Bipolar Support Group

Hi everyone,

Yesterday I was told by the attending pdoc and my tdoc that I'm hypomanic. I still feel hypomanic this morning. (Hence, the reason I'm typing this at 4am) I normally don't experience hypomania, so this is new for me. Approximately how long does hypomania last? I know this differs from person to person, but I'd like to have some idea. Thanks!

For me it lasts about 2 days. Not every single time but 2 days seems to be the norm for me but like you said it depends on the person.

MsMay,

Thanks for your reply! I know hypomania is a milder form of mania, but is it treated in any way? The attending pdoc didn't mention anything about increasing my meds, so I'm assuming that he just wants to let it run its' course. I'm thinking that sooner or later my moods will even out from hypomanic to level.

Post edited by: neondreams, at: 02/18/2009 02:45

I have never had my treated. Sometimes I take a Benadryl to calm and sedate me sometimes. But I have never been treated by a pdoc for it.

MsMay,

What I'm thinking about doing is taking 100mg of Trazodone today so that I can sleep it off. I'm hoping that this will help calm me so that my mood can eventually level out. I don't necessarily mind how I feel, but I worry that it may lead to full blown mania.

My longest hypomanic episode lasted about 5 days. It was during the height of Katrina and I became obsessed with watching CNN (or whatever) 24/7. Watching the devestation just fed the hypomania until after several days I eventually just crashed and passed out.

I was led into that episode by an increase of too much Prozac, so my pdoc cut back my dose to bring me back to earth.

My most recent hypomanic episode caused my pdoc to put me on Lithium, which took care of things in a day or two.

Last Monday and Tuesday I was hypomanic. I was getting europhic brain shocks that felt better than sex! LOL I was hoping it would last longer but it only lasted 2 days. BUT this will be my 5th day without any brain shocks! < happy about that!

When I get hypomanic, I drive everyone around me crazy. I talk too much and too loud, I sing, can't sit still, love everyone. Sometimes im agitated and restless at same time and I hate when that happens. Thank God for klonopin. These high moods don't occur too often over this past yr and when they do, only last a few days. Lately, when I get low, Ive been experiencing spacyness and want to hide.

Over weekend, I was low, don't want to say depressed cause it lasted for 3 days. I mostly experience lows or im balanced.

I've been hypomanic for going on four to five weeks now. I've been feeling most excellent, but maybe that's just a part of my normal mood cycles now! My hypomanias don't turn into anything more serious anymore (I hope), not since going on the Geodon. Geodon levels out my mood so it doesn't get serious (in addition to all the mood stabilizers I'm on) Hypomania used to be a sign of oncoming manias and then the dreaded mixed episodes, followed by denigrating, deep, suicidal depressions. This is usually one of my times of year. In the last several weeks, my sleep has gone down to sometimes 3 hours a night, very disrupted and frustrating, but I've been adding more medicaitions to control that. Last night, I finally got a long sleep, which may mean the end of it. I haven't had a major episode since I went on Geodon and Lamictal over two years ago (lucky me!). In any event, if I don't control it, I still fear that it will lead into a serious episode, so I try to stomp it in the ground with PRN of Risperdal and some Xanax at night for sleeping--I have to get my mind to turn off. Getting proper sleep is key to treating this illness. I get really obssessive when I'm hypomanic and usually write like a madman!

I probably shouldn't have admitted this.

no problem in admitting that here, Uber.

I tend to be hypomanic...few depressive episodes. When it get to where it is becoming a problem, I have to force myself to be in a routine, that as Uber pointed out, that includes resting. Sometimes, I don't sleep but force myself to go in a quiet room and read. It helps me. There are different levels of Bipolar disorder. Mine is a less severe one. My son when hypomanic has to make sure and take his meds, he gets irritable at the end of the cycle.