Hypomania vs Vyvanse Question

Hello! I'm very rarely on here but I thought this might be a good place to check in and get opinions on my current situation.

A little back story:

Long story short, my psychiatrist is insistent that I'm Bipolar (even though the diagnosis happened when I was a child and we can't seem to agree that I've ever had a TRUE episode of mania) but my therapist and myself both believe I just have depression.

I have been feeling a lot better than I have been, because I've been non-stop depressed for almost half a year now. I've had nothing that could considered hypomania for me.

Right now, however, I feel very happy and just overall great. I've been able to focus on all my hobbies again and even keep getting excited at all the different possible hobbies I can try as well. This all started right around when I restarted my Vyvanse for my BED and also started doing light therapy like they do in SAD.

So my question is this: To those of you who experience true hypomania, does this sound like that or does it seem more likely that I'm just reacting positively to my light treatment and the Vyvanse (which always did seem to give me a pick me up due to it being a stimulant).

I understand we're not medical professionals here so I'm just seeking opinions. Thank you all so much!

I was on vyvanse and it wrecked my BP. I was hypo the whole period and when I gave it up I went through a very dark depression from coming down. I'm very against stimulants to treat BP now. Good luck and be careful.

Thank you for the reply! It's being used to treat an eating disorder for me and it helps wonderfully. That's good to know, though, that coming off it put you into a dark depression. I don't remember perfectly but when I had to go off Vyvanse due to not having it anymore is when I started to get lower than I usually do. I appreciate the head's up!

Yea I was on it for my eating disorder too. It helped but it wasn't worth the drama of coming down. I actually got hooked on it and started abusing it. I'd take them all within a week then sleep for days from coming down. I have an addictive personality. I can get hooked on water lol.

Ohhhhhhhh, I see. That's definitely good to know. Thank you for sharing your experience!

I take adderall, and I think it's similar to Vyvanse.
I have bipolar, and the low dose I am on does not interfere with mood swings.
I still go thru big ups and big downs not related to the stimulant.
But, my Dr said to cut back on it if I feel like it's causing me to become hypo or manic. (10mg 2x daily to 5mg 2x daily for example)

What you have described doesn't scream hypo to me. If you start running out and buying tons of stuff to start several hobbies or speaking quick and fast along with what's going on I might think different....what you've described sounds like happiness to me. Keep an eye on things but don't bring yourself down by worrying too much. Enjoy it!

Agree! Stay in the moment and enjoy life. If you start to see deterioration, let your dr know.

I agree with the other posters...just try to keep an eye on it. Stimulants aren't for everyone, but many people do benefit from them. Addiction/abuse/dosage escalation can be an issue, especially with the amphetamines (ritalin, I think, is supposed to be less abuse-able...), but still: if it helps and the adverse effects aren't too terrible, I'd say just keep on takin' it.

I don't think hypomania is always a bad thing, anyway. I think it varies from person to person. Some people get more done during hypomania and enjoy the feeling. Other people have so much irritability and such that they can't stand the hypomanic episodes. I think maybe you should try to avoid over doing the self-monitoring. Its good to be self-aware, its good to be cautious (especially with controlled substances), but not every up and down and in between is an "episode" of any sort.

I agree with ElsaMars... I'm not sure about hypomania. Sounds like normal happiness.

Stimulants are known to cause euphoria when you first take them, but that euphoria usually isn't like a bipolar hypomania euphoria. It's more like what you described-- happiness, motivation, etc

I actually became agitated and paranoid when I took Adderall for the first time. It was a nasty dysphoria. It started off with normal happiness like you got, but quickly (i.e., within 12 hours) made a turn for the worst. (Probably because I was taking Adderall XR as opposed to Adderall IR. IR wears off after 4-6 hrs, but XR keeps going!!!)

Thank you guys! We're still trying to figure out if I really am Bipolar or not so it's highly important for me to be able to monitor everything going on with my moods so I can report back to my psychiatrist what's going on. That way he can see if anything sticks out. I didn't think this seemed like a hypomanic episode, either, so I'm thankful to know that it doesn't seem to just be me. I figured it was because of the Vyvanse, since it's an ADHD medication and meant to help you be focused but I really wanted to get other opinions on it. I appreciate it and will report back with my psychiatrist regardless. Thank you all for the help~