Quote:
Originally Posted by MrsLovett
Hi!
I've never been on the Bipolar board before, but I have been thinking about something for a long time.
I'm not sure how to put it. Thoughts too jumbled in my head. Grr.. I guess what I'll say is that I quite often drink 1-2 cups a day of coffee. that's about it. Soon later, my mind starts racing, I talk WAY too much (I talk to myself a lot too) I get foul mouthed (?), become shaky.. the list goes on. This happens roughly every day. My dad also says that I have a "three-month cycle" where I am happy for 3 months, then depressed for three months, I believe.
I have been officially diagnosed with depression (though after a cup of coffee sometimes I can get quite giggly!), and an Eating Disorder (ED-NOS at the moment... was Anorexia Nervosa).
So, I guess what I'm asking is, is this Bipolar Disorder, or is it just me having too much caffeine? What do you think?
Thank you in advance!
MrsLovett
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While I in no way discount the experience of those who have posted above, my experience is totally different. I am deeply and truly addicted to caffeine. I usually drink between 1 and 2 pots of coffee per day. If I go more than 24 hrs without caffeine I get a migraine headache. I literally can't function without some amount of caffeine.
The thing is, everyone's different. You may be unusually sensitive to caffeine without being bipolar; you may be bipolar and caffeine has nothing to do with it; either way, I agree the first step is to attempt to eliminate caffeine altogether first and see what happens. However, be aware that many other things besides coffee include caffeine. As applies to so much around here, only your doc can give you a really educated evaluation but if are able to cut out caffeine without ill affect it's certainly a good place to start.
Just out of my own sense of curiosity I'd like to know if you smoke since bipolar people are somewhere around 5 times more likely* to smoke than the general population.
No matter what happens, I wish you the best of luck.
*more or less; I forget the exact statistics