Is this hypomania?

Hi...I need some feedback from you all...I am newly diagnosed as Bipolar and would like to know if what I am feeling is hypomania or not...here are my symptoms:

My heart feels like it is racing, but it is not (I checked )
I feel like I am on speed
I am talking more than usual, and a bit fast (not super fast)
I have a lot of energy, but it is not directed
My brain feels like it can't slow down
I feel like my body is vibrating or "buzzing"
I feel jumpy, like if someone were to speak to me unexpectedly, I'd jump a mile
Sometimes the energy feels good, at other times it feels "dangerous"
I can't sit still
I am smoking one cigarette after another (not usual)
I feel very tense
When someone is talking to me, it is very difficult to stay focused on what they are saying because my brain is elsewhere.

Whew! I think that's it!

Thanks for any help, I appreciate it!
BPGirl

Hello, these are my symptoms when I am in hypomania! Everything starts to accelerate and rush and I start feeling "a superhero on a mission" all the time while being unfocused and hyper the way you describe it. It usually becomes more and more intense until I feel it is dangerous... when have you been diagnosed and by whom (did you mention those symtoms) and are you taking medication?

Hope you take care
xx

Hello BPGirl,

I think this does sound like hypomania, at least to me. I was reading online somewhere else, a description of it and it sounded like what you were descibing. I was interested because I was feeling like this before I crossed over into fullblown mania. That's when delusions and psychosis set in. Maybe mine was just plain mania to begin with, even though my symptoms were more subtle to start. That's what I'm trying to figure out.....whether I went from one stage into another, or if it was mania in a different form to start with. Arg-g-g-h-h-h! Didn't mean to get so wordy, and I know I really didn't answer anything (I don't think)......but whatever is going on, I'm wishing you all the best.......greylove

Hi there, thanks for answering my post. I was just recently diagnosed (within the last 2 months), but I have had these symptoms many times during much of my life. Of course, I have also had the deep depression that goes with it. I have the depressive symptoms more often than the manic ones, so I was misdiagnosed for years. Anyway, I was diagnosed by my Psych Nurse as well as a Psychiatrist at Butler Hospital. I have just gone through 7 weeks of trying one med after another to bring me out of a deep depression, most of which I had a reaction to. Right now, I am only taking Lamictal, trazadone, and lorazepam prn. I am giving my system a week or two to clear out, and then it will be back on the merry-go-round of meds to keep the depression at bay. Personally, I think we tried too much too fast, and it threw me for a loop. Thanks again, I appreciate your help. At least now, I know I'm not going crazy...course, I'm already there!
BPGirl

Hi greylove:
Thanks for answering my post. Yes, you did help. I was pretty sure what I've been feeling is hypomania, if not mania, and having confirmation from others helps a lot! I hope you find your answers...this is not an easy illness to pin down...everyone experiences it differently from what I'm told. Take care, BPGirl

Yes, I would say you are experiencing mania at this time. You fit the classic qualifications of the DSM 5 for mania. Keep a close eye on it and maybe call your pdoc and let them know. Eventually you will crash and the low will be horrible!

If you can get some mood stabilisers in quickly then you can make the crash a bit better.
See your doc as soon as you can and see if they can go in hard with the drugs

Yes, it's the crash afterwards I hate the most, as well as the feeling of not quite being in control through this phase, as things are just moving too fast.
I experience similar symptoms; for me I consider it to be hypomania, as the changes between that and "normal" are only slight.
Just keep in touch with your pdoc. If you are only on AD's, this can be dangerous. A mood stabiliser will keep the (hypo)mania in check

Yes BPGirl, sugahorse, Skully, and BlackPup are hitting the nail right on the head, at least according to my experience. The mania felt fine and in fact, I went through my first hospitalization completely manic and very nearly enjoying every minute. The first crash followed, as soon as I got home, which put me right back in the hospital for another week. As soon as I was released, I starting crashing further, and I have never experienced anything remotely close to that feeling. Regular everyday depression, yes, but not the depression that followed my mania. I don't ever want to go there again. I guess I'm just saying hang in there. When I got the right meds working for me, the difference was day and night.

Wishing you well,
greylove

When I was17I was hospitalized for8days@charter BHC for2suicide attempts in a month&b4I got there I was soooo depressed but then I became manic there&actually enjoyed it&they were confused b/c I was there4depression. But then they said I was bipolar. I think the reason I refused help4so long is b/c I love being manic. I feel like I can climb mtns&do anything in the world. I don't feel so tired&I talk a lot. I have so many thoughts&I start being more creative, but then it all comes crashing down, shattering like glass&I hate the world, myself&God4making me. I just want2sleep&cry&not eat&sleep&cry some more. Definitly get help cuz when u crash its gonna hurt

Oops, I was saying that BP Girl should get help not u Greylove. I'm happy ur doin well on meds. Seriously, this group has helped me so much&I haven't even started taking anything yet. Its comforting2me2kno other ppl feel like I do&that I'm not just crazy.

It is not unusual for persons who are struggling with BP and depression to swing into states of hypo-mania/mania while getting on medications. Finding the right balance of medicine is difficult because one medicine may treat the mania and another the depression. If one is having a stronger result then you will swing in the opposite direction of the medication. Just do your best to not feed into the swings as best you can. Reduce caffeine intake, get excercise early in the day if you can, eat right and do your best to get good sleep/rest. Don't listen to music that gets you too high and try to find something that will keep your attention for a while if at all possible. I find wood working, making bread, gardening and such are good for focusing that energy into something constructive. Be safe and check back in.

I'm still battling to get stable. And even when I am stable, it's a very fragile type of stable. Hoping my AD's can be upped and I've also been lucky that I've never had mania, and my hypomania is also quite minimal and infrequent.

But BPgirl - we are here to support you and give you advise; unfortunately you do need to take responsibility for your actions and your health, and the advise given here clearly indicates that at this stage you need the intervention of a doctor to help you.

Please sign in and give us some feedback and updates.

I'd like to thank everyone who answered my post. I really appreciate the information and concern everyone has shown. Thank you ALL for your support. This is a great forum. I wish everyone with BP knew about it.

BP Girl

Hi sugarhorse,
Thank you for your concern. I am doing okay. I have "come down" from the hypomania, and am now on the low side, though it is not too bad. I have been seeing a therapist/psych nurse for a while-she is very good. I was recently hospitalized for depression (which had been building for 9 months). It had gotten to the point where I could not function and was having suicidal ideation, though no attempts. My psych nurse diagnosed me as bipolar, as did the psychiatrist at the hospital. I was in the partial hospital program for 6 weeks and in that time we tried as many AD's to bring me out of the depression. Either they didn't work, or I had severe side effects. I finally put my foot down about the AD's. I just think we were trying too much too fast for my body and mind to catch up. I am VERY sensitive to medications. I was discharged from the hospital on Tuesday. The hypomania I described started on Monday evening and lasted until Wednesday. It was gone when I woke up on Thursday. I did tell my doc about it. I will be following up with my psych nurse next Wednesday. Right now I am only on Lamictal (mood stabilizer), Trazadone, and Lorazepam. I am letting my system clear out from AD's for another week, then I will start again with my psych nurse. We will probably also look at a different mood stabilizer. So, you see, I am taking responsibility . I really appreciate your concern. Let me know how you make out with your meds. Hang in there...I'll be thinking of you!
BPGirl

my doc diagnosed me with bp2 hypomania long story short i take 3mg klonopin a day 200mg zoloft & i call my regular exercise my bp med. anyway someone stole some of my klonpns to where i didnt have enough even to take 2 a day to my refill.nothin spazs me worse than my meds gettin messed with the past week ive been in that hypomania with everything posted & by the Grace of God i was able to find some just like what i take to get me thru to doc appt & refill. i tell ya i was movin into psychosis scary awful brain body emotions chemistry all affected not not even funny i dont like buyin pills off street but what do you do when someone puts their sticky fingers in yours??? well i bought no more no less than what i needed thanks for sharing all these symptoms like i said doc diagnosed me with bp2 but now after couple days of regular klonopin dose im leveled back off the stress that comes with the worry of runnin out & havin withdrawals just exacerbates everything even more to the point of i dont know how to explain it

sorry if my post seems confusing i was havin everything bpgirl had & felt like i was crossing over into a psychotic state Praise God that hes so faithful & true. im so humbled & thankful Hes answered a prayer once again (so many answered prayers lately)