[MotownJohnny]

Or possibly in a guy with very mild BP II?

I thought members here would know a lot about drugs and hypomania, so thought I would ask here?

Say a high dose of Prozac, 60 or 80 mgs a day?

Yeah, not gonna lie - I want that. I need to be productive and energetic.

If I take it too far, can I level things out with lamictal?

Yeah, I experiment. Basically all pdocs and big Pharma is doing anyway, it's all a crap shoot, so WTF, why not?

[HowDoYouFeelMeow?]

I've been on such doses and never hypomanic.

[wildflowerchild25]

Celexa did it to me twice, Prozac did it once, but I didn't get a nice mellow hypomania. I got the mixed state from hell. Prozac even gave me psychosis. You're playing with fire if you try to induce hypomania. I would advise against it.

[MotownJohnny]

Thanks- I'm not sure what "hypomania" really is - happy, productive, I guess that is unacceptable to the MH professionals because they are out of patients and don't have a market for the expensive drugs if cheap ones work.

I really don't know "what" I am - more open to the concept I have some BP symptoms.

[MotownJohnny]

Thanks, playing with fire anyway so what's the difference. My self-destructive side says hey, why not. Also, these doctors know squat about how things work anyway, they are just playing with people's lives on the med go round. At lest I'm only gambling with my own life.

[Curious651]

They could. I know celexa had sent me flying. If ya never had it, you will know. It is hard to miss. Only advise I can give is to keep eye on it. Be honest and aware. Good luck.

I have never had a happy productive hypomania, and I don't know any pdoc who would treat that because no one is going to see a mh professional if they feel that good. I only know the agitated, sleepless, poor decision-making, volatile, work at 2 in the morning, quit my job, and make a mess of things kind of hypomania that's followed by stupor and giving up, crawling into a hole. There might have been an initial feeling of happy productive, but it was fleeting.

[jesusplay]

case by case basis

[unaluna]

Somebody on here wrote that he wanted to try it (increase prozac) to get thru finals a while ago. Maybe you can search for that thread.

[Victoria'smom]

I was productive on effexor until I went psychotic and almost hospitalized. So I only had a little while. I was that happy, horny, productive person on Wellbutrin the first Time, second time I almost got myself hospitalized. So I guess.

[Bipolartist]

I have to admit, I agree with you in that I often think that hypomania is a good place to be and I often think there's somewhat of a conspiracy concerning psychiatry and big pharma. But I also agree with the person who said people don't go to the doctor if they are feeling well. Something bad is going on for a person to go to a mental health professional and I don't think a psychiatrist would intentionally mistreat a patient, especially someone with bipolar disorder given the horrible things that can happen (suicide, crime, etc.) when someone is not medically treated properly.

After years of trying many doctors, I can say right now I am lucky enough to have the best psychiatrist and the best therapist ever. My therapist said it best when she said that feeling hypomanic is like dropping a penny into a funnel. it starts spinning, it's cool, you have energy, you're productive... but then it spins faster and faster. Before you know it, it's spinning really fast and it's to a point where you can't stop it and, bam, then you've gone from hypomanic into a more manic phase and didn't even know it. Then (this is just my personal experience, btw) I have to take time off work to see doctors, I start isolating myself at home out of fear of what I might do (party, sex, etc, etc.) Then, anything productive I accomplished while hypomanic is undone when I finally get past the hypomania.

Just put your own good mental health first, above any pressure to be productive or more social or whatever.

[Disorder7]

I was very depressed and thinking about death a lot when my pdoc said he had to flip my mood. I think he intentionally induced mania, starting with just 10 mg of Prozac. But he offset it with Abilify and Xanax, so I wouldn't go totally crazy.

[sideblinded]

Originally Posted by licketysplit

I have never had a happy productive hypomania, and I don't know any pdoc who would treat that because no one is going to see a mh professional if they feel that good. I only know the agitated, sleepless, poor decision-making, volatile, work at 2 in the morning, quit my job, and make a mess of things kind of hypomania that's followed by stupor and giving up, crawling into a hole. There might have been an initial feeling of happy productive, but it was fleeting.

I got to say here that I feel this way right now and I am on Remeron (not an SSRI but an atypical AD). I have what I believe to be AD induced hypomania going on and I don't like it. You have described me to a tee.

I feel out of control...a little and I really don't think I have bipolar as I am not manic when I am off of AD's. If I stop the Remeron I get depressed so I am going to ask my pdoc for Lamictal. I tried Abilify and it made me sleepless and restless.

MDD
GAD

[Alikat27s]

I have been taking Lamictal for years an its worked really well. I have started Geodon in the last month and have been hypomanic since day two. I'm not sure yet if I like that or not.

[~Christina]

Lots of people try to flip moods, Sometimes it works and that's fantastic. Some people try and they get a ride from hell.

I guess the questions you need to also need to think about... Do you have a support system family, friends that can step in and help you is your a hot mess and possible danger to yourself or others and not be aware? Hows your relationship with your Pdoc ? I hav seen a few say they intentionally messed with there meds and their Pdoc discharged them to someone else.. Just a few things to consider.

Stay safe

[wiretwister]

I do not know if i was hypo or not,, but after lexapro I flipped out,,I felt fine but everyone around me saw it, so bad i went inpatient ,,be careful with meds

[Tucson]

My doctor tells me that 5% of people with BP become manic due to ADs. So what are the odds for non-BPs? Probably pretty slim.

Not in a true bipolar way.

[Nammu]

There's allways a chance you can end up in a mixed state, those are hell.

[A Red Panda]

Getting hypomanic while taking ADs doesn't necessarily mean that someone has bipolar. At the same time, not everyone who has bipolar will become hypomanic on ADs.

When I took just ADs, I definitely went hypomanic very quickly.

Motown, you've been struggling since you joined this site with how the pdoc had labelled you as bipolar and how you view having bipolar as being a death sentence and making you a horrible person.

You've been having a very hard time with that, and every time you talk about it you say so many things that are unintentionally cruel to those of us who have bipolar.

Please don't play around with the medications. You're going to mess yourself up more, and if you DO manage to get yourself hypomanic you are going to then become extremely paranoid and agitated about whether or not that one pdoc was right, and you will reset any and all progress you've been making.

So don't. Just don't.