Bipolar symptoms and conditions

Wow so this really helped me out today. I have been having issues with my bipolar that started acting up this summer. I had become and stayed manic. Im used to not really having major symptoms and dealing with the depressive side. The mania didn't last very long at all. Well I just went through a huge ordeal and just started meds for the bipolar . They put me on Geodon worst mistake ever. Well here I am been reading up on that and bipolar and all that mess. I just so happen to see Nuvaring info and it just dawned on me I have been on this ring oh since the start of summer. Duh. Well come mid to late summer. I am noticing more and more manic symptoms and episodes. Took myself to a doc in the past month or so and said hey i have been manic for a while, lets get to the bottom of this. Put me on Geodon...which am now off. I hadn't taken any meds in almost 2 years previously. I am so glad I just read the little info on here and come to a conclusion that perhaps the Nuvaring is causing or at least increasing the mania. So I went to NuvaRing's web site nothing talking about Bipolar and such with the ring. So if anyone could direct me to any sites that talk about bipolar and the ring and other hormonal bc, please lead me to them. Thank you so much

Hey, I decided to try Nuvaring about a month and a half ago & this morning I decided to take it out! My skin is normally fine, until this past month I broke out like crazy! I also got migraines from it. I've also noticed that this past month I was depressed, moody and a bit bipolar. My boyfriend also noticed my mood swings. I've also been extremely itchy on various parts of my body, I'm not sure if that's from Nuvaring, but I am not taking anymore chances with this thing! I'm going back to the pill, I never had a problem with it in the first place. Nuvaring just seemed a little more convenient. But I'd rather have my clear skin back, so goodbye Nuvaring. & Good luck to anyone who decides to try it, I hope your body handles the side effects better than mine did!

I have been on Lamictal for about 3 and a half yrs now for Bipolar 1. Overall, I have had a really great experience with the drug. I started with 100mg and then went to 200mg after a year and a half. Now I take 225mg as of a month ago. For about a year and a half I had the acne on my chin and then it went away suddenly (thought it was cutting out dairy from my diet though). I have been extremely fatigued for awhile now. 7hrs of sleep is not good enough for me so I end up taking long naps when I have the opportunity each day- I always want to sleep. I feel stupid and lack focus and motivation. I use to be a social butterfly and now I feel so exhausted when entertaining. I am a personal trainer and am in the business of making others feel better, but I seem to be feeling worse. I have experienced weight gain as well and that is hard for me since I use to be bulimic and have always had poor body image issues. I was on the NuvaRing for 5 months and it made me sooooo depressed so I finally got off that and feel better- don't mix those 2 drugs.
I am going to ask my doctor to take me off of it this week because I am ready to trust God with my mental health. I have a great support system to help me through the tough times and if I want to get pregnant, I have to go off it anyway.

I hate it! My doctor prescribed 1200mg a day. When I followed this dosage for a week (approximately 2 years ago) I was so lethargic, my tongue felt as if it weighed 10 pounds plus it was numb and I was the most unproductive individual! I stopped taking 1200 and started with 600; the same side effects occurred. Now, I take it every few days which really sucks because the manic monster rears its ugly head. At this point, I have to do my own research to find the right medication for my bipolar. I do know that I cannot continue this medication. I thought it was going to help control the severe angry outburst; I've broken one of our ceiling lamps by throwing my shoes. It's like being trapped within myself. I hope any and everyone who posts to this and even those out there that have bipolar, finds the right medication. It is so incredibly difficult not knowing which way my mood will take me; what journey: being ok one minute and the next, feeling terrible.

i had the iud since sept 2006 and had it removed last week. i had felt it the entire time ive had it. id go thru hell with cramping and no bleeding. my weight would fluctuate from 135 to 150 in a matter of days, i haven't been able to get back down to my pregnancy weight of 117. i was so depressed that i tried to commit suicide. id cramp and bleed after sex, during i could feel it sometimes my husband could too. i had migraines that would last for days multiple times a week. my eyelashes, brows and hair has thinned out a lot. my skin is horrid with acne that would last for months with the same break out. i was bloated all the time. i was super moody, didn't have patients for anything or anyone. i am usually a pretty layed back person on mirena i was completely opposite, im surprised my husband hung in there! i was constantly constipated, frequent urges to pee, didn't want to out outside. when i was having it removed, my doctor couldn't find the strings, luckily she found them. my experience with mirena was horrible. i don't recommend it to anyone. after it was removed my stomach felt so much better. wasn't constipated, didn't feel a hard uterus, the pain that would shoot down to my feet stopped. my doctor did tell me i might have a mini period, which i am now. but im telling you i feel a lot better now that it is out of my body. if you knew me while i was using the IUD, you would think i am a different person now. i wish i had never gotten it in the first place...

I have been on Trileptal for about 2 years now at 750 mg. However, Only recently I began to have a lot of hair loss. In fact, I now have a bald patch at my temple. I am only thirty years old, and otherwise in good health. I'm trying to determine weather or not this drug is responsible for my hair loss. I'm extremely reluctant to go off of it because it is the first medication I've taken (for bipolar 2 & insomnia) that has helped. Does anyone know if it could be related?

Since I haven't seen it documented, I thought I should not the constant popping of my ears. It's not unbearable, but I question whether the ongoing pressure is affecting my hearing. Also, perhaps related, I have begun to observe soreness in my right jaw. But I have not had any true inner ear problems, such as dizziness or nausea.

On another note, my short-term memory seems to be affected. I'd be very disturbed by this fact, except that I'm taking the Lamictal for bipolar disorder and the net effect is a higher level of functioning.

I'm happy overall, but it's only been two months. I'm concerned about more serious effects setting in later after reading this page. I should note, however, that certain side-effects have already come and gone, including the runny nose, aching muscles, and a brief scare of a serious rash.

One question: does Lamictal affect the immune system? I've taken two rounds of antibiotics now to beat a sinus infection and bronchitis, and I still have a cough....

I was on zyprexa for nearly 3 years. In that time I became very lethargic and disinterested in everything! I gained over 100 pounds and suddenly was sick all the time. I suffered from involuntary muscle spasms, light headedness and nausea with frequent vomiting. I had a rapid increase in cholesterol levels from a healthy level to an extremely high level. The Doctor ran all manner of tests and could not figure out the problem. After I started suffering heart issues, mind you I was in my mid thirties, he took me off the medication for a couple of weeks to see if that made a difference. Nothing changed! It took losing my job and health insurance to find out that the medication was, in fact, the culprit! I could no longer afford the meds, so went off them. It took 4 months for me to feel "normal" again and I've not suffered this symptoms since, although I've still not lost all the weight!
While I still suffer from extreme manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder, all my friends and family agree they're easier to deal with than the three years as a zombie! There is much of that time frame for which I have no recollection, it;s as though I lost 3 years of my life!

I was thinking about taking YAZ just for the PMS symptoms I am having. I am bipolar and on lamictal but I am not at a high enough dose to where it will help me with PMS symptoms which are as worse as what is described below. I love my lamictal so I will go up to a higher dose before I try YAZ. I have and IUD so it is not for bc. Just for you to try if you are taking this for PMDD. My gyn prescribed 25mg of zoloft one week before your period starts and during your period. This worked great. I was calm, I didn't overeat, I felt normal. The downside is when you stop taking it you experience withdrawal which for felt just like PMS.
So thanks for the postings they helped me decide to try other things first.

My husband ran out before our wedding and couldn't get more till a few weeks after we got back, the first few days were hard, after that if was like he wasn't BiPolar anymore. Against my wish he went back on it, and he seems to be dependent on it. His son's birthday triggers and episode every year, and this year was bad (he lives like 4,000 miles away~ and haven't seen him in 4 months) even then was for the wedding (he was in town for 3 days) He started to take more what was prescribed a lot more. and now he is trying to start taking it normal again however he is taking half the dose. Now he feels like he has NO ENERGY AT ALL! Is this normal?????????

What can I do to help him?
part 2 when he doesn't take it he sleeps like a baby. where as when he is on it he has massive panic attacks and is up on and off during the night.

As a parent of a teenage girl diagnosed with Bipolar I as well as DID, I thought Lamictal would be a great change from Lithium and would contribute to her stability. Imagine my surprise when I saw this happening to my 17 year-old daughter; constant insomnia over the last three months; panic attacks; anxiety; and paranoia, especially at night. Finally, my daughter threw her Lamictal away, and she has been much better since. I don't think folks always are aware that anxiety can be a real side effect of this amazing mood stabilizer, and it's good to be on the look out for it when your kid is taking it. She also claimed it made her more depressed.

Was prescribed Effexor to treat my Bipolar disorder. It worked wonderfully but I gained about 40-50 lbs in about 2 months.

I have been in a monogamous relationship for 3 years so me and my boyfriend have been using condoms for a long long time. I had a scare last month and thought I might be pregnant so after my period finally came in early August, I made an appointment so I could get birth control. My dr suggested the nuvaring (I took the pill about 8-9 yrs ago and I always forgot to take them plus I hated the side effects.) I went home and put it in on August 22. About 4-5 days later I began to have what felt like menstrual cramps, always hot, always tired, and then at night my legs would ache so bad. Not to mention, I had headaches every day and every morning when I ate breakfast I would become nauseous! I also would wake up every night between 4-5am to pee - and it felt like it was a full bladder even when I would pee before I went to bed! Oh, and on September 3 my nerves were so bad that I had bipolar-like mood swings - one minute happy, one minute crying, another minute upset - I had NEVER had this type of anxiety occur before!

After Google-ing "Nuvaring side effects" in the early morning of September 4th, I came across this site. I read all the reviews on this site and removed the ring on September 4 which was 8 days before I was supposed to. Since then I've seen many changes. No more cramps, no more nausea in the morning, no more feeling lethargic and sleepy. I am, however, still getting a headache every day! I guess it will take some time before all the hormones come out of my body.

I feel like I should share my positive experience with Lamictal to balance the negative reviews. I am on it for bipolar II. I sought help because of a mixed state that was causing me to deteriorate to the point of seriously considering suicide. I titrated up on Lamictal from 25 to 50 to 100 and now 200 mg. I started the 200 mg last week, and suddenly yesterday and today, it's like a cloud has lifted. I feel like myself again.

I've had very few side effects. I have the relatively-rare yawning issue--I yawn every few minutes even though I'm not tired. My dreams have been especially vivid, which I actually enjoy. My facial acne seemed to be a bit exacerbated at first, but it's calmed down. I have a couple of small blemishes on my chest and shoulders, which is unusual for me, but it's minimal and responds well to benzoyl peroxide. My weight has stayed the same.

My bipolar has affected every aspect of my life, and I feel more stable now than I have in years. I'm sure there are still rough times ahead, but the relief Lamical has given me is a huge gift. I feel hopeful for the first time in months.

Also, it seems to have increased my libido. Like, a lot. I'm not complaining about that!

This is an evil drug, far more dangerous than most illegal drugs. It ruined my life. I wish I had never been put on it. It was the first drug I, a teenager, was put on, having just been diagnosed with my disease.

I hadn't tried other drugs or other treatments; medical guidelines, I know now, say not to use this drug unless the disease is both severe and other treatments have failed. Well, I hadn't tried other treatments yet, so I shouldn't have been put on this drug. And yet the doctor I was assigned, Dr. Anne Sullivan at the University of Iowa's hospital, thought I needed to be on it, told me it was safe, that it didn't have any side effects, and that I would be completely healthy again in a few weeks.

If I had been told about the side effects, as doctors are supposed to do, according to both legal and medical standards, if my doctor had honestly answered my questions about side effects, I never would've taken it. And I'd advise others to never take this terrible drug. I would rather die than take this drug again.

It did nothing for my disease, but it did give me quite a few side effects, some which, according to the doctors I've subsequently went to, are permanent and long-lasting and there's nothing you can do about them; they're just permanent.

People don't talk about the psychological effects of steroids, but they should; they're serious. And, no, they don't just go away when you stop taking the drug. If the drug makes you bipolar, you're not just going to just go back to being you're regular self. Bipolar disorder, depression, anxiety, these things don't just go away on their own.

I had no problem with mental illness before taking this drug, and yet I'm still severely depressed to this day, part of that, perhaps, is from what the drug did to me, that is, the physical side effects, but part of, I suspect, is just that it changed my personality, like it changed my brain chemistry.

Go here-******to learn about the psychiatric effects of prednisone.

Excerpts:

"Although a powerful therapeutic option, corticosteroids are associated with serious adverse effects, both physiologic and psychiatric. While the somatic adverse effects of corticosteroid therapy (Table 1) have been extensively researched and widely described, the neuropsychiatric adverse effects have received less attention."

"In our literature review, we found that the potential psychiatric adverse effects of corticosteroids span a symptom spectrum from subtle mood changes to full-blown affective syndromes and frank psychosis."

"The most commonly reported corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disturbances are affective, including mania, depression, or mixed states."

"Cognitive deficits, particularly declarative or verbal memory deficits, have been well documented during both long- and short-term corticosteroid therapy."

"More severe cognitive impairment consistent with delirium or dementia has also been described."

"In a case-control study of 20 patients receiving long-term low-dose corticosteroid therapy (prednisone, 7.5 mg/d for >6 months) and 14 volunteers with similar illnesses who were not receiving corticosteroid therapy, Bolanos et al9 found a 60% lifetime risk of corticosteroid-induced mood or anxiety disorder."

"The corticosteroid dosage is the most important risk factor for the development of psychiatric symptoms."

"Psychiatric disturbances can occur at any point during corticosteroid treatment, including almost immediately after initiation and even after cessation of treatment."

"Corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disturbances are common and include mania, depression, psychotic or mixed affective states, cognitive deficits, and minor psychiatric disturbances (irritability, insomnia, anxiety, labile mood)."

"It is important that clinicians in all specialties become aware of the potential psychiatric adverse effects associated with corticosteroids and explain these effects to their patients."

"Which patients will experience corticosteroid-induced psychiatric disturbances cannot be predicted. Dosage is the most important risk factor for the development of adverse effects, with patients receiving less than 40 mg/d at minimal risk, those taking 40 to 80 mg/d at moderate risk, and patients receiving more than 80 mg/d at high risk. Most patients will develop symptoms during the first week of treatment, and more than 90% will develop symptoms by 6 weeks."

Side effects: mixed bipolar disorder/manic-depression, suicidal ideation, cystic acne, scars on my face, panic attacks, severe anxiety, rage, euphoria, sadness, impulsiveness, confusion, memory loss, hard to concentrate and remember, thin skin, delayed healing ability, bruises, premature aging, rapid heart beat, heart palpitations, high blood pressure, higher cholesterol, thyroid disease, sweating all over, itching all over, joint pain, increased appetite, massive weight gain, stretch marks, hormones out of balance now, dry eyes, so dry my eyelids stick to my eyes, so dry I can't wear contacts any more, permanent red eyes, blurry vision, vision worsened, eye pain, eyes sensitive to light, migraines, and yellow skin.

My son is suffering from psychosis because of prednisone. He had severe poison ivy and was given 10 day course of pills that tapered and a shot. Since then he has been in the psych ward for a week , released given respirdal and lithium. After 3 weeks we tried to wean him from the respidal but the psychosis came right back. ;He is 17 and never had any symptoms of psychosis or mania before. He has every symptom now. BTW his psychosis did not appear until he was finished with the prednisone for several days. Will he ever recover?????

Everyone's body is different and reacts to every medicine differently. After experiencing depression for some years i was finally put on an antidepressant (cymbalta). My dosage was continually increased because I wasn't feeling any better. Eventually I changed psychologists and she diagnosed me as being bipolar II and said that anti-depressants have an adverse effect on people who are bipolar. so for about a year and a half i was on 200 mg of lamictal. It worked wonders and i felt no negative side effects other than if i forgot to take my second dose during the day. Eventually i took myself off of it (slowly, in the same fashion that i had started it) and was off of it for about a year. Getting off of it was hard, but eventually i felt ok. Then a year later i felt i needed it again. So after a 3 months of being on it again my doctor took me off of it because i experienced extreme head pressure-to the point that i felt like my head was going to explode. i had a checkup at my regular doctor and nothing was wrong. once i had the lamictal out of my system i felt fine again. well now a year and a half after that, i started the lamictal again in hopes that it would work like it did the first time for me. Unfortunately that has not happened yet. As i write this, my head has so much pressure. I ve experienced headaches on and off for the past 4 days. This is not a common side effect so im not sure whats going wrong.. Has anyone else experienced this or know why that is happening? Anyways like i said the first time i was on lamictal for a yr and a half and i felt fantastic. I would tell people i "loved it"---which sounds silly but when you go from absolutely miserable to feeling alive again and having motivation, that phrase doesnt sound so silly. so take everything you hear with a grain of salt. experience it for yourself because everyone's body is different and who knows, maybe you will feel better on it. I however am stopping this drug tomorrow because of the rare head pressure i experience while on it!

OMG Ladies I guess I am not crazy after all. I been taking Loestrin 24 since March and everything was ok the first 2 months, but then I stopped getting a cycle completely. I don't know why I have stayed on it so long OH and the mood swings my boyfriend thinks I'm bipolar. I decided to do some research and came across this website and wow I have I found some interesting information about this birth control.

I have been taking this since October of last year. not only is it my complete miracle cure, but the side affects vanished long ago. For people who have suffered as long as I can, I'll take some queasiness, horniness, and blurry vision over wanting to die DAILY any time. I love it. Love it love it love it.

Incidentally, I lost my job a few months back and stopped taking it and IMMEDIATELY went back to the worst I ever felt mentally. if you are taking this and would like to stop (or need to cause of lack of ins.) talk to your doctor. My experience with the immediate lack of mood control was awful.

I've been on Lamictal 200mg for a couple of months and let me tell you, I haven't had a f^@#!&g good night sleep since! I am a 33 y.o. male with Bipolar Disorder (hate that label) and I have a "slight" case of paranoia. The drug has allowed me to refrain from acting out on certain impulses, but not suicidal tendencies. OK... now I do have fully functioning parts (one in particular) which worked fine before this drug (you see where I'm going with this?). It SUCKS!!! Let's just say that there are certain things I'd rather not have happen prematurely (I am not laughing). I do happen to be great in that particular category, yet this strips me of any natural ability to fully indulge in such activities. Uuggghhhh... Give me my mojo back or just shoot me!

My psychiatrist started me on Topamax 2 yrs ago for depression from being 75 lbs overweight. Started at 25 mg/day up to 50/day for 2 yrs. Lost 70 lbs and kept off with only minor side effects. Also took 150/day Wellbutrin during this time. (For being kind of a neat freak and washing my hands a lot.- didn't affect my social or work life much) Have slowly started gaining the weight back (+12 lbs). Seem to have built up an immune to the 50/day dosage over the 2 yrs. So he added 25 in the am in addition to the 50 I've been taking in the evening. (1 mo. ago) Having some strange reactions. My memory seems to be taking a real hit. I am a CPA (passed these exams 15 yrs ago) and now I'm studying for the Cert.'d Internal Auditor exams. I am having a great deal of trouble trying to memorize for these 12 hour long tests! I feel fatigued every day. My blurred vision (that requires reading glasses) has gone crazy. I can't read the song book at church at all. And I'm only 47!. I've had acne like bumps all around my nose and face. How could such a slight increase cause so much change? Also sometimes my heart feels like it is going to beat out of my chest. And I'm losing patience w/my 13 yr old son who's pushing my buttons to see how much he can get away with. He seems to sense that I'm not at my best. But if I go off this Topamax and gain back my 70 plds I know I will plunge into a DEEP depression. Has any one talked to their doctor about the possibility of these side effects going away after time? My tingling hands and feet did and my slight hair loss did. And my weight loss is trying to go away but I don't want that. I'm majorly concerned about the memory loss and blurred vision eventually going away. DALIAL

I was on 100 mg Lamictal for about 3 months and all I can say is this medication was a nightmare for me. I do have a history of depression, and have recently been diagnosed for Bipolar 2 (which by the way I believe I am not bipolar and that what I had was extreme stress and anxiety from a high pressure job), anyway the medication put me in the hospital. I was at work feeling OK and next minute carried out on a stretcher into an ambulance. I experienced confusion, more anxiety, hair loss, tremors. I also had seizures at work during the few months of taking the medication. My eyes were rolling back and forth. How scary! I also had sores in my mouth and my doctor said it was probably an infection or tooth problem. I never had these kinds of mouth sores before and surprise surprise they (and all other symptoms) went away after I stopped the medication.

I am only feeling normal now and it has been about 5 months after my hospital incident.

The hospital was very scary as well.

I have two children and I do not need to get all messed up on medication.

I am taking another path now and feel much better these days.

No more Lamictal or any other "Mood stabilizers" for me.......

Hi I've been on topamax for 4 years . Had all the side effects...weight loss,tingling in hands and feet,no memory and speech problems! I was taking 600mgs a day! I take it for epilepsy! I was on the highest dose. my doc then weened me from top. to zonegran 600mgs. It's very similar to topamax. For me it is not helping me as much as the topamax. I think it's a great drug!!!! I did not loose hair, no constipation, no rapid heartbeat for me! I am going back on it . Yes sometimes I would get in a hostel mood and can't spell shit , but for me it's all GOOD !

Have been on Seroquel 300mg for about a month now for management of bipolar. Was combined with Depakote, but the doc discontinued the Depakote. With Seroquel *only*.... Works great for getting to sleep, but. significant weight gain (like 12lbs in 30 days), dry/cotton mouth almost like dehydration, fatigue from simple tasks, mentally foggy during the daytime, loss of emotion, poor motor skills/reaction time, and restless legs. The foggy feeling I attribute to a long half-life with a residual effect carry over to the next day. Before this med, I was manic, but now into a mild emotionless depression which is a dreadful feeling. Saw my doctor today, and he said
to cut the dose to 150mg and said it is a wimpy dose. In my opinion, this
is a horrible maintenance drug for bipolar.

Hello All,
I"m a 50 year old Mother and Grandma who takes Topamax as a Mood Stabilizer for Bipolar Disorder. I took it about 5 years ago and about 6 months after I started taking it I was struck down with debilitating diarrhea, nausea, loss of appetite, extreme weight loss ( 26 pounds in one month ). No one knew what was wrong with me. My psychiatrist actually upped my Topamax dose because I was becoming depressed and having severe mood swings. I was sick for 8 months. I saw a new psychiatrist and he stopped the Topamax because it just was too over medicating at that time and started a different mood stabilizer.

I didn't put 2 and 2 together. I just was happy that the diarrhea and nausea for the most part was gone. I still have nausea frequently but that is from a totally different cause.

In December we discussed that the new mood stabilizer was no longer working so we went back on the Topamax. In April the diarrhea and nausea this time accompanied by vomiting started. I was ready when it started tho even tho I didn't know the cause. I got hooked up with a GI doctor, started probiotics immediately, started eating organic yogurt with as many live active cultures in it as i could find. I would only eat plain boiled rice, boiled macaroni, toast, ripened organic bananas and drink lots of fluid. No gatorade but pedialyte because gatorade has citric acid in it which can be irritating. Pedialyte doesn't. I also drank decaf ice tea with small amounts of sugar.

Now today I read that Topamax can give you diarrhea and if you have a history of diarrhea tell your doctor. Great, just great. Trade my mental health for my physical health but having diarrhea at the most unopertune times does affect my mental health. What am I going to do?

I refuse to take a weight positive mood stabilizer and that is all I'm left with. Like Lithium, Depakote. they will make me as big as a cow. I'd rather have diarrhea to tell you the truth. I don't think I'm gonna tell him.

Missyk10atx