Rapid Cycling?

I'm supposed to start Seroquel in a few weeks...how does it make you feel?
Also on lamictal 100mg and zoloft 200mg.

I believe I began experiencing cyclothymia as a young adult. I know what I have now is BP type 2 w/ rapid cycling (3-4 weeks back and forth).
It seems BP2 is tricky b/c some say it's a "mild" form of BP. However, it is actually more lethal b/c the depression is so pronounced. I'm basically depressed half my life since my early 20s.

I always thought I had JUST depression so the Bipolar diagnosis confused me. I exhibit symptoms of Anxiety and MDD mixed together. I should clarify that my moods switch from depression to semi normal with long gaps in between. The "normal" and "maybe I'm starting to get better" feelings only last 1-7 days. I'm mostly in a depressive state. This happens several times in a year. I had a 3 month streak at the end of last year, where I was feeling a lot more positive and starting to get my life back...it went to crap in December and I still haven't snapped out of it. I've had anxiety since I was a small child (memories as early as 4 years old) and depression has always been an on-again-off-again situation.

This is so frustrating because I really, more than anything, want to know what the heck the real problem is so I could adjust my treatment plan accordingly. I know it is trial and error but it has been a year and I'm starting to lose hope.

I've been resistant to many medications my entire life and paradoxically sensitive to high, therapeutic doses of medications.

I barely tried Seroquel for maybe 2 days quite some time ago...but I've tried many other APs. They never worked for me and only made me very ill (think 24/7 flu) and I was disoriented to the point of falling, losing my balance, and my vision going blurry for a few minutes (with perfect vision!). I'm 26 and seriously thought I would need a walking stick if I must be on these meds! It was so intense and I couldn't stand it. All of them did that to me. I have tried Latuda and Abilify and I believe one other. So it is not even that medication is not helping, the problem is my body rejects a lot of them.

My husband was dx'd depressed. We thought his normal mood were well normal. Turns out his normal was hypo/mania. He's felt so much better after the mood stablizer. So just because you have recurring depression doesn't mean your normal is normal.

Miguel's,
I totally want to have Thanksgiving at your house!

I have been having rapid changes in mood accompanied by heightened anxiety and agitation. Then I am more stable in a couple hours.

Anyone have this happen to them?

This is what I was on when I came out of my last depression/mixed state. I added lamictal and now feel bad again. Ditching the lamictal. I wanted the change because of the possibility of kidney and thyroid damage, but a lose dose works for me.

I swear I had a terrible depression 5 years ago and was put on Depakote after hospitilazation and it made the depression so much more severe and the SI unbearable. The doctor told me "there's no way it could be doing that," right before I ended up in the hospital again for attempt.

I feel the same way. I was ramping up week by week and had just gotten to 100 mg. After taking that dose now for 3 days I look back and see the slip started the day I took it at that first dose. Went from normal, slightly up and motivated to back down scared and feeling indecisive/paralyzed again. Not as bad as a month ago, but frightening because it's so soon!!!

I can't say half my life has been depressed, but I agree with you that I think bipolar is definitely not less severe.

The depressions completely cripple but the highs make me feel so alive. And when I'm normal I still have a typical positive bubbly attitude. Not so when the depressive part creeps in and its crashed down my life several times now. Very very frustrating but more and more people in my life are understanding and trying to help.

I am a rapid cycler. I spend two to three weeks in any given mood state (except baseline - that's a rare treat that only lasts a few days when not medicated). I became depressed on April 5 and very quickly developed psychosis which got worse until last Tuesday when extreme stress spin-kicked me into psychotic mixed/mania. I was absolutely hypomanic in the hospital but I played it off as normal which I shouldn't have done because I'm all types of high. But the geodon keeps the psychosis away (a geodon a day keeps psychosis away! New slogan) and keeps the mania down until about noon when it wears off and my head starts unraveling again. Can't take it in the AM because I fall dead asleep three hours later. That doesn't help at work! Damn students would probably cut all my hair off and duct tape me to my chair...

I'm so exhausted by the rapid changes. It sucks. Haven't been on lamictal long enough to see a difference. But enough about me!

My main question is are your mood states triggered by events? Because borderline moods are usual triggered by something while bipolar may not be. My moods are only triggered by significant events such as the car accident I was in or getting into a huge blowup fight with my husband. Otherwise when I'm down something good can happen and it doesn't do anything and when I'm up I just take the challenges and roll with the punches and throw a few of my own.

I'm BP 1 but I have a lot of depression and agitated depression (mixed) and those episodes are completely debilitating. If bipolar II depression is even more pronounced I can't even imagine it. Hugs.

I was diagnosed previously with BP I, and the doc just changed it primarily because of what you just described. I don't know, but I do know the mixed and depressive episodes cripple me.

I wouldn't fit BP II really because I definitely have manic and manic/psychotic episodes, at least one a year. Usually from September to November.