I often feel great rushes of emotions when my mood swings are triggered. I can go from sitting normally to spitting mad or feeling ok to sobbing in a short amount of time. Depending on what kind of bipolar disorder you have, this could be your life as well.
Bipolar disorder has many permutations. We all share the same symptoms. The difference is duration, the space between the mood swings and intensity.
I have the most rapid of the types of bipolar disorder called ultradian rapid cycling bipolar disorder. This means I cycle daily. I have had rapid cycling from the beginning of my symptoms. I have dozens of mood swings a year and have been on this pattern since age 19. When I was finally diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995, I received TERRIBLE medication treatment due to the newness of the SSRI anti depressants. We were prescribed them like candy, Prozac, Zoloft, Effexor and ever other one you can think of on the market. They were new and doctors had not done their due diligence. Those of us who had rapid cycling bipolar disorder of the regular kind- defined as two or more mood swings a year, and those of us who had my kind, ultra rapid cycling where we cycled week in and week out were pushed into a new form of the illness. Ultradian.
Daily rapid cycling. I took 23 drugs between 1995 and 1998 and I have never recovered to be honest. My bipolar was fixed into a new form of the illness. This is why I am such a vocal messenger on the dangers of SSRI and SNRI anti depressants for those of us with bipolar disorder. We need more education on the topic.
Here are a few of the facts:
- People with bipolar disorder can never be on an SSRI or an SNRI (Wellbutrin) alone.
- All use of anti depressants needs to be in conjunction with a mood stabilizer. No exceptions.
- If a person is on anti depressants and a mood stabilizer and still has mania, the anti depressant is too stimulating.
It matters where you are now in terms of rapid cycling. If you are the type of person who only has big mood swings every few years, you are not a rapid cycler. If you feel depressed and then ok and then a big manic and then depressed again, you are definitely a rapid cycler. This needs to be discussed with your health care team and has to be taken into account with prescribing.
Changes in our symptoms that are caused by drugs can become permanent. Bipolar disorder is a progressive illness that changes depending on what we put in our body. This can be a positive and it can be a negative! I am careful.
I had no choice in the 90s and I want you to have a choice. Learn what works and what doesn’t.
I absolutely believe in the use of medications, but only with awareness of their possible mania causes properties. The Health Cards are my main treatment plan and I then use medications for what I can’t take care of on my own. Lamictal (lamotrigine) is safe and saved me for many years. I now use lithium orotate for mania. For the majority, Lamictal and lithium will not cause rapid cycling. Yes, drugs can change as you get older. Once again, this can be a positive or a negative. Successful bipolar disorder management is possible. It takes awareness and diligence. You can do it!
