[lunatic soul]

When I'm hypomanic I feel just GREAT! I have so much energy and very good mood, I'm interested in thousand things, I can laugh everyday for unserious reasons, I can sleep less and do so much things.

Okay I am aggresive and sometimes psychotic but then I just took my meds and become calm.

Do you enjoy your manic/hypomanic times? Do you think it's sickness when you feel like that? (and I don't talk about falling back in depression, yeah, it sucks).

[wildflowerchild25]

It's enjoyable to an extent but lately I don't get euphoria. I just get irritation, agitation, restlessness, etcetera. In march I had a truly harmless hypomanic episode that never got out of hand, never went to mania or psychosis, and that was awesome. But it is a rarity for me and I was foolish for playing with fire. I'm glad you can just take meds and calm down. For me I usually let it get way too far and then I do something stupid before medication can help me.

I would give anything to have a nice benign hypo episode...I would get so much done...but it's not gonna happen that way for me. I have too much negative stress going on right now.

[lunatic soul]

Originally Posted by wildflowerchild25

It's enjoyable to an extent but lately I don't get euphoria. I just get irritation, agitation, restlessness, etcetera. In march I had a truly harmless hypomanic episode that never got out of hand, never went to mania or psychosis, and that was awesome. But it is a rarity for me and I was foolish for playing with fire. I'm glad you can just take meds and calm down. For me I usually let it get way too far and then I do something stupid before medication can help me.

I would give anything to have a nice benign hypo episode...I would get so much done...but it's not gonna happen that way for me. I have too much negative stress going on right now.

I also did many really stupid and bad things but I don't think it's because of hypomania. I doubt it, I'm not sure.
When I am agressive to other people it sometimes feels good and I know it's sick.
The most horrible thing is psychosis, strange but Xanax help me with this (voices and delusions and paranoias).

Sad but hypomanic episodes fade away too fast and when I'm depressed I can't remember how it was to feel like I felt when I had manic episodes.
I gave up all meds everytime I had manic episodes because I thought I'm okay but now I'm taking meds everyday because I'm afraid to do something too bad again.
Anyway I like hypomania. [I hope I won't regret these thoughts after a week].
I drink coffee all the time to get energy more and more.

Do you take any medication and how it helps you?

[Tucson]

When I am hypomanic, I can make decisions with poor judgement. I can be very impulsive. I can understand the consequences of my actions but simply not care. I have learned that feeling europhic is not necessarily a good thing. It's like a high from drugs. IMO both (hypo)mania and drug induced highs can have similar consequences, including the crash that can follow.

[Disorder7]

I think the absolute worse thing that bipolar does is it clouds your judgement. When you're bipolar you frequently make the dumbest decisions.
If it was simply a mood problem, it would be easier to handle.

But it's a disease that can make you lose everything you've worked for and everyone you care about, if you aren't very diligent.
So, what's the problem with being manic? Nothing, I guess. It's the crazy stuff you'll do while being manic that you'll regret later that's the problem.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by Tucson

When I am hypomanic, I can make decisions with poor judgement. I can be very impulsive. I can understand the consequences of my actions but simply not care. I have learned that feeling europhic is not necessarily a good thing. It's like a high from drugs. IMO both (hypo)mania and drug induced highs can have similar consequences, including the crash that can follow.

This is very true and well said. I feel and experience mania similarly, but I usually become hyper religious and have believed that God is letting me experience Heaven on earth instead of thinking it is a drug. It's a wonderful feeling but the impulsiveness and not caring about the consequences (or believing you are free from consequences for me sometimes) make the reality a harsh one.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by lunatic soul

When I'm hypomanic I feel just GREAT! I have so much energy and very good mood, I'm interested in thousand things, I can laugh everyday for unserious reasons, I can sleep less and do so much things.

Okay I am aggresive and sometimes psychotic but then I just took my meds and become calm.

Do you enjoy your manic/hypomanic times? Do you think it's sickness when you feel like that? (and I don't talk about falling back in depression, yeah, it sucks).

I always enjoy my manias; they are unquestionably the highest highs I ever experience. However, the delusions, bizarre behavior, poor judgement, often dangerous decisions, and the imminent sui depression that follow make it miserable to deal with in the aftermath. I definitely think it is sickness. I refer to the times I have been manic, especially if I have been delusional, as as times when I was sick. That is exactly what I was, VERY sick in my head.

[TheWell]

I'm irritable and frustrated when I'm hypomanic. I make impulsive decisions that aren't always best for me. I spend a lot of money...a lot. My debt right now is because of hypomania. I hate the insatiable sex drive and the circular thinking that I can't stop.

No, I don't like it at all.

[Ellie1]

I would give a lot to trade this depression for some hypomania right now.

[LDB1]

Originally Posted by Tucson

When I am hypomanic, I can make decisions with poor judgement. I can be very impulsive. I can understand the consequences of my actions but simply not care. I have learned that feeling europhic is not necessarily a good thing. It's like a high from drugs. IMO both (hypo)mania and drug induced highs can have similar consequences, including the crash that can follow.

I'd have to agree here. In a hypomanic state I have made some of the dumbest decisions. Not to mention that, for me at least, I can go from laughing and enjoying life to irritated in a flash. All it takes is a wrong word from someone. It can be rather confusing to those around me.

Just an example of my poor decision making.... I now own a Gibson Les Paul.......I can barely play. Certainly not well enough to justify an $1800 guitar.

[BipolaRNurse]

I love my hypomania, and sometimes I really miss it (meds have pretty much squashed it out of existence). But it is like playing with fire---oooh, pretty, pretty fire with red and orange crackling flames!---and mine rarely stops at hypomania. So if I want to avoid full-blown mania, I have to prevent the hypomania.

[TheatreKid]

If I could "take my meds and become calm" I would have no problem with hypomania. Mine is not that controlled. It happens whether I am taking meds or no meds. I can't take a pill and fix it immediately, even with a med adjustment it takes DAYS to come down, sometimes more than a week to even out, and I usually crash instead of just becoming calm.

[pawn78]

I guess I am the exception here, but I love being hypomanic. I actually strive for it! I am brimming with self-confidence, extremely energetic and motivated, and I can accomplish huge tasks in that state.

I avoid all delusional thinking, and I have zero debt and no credit cards, and I keep my money in a savings account to avoid blowing it all on hookers and electronic gadgets... So I am ok...

As long as you can keep yourself in control, hypomania is the best. My best accomplishments in life were in manic or hypomanic episodes.

[thickntired]

I never really noticed hypomania until I got sober, and I like it way better than my uber irritating mania. The only problem is sometimes I talk too loud, rapid and strike up conversations with complete strangers. My ADD doesn't help much with the whole train of thought process either. I think I come off as drunk or hitting on people, but at least I live in the south where being overly friendly is still common.

[mitziez]

The feeling good isn't bad, but what it can lead to is.

I do enjoy the euphoria of hypomania but honestly the levels of instability scare me.

I'm on Prozac, Tegretol, and Abilify. Even though these help me, hypomania still from time to time peeks through.

I usually get super tired following an episode. They can be exhausting to say the least.

The experience is similar to mania, just not as long.

I don't miss the irritability, making no sense decisions, anxiety attacks, driving bad, thinking only of myself, etc.

I do however enjoy the energy, the openness to things (I.e., new projects, learning new things), and the invincible feeling.