Manic episodes symptoms and conditions

Hi,

I am bipolar and have schizo affective disorder too. My doctor has been working with me for 3 years now trying to find the right med combination to help me. I have tried so many meds. I have been on Seroquel now for about 5 months. I have gained weight, but the one side effect I get from Seroquel, even after being on it this long, is it zonks me out in a huge way. I wake up very late the next day and also feel "out of it" or like a zombie for hours. But, this is the best med I have found to control my bad thoughts and manic episodes. So that is why I am staying on it. My dose is 500mg a day.

I had the Mirena placed Dec.22 2008. Yes it was extremely painful to have it placed. I do not have children but one miscarriage. I did do a lot of research before my husband & I decided this may be right for us. With much disappointment I had it removed last Wed. Jan 14th. I have dealt with depression & bipolar for years and I want to emphasize to anyone dealing with this as well to seriously reconsider. I was quite stable for awhile and as soon as the Mirena was placed I fell apart. I had 3 manic episodes in 3 weeks, no will to live and unbelievably sad. There was no way I could work or function even at home. I see my counselor weekly & my psychologist every other week. We were on top of it and as soon as I had the Mirena removed I started to bounce right back. I was so shocked how awful this made me feel.My gynecologist is going to speak to the drug rep not only to get my money back for the damn thing but to push to have this warning posted. Please take this seriously because if it were not for my support network I don't know if I would be alive to warn some of you of my experience.

Bleeding Gums, Severe Leg Cramping, Yeast Rashes, Sleeplessness, Blurred Vision:

I am a 49 year old woman who was recently prescribed Advair for asthma control. I also have severe allergies. My gums began bleeding almost immediately so I worried that I wasn't rinsing my mouth well enough. I stopped the Advair for a several days since in my mind, that was the culprit. Then my breathing/wheezing/persistent cough came back. So, I started back on my Advair and then started almost immediately having the worst leg cramps of my life. After figuring out that this new symptom correlated to my Advair use, I stopped it again cold turkey. I also am not sleeping over about an hour at a time despite my taking Ambien as well as anti-anxiety meds (I have Bipolar Disorder (Depression alternating with Manic Episodes) as well as Anxiety Disorder). Oh yes, and I developed weird yeast rashes underneath my breasts, on my inner thighs and behind my ears....despite if not being hot at all. I have never had this type of rash before or even been troubled with yeast infections. I also just noticed today that my vision is more blurred when trying to read the guide on my TV (42"). I have had no weight gain...in fact am losing weight..but have been watching what I eat. I don't feel more depressed...in fact, I feel the opposite...kinda euphoric at times..which feels good but can be a step towards mania for me. I decided to do a bit of research on Advair as a cause of the leg cramps...my persistent cough is back but I am afraid to take it now. I guess I need to talk to my allergist tomorrow.

I agree that this drug is of evil. My mother was treated for 3 years on and off long term use for Wegener's Disease. She just tapered off her last dose, the docs are telling her she is done with it, thank the good Lord. She has told her doctor of all of her symptoms, manic episodes, severe depression, hallucinations and just recently the doctor suggested that it "may" be steroid psychosis. My mother inquired if there was some meds that could help b/c over time, it just seemed to get worse. She told her that she wasn't getting enough prednisone to cause this. Wasn't getting enough...when she was first diagnosed, she was given 3000 mg b/c she was near death, after that, each follow-up consisted of 40 plus mg, and I am talking 2 to 3 month stretches...but she wasn't getting enough to cause steroid psychosis??? My mother came to me one day and asked me not to leave my 3 year old daughter with her alone ever and of course I asked why. She told me that she had thoughts of harming those around her, that they would actually play out in her head. Through my tears, I asked my mother if she followed through with these thoughts, would that give her some relief, and she replied yes. At this point, I know it is bad. I have found a site that lists treatments for steroid psychosis and plan on not stopping until a physician agrees to help us. My prayers are with everyone that is experiencing these horrible drug interactions and side effects.

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!

hi everyone, i'm a 36 y.o. male and have been on and off of prednisone for 25 yrs. my experience has always been more positive than negative with taking this drug. it has helped me to breath better and has made me to feel extra healthy and even physically stronger. but i have my suspicions about this drug also. it has given me a false since of good health and i feel like i want to keep taking it just to feel better. i have only taken the drug after an asthma attack for about 5-7 days. early on the only side effect was increased appetite and occasional insomnia. but the last time i took this drug the doctor increased the milligrams and a VERY UNUSUAL side effect occurred that never happened before. I HAD HALLUCINATIONS! i have never had these side effects before and on the leaflet of possible side effects that came from the pharmacist for the very first time i saw hallucinations listed as a possible side effect. the hallucinations were damn near demonic in nature. the experience went like this... i woke up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and on my way to the bathroom i passed my dresser mirror and in the mirror was writing on the mirror in a mist! just like it would be when you get out of the shower and take your finger and write on the mirror. THERE WERE LEGIBLE WORDS ON MY MIRROR! mind you this is in my bedroom and the shower was off! at that point i refused to read what i saw in the mirror! it was weird enough what i saw i didn't need to read it. i refused to be fearful at that point cause i realized i was hallucinating and not getting a haunting. when i woke up later i went back to the mirror and of course no writing in the mirror. IF THERE IS ANYONE WHO HAS EXPERIENCED THIS PLEASE TELL ME YOUR STORY PERSONALLY! MY EMAIL IS ******! i would like to know that i'm not alone in this. to make it easier for me to see your response please type prednisone in the subject box on the email cause i receive a ton of emails and spam. and i would really like to hear other stories and experiences of taking this drug with very weird side effects!

I have been on Lamictal for one week and feel terrible!! I'm using the meds to treat bipolar. My chest feels tight...I am exhausted all day...feel as if I am in a daze...headaches...muscle aches. I don't know if this is just side effects seen in the beginning and will subside with time?? I really feel bad.

About a year ago I started taking birth control. I don't remember what it was called but it was a generic brand. It made me very anxious right off of the bat. It got bad enough that my husband and I even spoke of getting divorced because I was questioning my love for him. Needless to say, I got off of the pills. During this time, I told my OBGYN what was happening and he looked at me like I was some psycho. It took my about 3 months to get back to my normal self.

About 5 months ago I saw the commercial for YAZ and I really wanted to try it. So, last month I talked to my family doctor about it and he prescribed it to me. When I first started, I had my period for 3 weeks! I feel sick to my stomach all the time and I have a headache, but the worst part of all is that I am back to being depressed and anxious. It took me so long to get back to myself after the last pill. I didn't think I was going to have to go through this again! But after what my last doctor did, I am scared to tell my family physician because I think he will do the same thing.

Is anybody else experiencing these side effects or are my doctors right?!

I started taking Lamictal in September 07 for bipolar. Started with 25mg and now on 150 daily. I\ Since being on the medication, I feel like Ive lost my sense of self. I find it difficult to keep a conversation going and i lack creativity, I'm just not as witty and sharp as i used to be. I used to write and draw a lot but i have trouble creating inspiring works like i used to. I sleep away too much and have too many weird dreams.

I never really struggled with bad depression but have had some manic episodes. Lamictal has stabilized me, but i fear too much stabilizing. haven't had any manic episodes, but I feel my self and my life slipping away. Theres gotta b something better out there.

I have read some of the board and would like to know if anyone else has had prolonged side effects after being off Prednisone for almost a year. I think Prednisone caused all my current health problems. Was on the higher dose 5 day plan for a severe inner ear infection. I stopped taking it after the third day cold turkey, which I know was wrong because of blurred vision and stomach distention so bad I thought I was going to burst (almost the same as when I was pregnant). The first 4-6 weeks of stopping it were pure _ ell. So many withdrawal symptoms. I went to my doctor and he said I couldn't possibly be having all those symptoms from the Prednisone since I was only on it three days (but it is the regimen where you take the higher doses/multiple pills in the beginning and then it lowers the dose each day). Every few days it seemed I was having something new happen - heartburn, sweating, headaches. Then my thyroid function began acting up (hypothyroidism) and glands seem to swell with my monthly cycle. I started having a daily dry throat. All my symptoms seem to be on my right side: blurred vision, dry throat, swollen lymph glands, ear pain, groin swelling. It is one month shy of a year when I originally took the Prednisone and nothing has decreased, only new symptoms appear. My doctor keeps treating each symptom individually and won't look at the whole picture. I tried acupuncture and it didn't help. Any suggestions/comments?

I just took my third pill of Geodon. I took Abilify for a week, and I had a couple of really bad manic episodes that would not let up. I felt like shit and yet they were mixed episodes. I just changed to Geodon, and have tried a lot of other drugs (but I wasn't too committed when I was younger). OKay, I feel like I do when I used to use crystal meth. My pupils are huge, i see things out of the corners of my eyes and believe them to be something different than what they actually are. I feel like I'm kind of in my own different world, a different spectrum. I hear kind of echoes and muffled sounds. I'm manic but in an indifferent way as what do you know? Another mixed episode most of today. If I start something, I work hard at it, but feel som indifferent and mixed about everything that in that aspect, I feel like I'm on cocaine. Cocaine always made me feel inbetween good and bad. Id feel one for a minute and then the next. It would make my feelings and stuff teeter totter. Cocaine was not my favorite for these reasons. At the gym tonight, i was superwoman. I did the eliptical machine at 10mph!! Crazy. I feel beat, but awake and meth-like dead. It sucks. Mania was great for my exercising and for ya know, a couple of things, but in general, Im so sick of it. Go away, mania. Go away side effects. I don't know what else to expect anymore and am afraid to stay on it, but dont want to get off if this shitty feeling is only temporary. thanks

Tremendous pain and pressure in eyes. Broken ankle feeling. Sprained wrist feeling. Unnatural headache. Less frequent peeing. Insomnia. Severe fatigue. Depression. Detachment. Anxiety. Crying fits. Nightmares. Manic episodes. Saying wrong words and dropping things from my hand very easily. Confusion while driving in my own neighborhood. Calf pain, as though it were going to split wide open, and at other times as though on the edge of a charley horse, lasting for several hours. Extremely DEEP shoulder pain. Funny taste in mouth. Substantial decrease of appetite. Misc deep and quite disturbing pains in fingers and toes and hands and feet. Strange 'bubbly' sensations under skin. Strange 'wet' feelings (like blood running down) under skin. Sore to the touch 'sunburned' feelings on skin. THIS IS AN ABSOLUTE POISON AND MUST BE TAKEN OFF THE MARKET!!! STILL AFFECTED 3 WEEKS AFTER STOPPING PILL AND COUNTING!!! DO NOT TAKE WITH STEROIDS OR IBUPROFIN OR CAFFINE - MAY LEAD TO MULTI-SYSTEM ORGAN FAILURE!!!!!!!

I have been taking Topamax for over a year for Bi-polar Disorder and Migraine Headaches. My I have been having Kidney problems since January of last year. Grainular type stones and kidney pain associated with the medication. Now the stones would come and go. I am a disabled veteran so I am dealing with the VA for my health care so it is hard to get appointments and proper care to begin with. I have to weigh the benifit vs. the pain. I was told that the tests were fine and that the meds were causing the stones that we have to cut back the medication. It is kidney pain and uninary tract pain, or manic episodes and migrains until I can fined another mood stabilizer that works as well as topamax.

I have been taking Prednisone for 26 days now. I started out with Poison Ivy. My DR put me on 60mg for 2 days, 50mg for 2day, etc. At about day 5, my poison ivy started to resurface & spread. I ended up in the ER on my last day of the original prescription. During those days I didn't really experience many side effects. However, after my ER visit they put me on 60mg for 10days, 50mg for 5 days, 40mg for 3 days, 30mg for 3 days, 20mg for 3 days, 10mg for 3days. Now I have experienced really bad acne on my chest, back, & now my face. (I've never had a problem w/acne before) I understand that is a side effect of the drug and figure it will go away next Saturday when I'm done with all of this. I've also had the insomnia, dizziness, blurred vision, manic episodes, and mood swings. The question I do have is that I have extreme swelling in both of my knees. It gets so bad at times I can hardly walk because I can't bend my legs. Has anyone else experience that?

People taking this drug for seizures are going to have very different experiences then the bipolars, I believe. Pretty much everyone has some weight gain, but not major (10-20lbs).
I was diagnosed as a rapid cycling bipolar, and before this drug, I was completely miserable. I was started on Depakote instead of Lithium due to fewer side effects, and it was a huge sucess.
Moods are stable, manic episodes are gone, sleep is stabilzed, libido is normal, depression is rare. I am 20 lbs heavier, happy, and "normal". I can't say enough good things about this drug.
Bipolars, steer away from the negative comments here and go to the bipolar support sites. You will find almost nothing but positive testimonials about this drug for our condition.

Took Doxycyline for possible Lyme. I am bipolar. I had tightness in the face and mild headaches. Ground my teeth a real lot. Worst was I had anxiety/panic attacks so bad I couldn't work. I lost a lot of money because I was afraid to go on a roof that I built. Doxycyline set off my manic episodes with 24 hours.

user beware!!!!!!!!! bipolar disorder runs in my family, i unfortunately inherited this vicious disease. i was on eskalith 300 mg. 3 times a day. over time the drug did calm down my manic episodes, but as time went on for it took more than a year. my blood sugar started going up, and my triglycerides also went up. my triglicerides shot up too 723 and my blood sugar went up all the way to 496, yes that is correct. to make a long story short, they took me off the eskalith, to try to lower my blood sugar, it has gone down from 496 to about 206. never any lower than 206. thanks to eskalith i'm now a type 2 diabetic, the damage has been done!!!!!!!! there is no reversal of the symptons. i believe the fda should take more time before granting pharmaceutical companies like smithkline the go ahead to put a drug like this on the market. it is not about making money at the expense of the patient, it is about caring for the patient and trying to make him well.

sincerely:

charlie