Lived Experience Forum

[Nikolai]

Hi everyone,

I have been on medication for Bipolar II for about 4 months. I have spent the last week with very low energy levels (the kind I used to experience during depressive episodes) however emotionally I feel fine.

Has anyone else, or does anyone know if you can still have some of the physical characteristics of the episode, with the medication masking the emotional features?

-N

[-karma-]

Hi @Nikolai

welcome to the forums...thought you might like to look at this thread, it touches on medication and managing symptoms.

http://saneforums.org/t5/Our-experience-stories/The-toolkit/m-p/37155/highlight/true#M6235

@MoonGal would be a good person to start a conversation with, given her experience.

I'm guessing that medication is not the 'magic pill' leaving some side effects of an episode, while simultaneously addressing other symptoms. Important to share these observation with your prescribing doctor to monitor, and to establish whether this is the best choice of medication for you.

Best wishes

[Nikolai]

Hi @-karma-

Thank you for the warm welcome, and for directing me to that thread it was very informative.

I think you are right, no magic pill is going to fix all the symptoms. Everything else with this medication combination is great, but I will definitely keep track of it all in my mood journal and discuss with my doctor next visit.

Thanks!

[MoonGal]

Hi @Nikolai (thanks for the intro @-karma-)

I am currently experiencing a pretty heavy duty hypomanic/depressive occaisonally hysterical (hysterical unhappy not hysterically funny) combo of features that probably are caused by a medication I swtiched to a few months ago and extreme stress ansd anxiety because of a situation with my elderly Mum developing dementia and all that entails being her adult daughter and carer. Off to see my Doctor tommorrow for an adjustment of that med or advice on what to do.

Before that I was travelling relatively okay for months. Having been on an anti-psychotic medication which comes with a rather large dose of side effect in low energy but the relief of not having the unrelenting multiple thought threads and relentless self-recriminating chatter going on in my brain all the time has been a huge relief. So I tolerate it for that sake. I am a pretty speedy person most of the time and even with the meds I tend to over acheive, or push myself with the meds to acheive.

I wouldn't call what I experience the physical characteristics of a depressive episode (with out the mental and emotional affects) it feels qualatatively different for me, although as mentioned I am a very speedy person anyway - so even when deeply depressed I don't go to bed and stop moving, you have to drag me kicking and screaming to 'rest' whatever my state.

Others with Bi Polar here may also have more of a similar presentation of symptoms to you and might be able to share their inisghts too. 

Welcome to the Forums, Nikolai. I hope you find good company and advice and info here, I have.

[Nikolai]

Thank you so much for taking the time to give me such a detailed and insightful response @MoonGal

Even just through reading the forum threads of other people I have found an incredible amount of useful ideas. However, more than anything I don't feel so alone in what I experience on a day to day basis which is incredibly comforting.

I find it fascinating (and frustrating) that there is so much variation in the symptoms people endure despite the same diagnosis or medication.

I am very slowly learning to accept that whatever I think or however I feel may not be "normal" (I hate to use the word but can't find a substitute) for most people, but it is for me. And that's just the way it is, and will continue to be. I'm glad that after a spending over a decade fighting it, I am making peace with it.

-N

[MoonGal]

You are more than welcome @Nikolai - I find looking outwards at times like this and trying to share experience, strength and hope helps too.

I had a further thought - I tended to comfort eat when I was depressive, and I have tened to eat more comfort food since beeing on the anti-psychotic meds, so have put on quite a bit of weight - wehther that is because the medication 'depresses' my mood level and a side effect of that is as you say a physical effect of the medication (without the mental effect) I don't know. I was very careful in the first year and a half of being ont his med because I knew massive weight gain can be a side effect. I wouldn;t say my weight gain was 'massive' now so much as steadily rising since going on the new anti-d in february (and it is one that is supposed to not be a weight gainer).

I dunno it just might be too many muffins and jam