is this mania?

[CAPRICORN1]

Hi all...this past week has been kind of crazy and I think I am in the middle of a bipolar "manic" episode. I have talked to my psych. doc on the phone and he said it sounds like it. Usually I am very down and VERY depressed...for the last couple of weeks I have been jumpy, aggressive, very talkative, overly smiley, optimistic, and confused, and wide awake at the same time. I have been on the most part AF with some mods days. I am trying to do a 30 day AF now into day 4 and realize that I crave the alchohol or think i do to calm my neves down...my meds are...
effexor...150mg
topamax...125 mg
clonapin... .05mg
trazadone for sleep...100mg at night
just started taking hormones...progesterone, and testosterone, but this started before. I am 44 years old, and I am a little scared.

I am taking supps , even gaba and calms forte, ehich is helping me get off the addictive alternatives.

I feel like I am going mental. Yesturday I wanted to reply to so may of the posts here but was afraid what I would say would make no sense...I felt like nobody understandsme...my mind is playing tricks on me. I got into my car and toyed with the idea of getting some wine to calm me down. Instead I got cigs, and I quit in January. I smoked a couple, then went home, and got on here and read and never drank but was sad because I felt like I could not join in.

Today I feel like I wish I just had the problem of being an alchoholic and not having the underlying bipolar thing...it was easier...now I don't know...anyone else relate?

[stillcrawling]

is this mania?

I think you are correct

Hi Capricorn -- I think the added hormones may have triggered this episode... I have bever been diagnosed but have often thought that it applied to me... fuuny I just hung up with the pharmacy as I was filling my hormones -- we finally found the right formula after years of trial and error... sounds like your formula may still need to be tweaked... keep talking to your Dr. and read!

Hang in there! Liz (the one who is aka stillcrawling...)

[CAPRICORN1]

is this mania?

Do you think it may be the testosterone?

[stillcrawling]

is this mania?

Yes --

[CAPRICORN1]

is this mania?

I have been working out alot without getting tired...Is this what guys take like athletes. It is a creme and i have been on it for almost two weeks.

[beatle]

is this mania?

I don't have any authority in this field but it sounds like you are on a lot of meds-- can you try to pare them down so you know what your problem really is?

[beatle]

is this mania?

sorry, last post got sent before i was done. what i meant was that if you eliminate some of the meds, you might be able to find out what the real problem is. but i am not against meds to help you if you need them. it's just good to know what you really need and what you don't. and there are a lot of natural remedies out there, as well-- as i am sure you know.

[sheshe]

is this mania?

I agree with beatle - sounds like a LOT of meds to me. I'd be very careful because you sound like me before I had a psychotic break while on Effexor. If you're very jumpy, maybe seeing things moving out of the corner of your eyes, can't seem to calm down or get a deep breath or simply have too much nervous energy to even sit still for a minute I'd consider talking to your doc about having your serotonin levels checked. There's a thread in the Research board about serotonin syndrome - it's no joke. Good luck - I absolutely know what you're going through and it's no fun; actually it's quite terrifying, I believed I was going to end up committed for the rest of my life and was scared witless.

[CAPRICORN1]

is this mania?

yes, it is scary and i have to start weeding out meds...doc tod me to start cutting back on effexor...i am getting the "eyes wide shut" feeling...i can't get relief from it not even with a drink. i can just cry!

thanx for any kind of help or replies till i can get to see my doc next week....acually he is very booked and we've been discussing it on the phone, but this does not help much because i am doin this home alone...i don't want to end up a nut case...at least i am not drinking like i used to anymore.

cap

[sheshe]

is this mania?

Whoa - a week? UH, thanks doc. Ya know, if these docs had to go through these things they'd be in the office (or hospital) the same day! Be careful how fast you cut down on the Effexor, there's some weird withdrawal symptoms, the biggest one is what peeps who went through it call "brain shivers" - it's an electrical zinging like thing that goes through your head; it was very WEIRD, I had it as I stopped cold turkey. But, it was better than hallucinating and not being able to breathe!

Also, really, if this gets worse take yourself to the ER and tell them to check your levels. If they get seriously out of whack it can be dangerous.

[CAPRICORN1]

is this mania?

Sheshe, thank you so very much...because of you, I looked up serotonin syndrome and yes...as I do have very many of the symptoms, it has put a very deep scare into me...I never thought I might be facing a mental rehab at this point...alchohol rehab was more like it! No, this IS serious stuff.

After I read all I could on the subject I found that I was also on trazodone which is like effexor...these docs will just perscribe anything! To make a long story short...I have been titrating slowly off of trazadone, got off of benzo (clonapin) totally yesturday, went fron (3) 75mg of effexor to (2) this week and since starting this program went from 200mg of trazadone to 50mg last night...I justwant to stop completely with the effexor and traz but know what will happen to my brain...the cut down is starting to kick in I think I am feeling a little less toxic in the brain this morning, although after I read last night felt like i i should have gone to er.

I do think that it is the effexor and the other together and I might owe you my life and I think I need a new doc...sheshe...I think you are my angel...now...how much do I owe you for that session?

P.S.Thank you for sharing your experience with this...it DOES matter.

cap

[sheshe]

is this mania?

Hey - good advice is free!! It's the crap advice and indiscrimate doling out of powerful mind altering drugs that costs $90 a pop!

Seriously, I am not a doctor, just know what my experience was. I do agree that it's shameful the way these drugs are just prescribed with apparently no thought for the side effects - which, by the way, can completely destroy a person! I'm just now getting to where I feel like myself again, after 8 years of slowly declining into something resembling an anxious slug (with a SEVERE drinking problem to boot)!

Since you are on so many meds I really think you should find a doc that can help you get off of at least some of them. I'm taking nothing but supps these days and in general feel GREAT! Still overcoming the drinking (it's NOTHING like it was on the meds) - but I think a lot of that is just habit; besides, it's one problem rather than a myriad of mental difficulties (well, and not being able to breathe!!!). Of course, all of my previous mental health "professionals" simply denied that I could go without the drugs. Guess I should have gotten a clue when my last psych NP told me that a lot of times the way they diagnose bi-polar is to see if you become psychotic on antidepressants!! HUNH?? Make me psychotic so then you can treat me with antipsychotics because I'm psychotic?? :huh:

Whew - ok enough of that!! Am now stepping down from :soapbox:

[CAPRICORN1]

is this mania?

Thanx again Sheshe...I went on some effexor withrawl boards today and got very angry at these people that make and "push" this "sh*t". You know how the withrawl goes...worse than any illegal drug, yet, they can comfortably withdraw you from many street drugs...

I am over being angry now and I must get off of this stuff. It will be hard to find a doc who will not try to push me to another drug...but I do want to try to go all natural with only supps because I haven't for about 15 years...always on antidepressants/anti anxiety and never thought a thing about it because they were perscribed by a doctor which made it o.k.

The stepdown will be tough...and I am prepared to go through very rough patches. I am just glad that I caught this now instead of later. Any suggestions on handling the anxiety are welcome. On gaba, and calms forte and l-glut now.

Hopefully someone else can benefit from reading this too.

cap

[sheshe]

is this mania?

I don't think I'd take the l-glut on top of the antidepressants as it's supposed to help produce serotonin - which is what you sound like you DON'T need right now. Gaba has a calming effect, as well as Inositol. My all time favorite natural anti-anxiety supp, though, is Valerian. I take 2000 mg at night, and if I find myself having some anxiety I'll take 1 or 2 and I feel better after about 1/2 hour.

It'd be great if you could find a doc to help with all of this. When I quit I was only on Effexor and Risperdal (for a very short time - nasty drug!) so am not familiar with the others. The meds and the supps can interact as well and an MD who is open and familiar with them all would be helpful. At the very least I would do some serious research on all the meds you're on and see what you can find about interactions, withdrawal and side effects.

Hang in there - it DOES get better!