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  #1  
Old Apr 16, 2013, 11:25 AM
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Traveler5 Traveler5 is offline
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I have no idea if I am Bipolar but my Pdoc seems to think that I maybe Bipolar II -- but has made no official diagnosis yet. I know the most common symptoms of Bipolar 2 are:

Hypomania:
High energy levels
Unrealistic optimism
Irritability
Hypersexuality

Depressive:
Sadness
Low energy levels
Cessation of usual activities
Isolation from people

But what are some of the other symptoms/indications, common or slightly less common, of Bipolar 2 that people may not be aware of?

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  #2  
Old Apr 16, 2013, 11:04 PM
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Anneinside Anneinside is offline
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If you google bipolar disorder symptoms DSM you will find scores of sites that list all the symptoms.It is impossible to say which are the common or less common symptoms as everyone is different.
Thanks for this!
Cocosurviving
  #3  
Old Apr 16, 2013, 11:15 PM
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Odee Odee is offline
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Anxiety
Insomnia (Even if you still feel tired.)
Restlessness
Inability to Focus
Disorganized Thoughts
Panic Attacks

These symptoms are "less common" because they are more difficult to distinguish from depression and anxiety (as they are extremely unpleasant.) However, they all involve a sort of activation.

My psychiatrist helped me make sense of my bipolar 2 diagnosis by explaining that it is better understood as major fluctuations in energy. For me, my periods of increased energy are defined by what I wrote above. No optimism, unfortunately.
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Depression, Anxiety, Panic. Med free.
  #4  
Old Apr 16, 2013, 11:20 PM
Eliza Jane Eliza Jane is offline
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A book that helped me a ton was "Why am I still depressed?" by Jim Phelps. Others on here have mentioned liking the book too. Very informative about BP II. I definitely had several ah-ha moments where I saw myself in the book and realized how well the diagnosis fits. It also has info like you are looking for, like things that are correlated with BP II that aren't part of the official criteria but may be clues (e.g., age of onset, reaction to certain meds, etc.)

Good luck,
EJ
  #5  
Old Apr 17, 2013, 01:05 AM
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BipolaRNurse BipolaRNurse is offline
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Dr. Phelps works in the same office with my own psychiatrist, who sometimes consults with him on his BP patients (including me). Even with bipolar II, there's a wide variation in the number and severity of systems, and some people can get by on 1-2 or even no meds, while there are others like me who need 4-5 or more. (Actually, my diagnosis is still in flux, as he won't rule out BP I d/t the relative severity of my manic episodes.)

Some other lesser-known symptoms are psychomotor agitation (where you can't stop drumming your fingers/tapping your toes/shaking a leg etc.) and a feeling of restlessness, like you can't sit still for long or just have a hard time finding a place for yourself. Intrusive, unwanted mental images and thoughts that disturb or distract you. Impulsivity---like when you decide that you're going swimming at three in the morning, neighbors be damned. Gaining or losing weight without conscious effort. Mild paranoia. Free-floating anxiety. The list is almost endless.
__________________
DX: Bipolar 1
Anxiety
Tardive dyskinesia
Mild cognitive impairment

RX:
Celexa 20 mg
Gabapentin 1200 mg
Geodon 40 mg AM, 60 mg PM
Klonopin 0.5 mg PRN
Lamictal 500 mg
Levothyroxine 125 mcg (rx'd for depression)
Trazodone 150 mg
Zyprexa 7.5 mg

Please come visit me @ http://bpnurse.com
Thanks for this!
noneedtoknow, Odee
  #6  
Old Apr 17, 2013, 07:36 PM
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sprik sprik is offline
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Member Since: Apr 2013
Location: michigan
Posts: 235
hey, i thought it was a side effect of the meds shaking your legs, tapping your fingers, i do it constantly, im always moving, it drives my mom crazy, when my kids r cuddling in bed with me watching cartoons they r like quit shaking your foot. My cat in the middle of the night right before im asleep attacks my feet, nothing like jumping out of your bed because u have claws in your toes lol
  #7  
Old Apr 17, 2013, 10:44 PM
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Odee Odee is offline
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Location: Ohio
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Restlessness can be a symptom and it can also be a side effect. Med induced restlessness is called Akathisia. Akathisia - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Although I still get very restless now, prozac made me exactly like you when I tried it -- I got so many jokes about when my legs will ever stop shaking. And kitty cats can be such little turds about grabbing your feet.
__________________

Just a little tree kitty.

Depression, Anxiety, Panic. Med free.
Thanks for this!
BipolaRNurse
  #8  
Old Apr 18, 2013, 12:11 AM
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BipolaRNurse BipolaRNurse is offline
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Member Since: Mar 2012
Location: Western US
Posts: 4,831
My Mickey-kitten LOVES attacking my feet even when they're not jumping around like a frog in a skillet!
__________________
DX: Bipolar 1
Anxiety
Tardive dyskinesia
Mild cognitive impairment

RX:
Celexa 20 mg
Gabapentin 1200 mg
Geodon 40 mg AM, 60 mg PM
Klonopin 0.5 mg PRN
Lamictal 500 mg
Levothyroxine 125 mcg (rx'd for depression)
Trazodone 150 mg
Zyprexa 7.5 mg

Please come visit me @ http://bpnurse.com
Thanks for this!
Odee
  #9  
Old Apr 18, 2013, 08:43 PM
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Anneinside Anneinside is offline
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Member Since: Nov 2007
Location: Minnesota
Posts: 1,276
I have akathisia. My pdoc put me on propranolol for it and it helped a lot. Abilify is the drug that caused it and it stopped it completely until we increased the Abilify from 10mg to 15mg, but the akathisia is mild now.
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