'll never forget one woman I met while IP who had severe depression and rheumatoid arthritis. Every morning her arthritis would flare up and she would be in the most excrutiating pain, but she never let it bother her and always had something positive to say. In group therapy, the pdoc would ask how she was feeling and her comments would always be along the lines of "My arthritis is really bad today, but I'm not going to give up. At least I'm in a safe environment here at the hospital and can talk to others who understand what I'm going through." She and I developed a very close bond together for many reasons, but one of them was because I suffered from migraines. She had migraines as well, but not to the same extent that I did. She said it was nice to know someone else who understood what it was like to wake up in pain or be in pain all day long and experience that to the point where you couldn't move. Not many people understand what it's like to have chronic pain whether it be from fibro, arthritis, migraines or any other health condition. My point in writing all of this is to say that during my young adulthood, having access to a pdoc and IP treatment helped me in more ways than one. It helped me realize I wasn't alone with my depression and allowed me to bond with her (and another person who had BP). I will never forget either of them. They were very special to me and if it weren't for the person I knew who had BP, I never would have known it existed. In her case, she had BPII, so she struggled primarily with depression and occasional hypomania. I remember her discussing how hypomania made her feel and it sounded like a whirl of confusion. Now I know exactly what she goes through having the experience of being full blown manic and rapid cycling continuously for the past 1.5 years. Sometimes I wish I could get in touch with both of these people because they made such a strong impact on my life, but one of them moved out of state due to her arthritis and the other lost contact despite our many attempts to reach her. I just hope nothing bad happened to her because she was a very special person who inspired me -- they both were and for that, I will always be grateful. There is always hope when a teenager or young adult has BP or any other kind of mental illness. The key is to find others they can connect with whether it be their peers who also have mental illness/BP, a pdoc or tdoc.
__________________
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; 06-23-2009 at 10:58 AM.
