Mixed state, how long does your mixed state last?

How long have you been having mixed state, and how long does that episode last?
Also for rapid cycling, same question??
What meds have helped you the most?

I´ve been rapid cycling/ in a mixed state for almost a year now... with anxiety and panic attacks as well...
Not one day off, no balance, good days and bad ones...mostly bad ones.
exemple for mixed state: hyper and anxious in the morning, irrateble, angry....a bit depressed during the afternoon and then back to hyper in the evening with racing thoughts and can´t fall a sleep. Rapid cycling- same thing but one day hyper, next depressed or few days hyper and some depressed.
It sux. I would give my left arm to get some days off, days of balance...

you just described me...thankyou.....i cannot do that pb

I survive...I take a mood stabiliser...stuffed if I know what it does?

the rest of me is just pure stubborn.

I understand the missing soul....the personal vacancy MASSIVE pain in the butt!

the world is nuts...it really is..

comparisons help when you get them right ...

dm

I've had very few mixed episodes, but they're gawdawful, and would choose depression over it. The worst 1 I had, I was as hyperactive as hell,with the determination of a pitbull. At the same time, suicidal and heartbroken for no reason,with tactile hallucination (bugs on my skin) anxiety that caused me to rip out some hair, thoughts going a 1000 mph, just for fun.I was a very angry person, angrier than usual. Lasted about a week, being at both ends of the pole at once, SUCKS! meds dont help those...

Oh, rapid cycling, I usually do that, was worse when I was medicated 3days hypo, 3 days depressed, 1 day even. When I quit my meds, I was ultradian cycling for 2 months, few hours up, few hours down, with no normal in between. Well maybe my mood was normal in my sleep Right now my cycle has slowed down ALOT, I cant even pin down a pattern for you... I just ride these out, while practicing kicka s s self-care, so cant speak of meds and such. I know how it sucks tho, and how exhausting it is

Last spring, my mixed state lasted three weeks. Right now, four and a half weeks and counting. Struggling big time. Weekly appts. with my p-doc. We've tried a lot of meds and are still trying to figure it out. Feeling exhausted and discouraged, though I try to "fake it till I feel it" hoping that will somehow snap me out of this. So far though...mixed state hell.

My mixed states always last longer, though I don't have a time frame. Usually I'm mixed first, then depressed, then hypomanic, then back into mixed. When I'm mixed I'm sad, irritable, yet racing thoughts and I feel like I'm jumping out of my skin, though I have no motivation to do anything.

I use to be really bad before I started taking lamictal five months ago. It has helped very well with my hypamania but not so well with my depression but I find my depressive episodes are less heavy...so I can deal with it but I do get those odd days where it can be quite bad. My depressive moods can be either in the morning or afternoon. I have a switch and it goes on and off each day so there's no predicting. But in between these states I have normal moods which are amazing and I don't take for granted!!!!

I'm also on abilify 10mg for my delusions and hallucinations...but have really bad episodes every so often

Hope this helps somewhat

Keep living it strong everyone!

I'm now convinced that I've been predominantly in a mixed state or cycling in and out of states including mixed states for the past year and a half. Intense depression and anxiety, mostly. Helped immensely by lamictal. ADs and anxiety meds did nothing.

I wondered if there was anyone else like me out there or if I was the only one like that. Now I don't feel so alone. I take Topamax for a mood stabilizer, been on it for about 10 years, and 20 mg of Celexa in the morning and 45 mg of Remeron at night. It kinda helps. I'm better than I used to be.

My last one lasted probably for six months ( I wasn't on any meds then) and it was hell. I hated it. I was so depressed but sped up and chatty enough that everyone thought I was hilarious.

Anyway, I basically became a drunk, booked a one way ticket to Asia, crashed hard and moved to aus where I finally got myself diagnosed.

I think sodium valproate is meant to be good for mixed / rapid cycling. Works for me

I am so glad that I found this thread. I know that others suffer the mood swings, racing thought, rapid cycling. I've been dealing with this, for various lengths of time for years. It just kicks my ***. I can't find anythubg to distract me ski Havre to fake it until I make it. It feels like its never going to ease up so that I can breath. I really need a break. So glad to hear other peoples experiences. I don't feel like im alone. Need to Learn to cope better. Thanks. This sound silly bit I so need a hug.

It's hard for me to say how long they last. I can shift pretty fast, within hours. I think I'm always cycling. I don't think I ever stop. I think I used to stop, when I was younger. I mostly had depresion. But now I think I'm mostly a combo of mixed and cycling so rapidly I can't tell where the tail ends and the head begins, if you see what I mean.

I think I have maybe one day breaks occasionally.....

but, I think I'm less manic manic and more hypo most of the time. I would say I probably have more of a mania swing two or three times a month and then a constant low laying depression under it....

I'm with Trippin'. Sounds like rapid cycling. Which, of course, sucks. I've had spells of it, but have to say, in going through a month-long mixed episode, found it to be a whole 'nother beastie. It was gawdawful. Massively depressed, and utterly hopeless, but with lots of anger and tons of negative energy. All at once. Add in a couple of full-on melt-downs (not talking flip-outs, no idea how many of those there were) and mix till well-blended. O.M.G. Not sure if I've ever done such near-nonstop scathing rants and muttering at myself (and that's saying something, because that's something I do all the time). Self-loathing was through the roof and the energy made it excruciating. I wanted to crawl out of my skin, rip my brain out and maybe slam myself into a wall at about 120mph. More than ideation and knowledge, you-know-what flashed visually through my mind on a regular basis. It.was.bad.

I'd had bursts of such a state many many times previously. But to have it go on and on? Indescribable.

I don't know how BF managed to not throw me in a cage.

I'd certainly have been safer in one.

As far as meds, I can't help. I was thousands of miles from my psych at the time.

yeah, mixed state causes melt downs. I have a lot of them. 3-4 a month usually. They are terrible. But, I haven't had one in about 2 weeks. I'm really happy about that right now.