Basic description of my rapid cycling bipolar disorder:
I am a rapid cycler. I started out as having mixed states or mix episodes. My first medication was lithium. I now cycle a lot more now than I used to. I can cycle within hours. I can be hypo-manic part of the day and then all of a sudden I become irritable and hard to live with, then comes the depression. I feel like just staying in bed until it gets over. It gets worse when I am off my meds, I can cycle more often. I get very tired and worn out so easily just because of the mood changes. I don't sleep much at night when off my meds, which makes my moods even more tired.
More details about my rapid cycling:
When manic, I get really weird. It drives my mom crazy when I laugh and giggle and I tease a lot. No one knows when my moods will change. People have to kind of walk on eggshells around me. Socially it's the same, just don't know what mood I am going to be in.
Lessons Learned
- I can tell if it's my mood if my moods get really out of control. A bad day I can handle. When it's my Bipolar, I have temper tantrums. I even start hurting myself when I get real bad. When it's just a bad day, I just chalk it up as a bad day. I think it will be better tomorrow. When it's my moods, I look at the day as it's going to be a bad month. I know that when I go off my meds it will be really bad. So for the most part, I try to stay on my meds. That I know really helps.
More I want to share about rapid cycling:
I also have Hypothyroidism which I heard can change Bipolar Disorder into Rapid Cycling. Thyroids also have something to do with moods swings, it causes moods swings too.
My cycles' severity is:
I cycle within twenty-four hours. I guess that is ultra-ultra- rapid cycling, even though when on my meds I can cycle within a day or more.
Over time, my rapid cycling is getting:
I believe that as I age, my rapid cycling seems to get worse. I do seem to get more depression than I used to.
Rapid cycling has kept me from:
It has kept me from making friends. I am afraid to get to know people and it makes it harder to work, because I get paranoid that people are talking about me. I don't trust very much.
