[Mkrooks1]

My first post was a week or so ago but basically I'm kind of on the verge of being officially diagnosed bipolar II. I started Abilify 11/8 and for the second time it has sent me into massive mania. Got me out of major depressive episode, high as a kite, can't sleep, can't eat, life's great, lost weight , total shopping rampage, blah, blah, blah! Nothing hurting me or my family but a huge high from how I'd been.

Well, I may be slowly floating down. Just lack of food and sleep maybe. I'm still pretty high but I see myself getting edgy and short with people again... Short fused! I'm scared I'm coming down and I'm petrified to go back to that depression again.

Is this what's going on and where I'm heading? Am I coming off my manic phase? I see my doc on 12/18 and I am on the lowest dose of Abilify so at one point when I was really high was thinking about asking for lithium again but now I don't know. Maybe it won't be necessary by the time I get to him!

Any thoughts? I don't want to lose this feeling I have. I don't want it to go away and I feel I am making myself depressed knowing it it coming to an end! Thanks in advance!

[Secretum]

I'm glad you're not depressed anymore, at least, haha. I know what you mean; after a long time in the darkness you want the light. I think that it is interesting that abilify sent you into mania. I've never heard of it inducing mania, but it makes sense that it could because it has strong anti-depressant effects.

I can't tell you if you are coming down from the mania, or if it is just changing the way it presents itself. Sometimes mania is a high energy state with extreme irritability, rather than euphoria, as the key ingredient.

I can tell you this: if you find the right meds, you can go depression-free for a long long time. I didn't believe this, but then I found a good combination. I still got manic and I still got mixed states, but I haven't had any serious pure depression since Aug of 2012. And I never thought that I would get that lucky.

So keep trying! Your life is only going to go up from here.

[Mkrooks1]

Thanks Secretum ~ when I first started the Abilify, I believe last October, I had this reaction. I got quite manic so we started lithium and going over my life history discussed the possibility of bipolar. I got freaked out and decided I didn't need my doctor or lithium or Abilify anymore and took a break for awhile. Well, here I am again!

I know I will get better... after being low for so long that high is such a nice welcome which I'm sure we all know
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Have a great night! Thanks again
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