[bos314489]

Does anyone know if this is true? I seem to be having more trouble with depression now in my 40s and becoming more med resistant. I had my hormones checked and I am not going through menopause so it is not that. I have been resistant to so many meds but the only thing I haven't tried is a maoi. I am hoping maybe this will be the miracle drug. Right now I am on lamictal and cymbalta. It kept me stable for years but now seems to have stopped working? Any experiences?

God I hope not. I don't think I could handle it if it got worse. But I will keep going on.

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[kaliope]

I don't think age has anything to do with the severity of bipolar. I have read a lot about it and never have I read anything like that. I have been resistant to most meds as well. just started taking Geodon and it seems to be working for me, but even so, I have been more stable these later years than earlier when I seemed to cycle more frequently.

My answer (as an elderly person) is that if you take meds to stabilize your chemistry and don't fool around with poor diets habitually, and set yourself a regular sleep schedule, the illness does "mellow" with age. In fact, it's quite likely that you may be able to feel comfortable and content with just a minimum of medication.

I do believe that it can get worse if a bipolar patient refuses to see a psychiatrist and refuses all efforts at medication to assist with blood brain chemistry.

Did you know that there are cases in which bipolar patients' diets have been so improved that the patient was able to do without meds? That's not frequent, however. Orthomolecular science has the edge on treatment of bipolar illness, in my view. But that's another subject entirely .

Take care.

[TRNRMOM]

Originally Posted by genetic

My answer (as an elderly person) is that if you take meds to stabilize your chemistry and don't fool around with poor diets habitually, and set yourself a regular sleep schedule, the illness does "mellow" with age. In fact, it's quite likely that you may be able to feel comfortable and content with just a minimum of medication.

I do believe that it can get worse if a bipolar patient refuses to see a psychiatrist and refuses all efforts at medication to assist with blood brain chemistry.

Did you know that there are cases in which bipolar patients' diets have been so improved that the patient was able to do without meds? That's not frequent, however. Orthomolecular science has the edge on treatment of bipolar illness, in my view. But that's another subject entirely .

Take care.

i am female, 66, and from reading all that's been posted, i'm gonna say it's an individual issue of whether bipolar gets worse w/age. not once have i ever missed a medication schedule, have read a lot about this bp2 (hypomanic, not depressed), have exercised every single day of my life when i could, eat healthy, know and try to avoid my personal triggers, and have found going thru menopause was a difficult time for my bipolar, and now at 66 sleep has become almost non-existent w/o the help of ambien or seroquel or a benzo. to stop the racing thoughts which are now familiar but almost non-existent 30 years ago. i keep a regular sleep schedule yet i still struggle.

Well, I'm a good bit older than you are, TRNR, so maybe that's the reason I see it as I do. I would say that at age 66 I was still dealing with medications to maintain proper brain chemistry and probably would be now if I hadn't learned what to do about diet and various foods that make bipolar illness worse for some of us.

I see the racing thoughts as a symptom of a hypomanic episode. I see that your
psychiatrist is treating that for you. Good.

Sleep, as one ages, is somewhat dependent on help because the Pineal gland (which controls the production of melatonin) calicifies in many older people. So an elderly person must deal with the reduction of melatonin by supplying the diet with things that boost melatonin or take meds or reduce acidity of tissues and fluids to obtain a more alkaline condition. Insomnia is an almost universal experience to a degree; it's defnitely not peculiar to bipolar illness alone.

Take care.

[Nessa213]

I've thought about this myself and the thought kind of terrifies me. But. In my short time (compared to some) in having the illness (about the last 15 years) it has gotten worse. However, I think it's still an individual case by case basis.

It's a stress triggered type of illness. At least, my episodes tend to be centered around times of extremely high stress. So... I'm just assuming. But it just goes to assume that as you get older the stresses you have to deal with don't stop and they only get worse.

The stress I faced in high school was far different than the stress I faced in college and different from the stress I face as a 30 something mom with a full time job. The stress never really stops... I'd imagine.

Oh, Nessa, by the time you and many others reach retirement age, bipolar illness will long ago have had a cure. Gene replacement therapy will probably be the choice of treatment. How lucky you and others are going to be!

Yes, it got worse for me. Especially depressions in length, depth and frequency. And mixed. I don't so much remember those before. Unmedicated for 25 years may have something to do with it. Kindling is a theory that my life bears out. (Btw, I have no interest in debating it. Just stating my experience.)

[BipolaRNurse]

I've probably been BP my entire life, and indeed had suspected it since my early 40s, but it didn't get completely out of control until a year-and-a-half ago. I was 53. I had my first mixed episode and thought I was going to lose my mind......my PCP refused to treat me and sent me for a psych eval.

To say I was offended would be the understatement of the decade, but he was right, I needed a psychiatrist and badly! Even now, being on 4 different Rx's for my bipolar, I still fight it pretty hard and I think it IS progressing as I get older. However, it's a lot better than it used to be, and I know that without all these pills I'd have been in the state hospital, or even dead by now.

[LucidLucy]

I wasn't diagnosed until I was over 50. Because I was hospitalized twice in two years I had access to numerous therapists and psychiatrists and I asked every one of them how I could reach such an advanced age without having a clue that I suffered from bipolar disorder.

Everyone of them answered that without treatment the disorder will generally get worse with age.

[BipolaRNurse]

Originally Posted by LucidLucy

I wasn't diagnosed until I was over 50. Because I was hospitalized twice in two years I had access to numerous therapists and psychiatrists and I asked every one of them how I could reach such an advanced age without having a clue that I suffered from bipolar disorder.

Everyone of them answered that without treatment the disorder will generally get worse with age.

You too, huh? Glad I'm not the only one to be "the last to know". Everyone else in my family and inner circle had it figured out since I was in my 20s, but didn't know "it" had a name. Now we do, but it was almost too late by the time I got into treatment......I've struggled badly with it since I was diagnosed, and I think it's because I went so long without being treated for it properly.

But, there's hope for me yet; after all, I'm on a fair amount of meds but there is plenty of room to titrate up if the illness continues to progress, and I have an excellent pdoc who's on top of everything.

[ultramar]

I do believe that it can get worse if a bipolar patient refuses to see a psychiatrist and refuses all efforts at medication to assist with blood brain chemistry.


I think this is one reason it can get worse with age, but not the only one. No doubt plenty of people see their psychiatrists regularly and take their meds and despite their best efforts, their condition worsens. I suspect that more often than not, it is not the patient's 'fault' in this respect.

[Arethusa]

Everybody is different because we all have different situations that we have to face and different ways to face them.

Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse

You too, huh? Glad I'm not the only one to be "the last to know". Everyone else in my family and inner circle had it figured out since I was in my 20s, but didn't know "it" had a name. Now we do, but it was almost too late by the time I got into treatment......I've struggled badly with it since I was diagnosed, and I think it's because I went so long without being treated for it properly.

But, there's hope for me yet; after all, I'm on a fair amount of meds but there is plenty of room to titrate up if the illness continues to progress, and I have an excellent pdoc who's on top of everything.

________________________________________

And having a psychiatrist who's on top of everything is a real gift, in my view. That can make a world of difference, and it isn't easy to be one who is on top of all of it in this day and age.
Thanks for this.

[crazymusiclvr]

Originally Posted by bos314489

Does anyone know if this is true? I seem to be having more trouble with depression now in my 40s and becoming more med resistant. I had my hormones checked and I am not going through menopause so it is not that. I have been resistant to so many meds but the only thing I haven't tried is a maoi. I am hoping maybe this will be the miracle drug. Right now I am on lamictal and cymbalta. It kept me stable for years but now seems to have stopped working? Any experiences?

I am only 30 but i think bipolar doesn't get worse which age as much as with STRESS.

[BipolaRNurse]

Originally Posted by crazymusiclvr

I am only 30 but i think bipolar doesn't get worse which age as much as with STRESS.

You may feel differently when you're 50. But you are 100% correct that stress makes bipolar worse!

[BlackPup]

I've read in a number of places that it gets worse with age especially if untreated. I have also heard that comorbitities like BPD get better with age and I have certainly learnt to deal with stress and my emotions better as I have aged so I don't get triggered by that anymore.

Genetic; I hope you are right and that they develop a cure for it during my lifetime, or at least during my son's.