I have also heard that menopause can be hell on bipolar. I'm only 43, so not quite there yet, but not looking forward to it at all. I'm already on disability, so the next step would be spending months in the hospital like I had to after my children were born. Hopefully we can prepare for it better and head problems off before they get out of control.

What I am seeing now though are the cognitive problems. I used to be able to juggle everything with no problem. Work, kids' schedules, finances, housework, all of it. Now I'm having memory problems, having trouble understanding things I've read without having to reread them, trouble organizing my thoughts into a coherent conversation, messing up the checkbook...it's horrible.

As for mood changes, my manias are also becoming more mixed. I've also seen a shift in the depressions to more severe physical symptoms, mostly fatigue. My depressions used to be emotionally painful. Now they're bordering on catatonic - can't move, can't speak, thoughts down to a crawl at best. Not sure where they'll go from here. Hopefully it will be a while before I find out.