I don't get mania. Well, not pure mania. I get mixed episodes. They do qualify as mania (thus earning me the BP1 label although there's been some NOS talk--whatever, though--it's just a label to me), but they are not happy mania at all--they are insane, psychotic, depressed, racy, energetic, delusional, do a million things, miserable, ya know...that sort of thing.

Wellbutrin was the only anti-depressant that worked for me after trying almost every other one in the book. But I'm also now on two mood stabilizers, so that probably helps combat the manic tendencies with bipolars and anti-depressants. Although SSRIs did cause happy happy mania and in a huge way. What a lovely two weeks..that ended in absolute crisis--every time they insisted I try a new SSRI. And they kept doing it! The dummies. Now they know better. I've been on Wellbutrin for two years with no issues on doses varying from 150 to 300, although it has worked exponentially better once I went on a mood stabilizer. I just resisted the mood stabilizer for a long time, not wanting meds, not wanting to be bipolar, not wanting to be sick or different or to think I could not beat this myself with my own strength or the power of my mind or whatever else.

Ativan worked for me like taking tic tacs. I actually flushed them down the toilet and never refilled them. Valium (no doc will give me this and I don't care to have it) and Klonopin work for me and nothing else. I have an unusual body chemistry, though. Klonopin works immediately in my system. Within a minute, I'd say.

I actually find it exceptionally interesting how different our brains are and how they work and metabolize things. The meds are so hard to get right and so many of us forget we actually do have other things in our toolboxes...but then again, it's easy to do when we are in a bad place.