Irritability

So I started tracking my moods over the last 12 days... and I'll continue to do so to see if I actually do have cycles / patterns that may point to bipolar.

Anyway, my primary symptom is irritability. I've had this almost constantly (but some times way more than others) over the past 2 years or so. Life got real tough then, and continued to get more tough. Maybe I'm just burned out on life, or maybe it really is bipolar II.

So I was diagnosed as Bipolar II last week. My psychiatrist told me that you can have irritability has a primary symptom of Bipolar II, with other symptoms hit or miss from the DSM criteria.

My question really.. does anyone else have irritability has a primary symptom? Is it typical to have it almost all the time, regardless of going through an episode? Sometimes it eases up, but sometimes it's terribly bad. I find myself just wanting to stand in a room by myself, everyone annoys / bothers me, even sometimes my clothes on my skin make me irritated. I've found my irritability is WAY worse when I'm in my 'low' times, and it coincides with high anxiety. (So, more depressed mood = higher levels of anxiety / irritability).

Anyone else have this correlation? I've found the two times I've felt super 'up' the past few weeks, the anxiety / irritability went way down. I actually wanted to play with my kids and not want them to get away from me.

I was started on depakote 250... first few days on it I felt like it was a miracle drug... irritability GONE. Now I feel like crap again. Maybe I was just in an 'up' mood and didn't super realize it... and the drug was really doing nothing.

I don't know that irritability is my top symptom but it's up there pretty high and I'm diagnosed as bipolar II. And it does seem worse when I'm down or in a mixed state. I'm inpatient as well. I'm sure my husband is ready to throw up his hands.

Yeah, for me... it seems as if every time I have an 'up' mood where I'm feeling really fantastic... I have zero irritability or anxiety. Actually, the feeling of anxiety (tight stomach eating itself feeling..) is actually still there.. but now just feels like a ball of burning energy and excitement!

But when I'm baseline or depressed, the anxiety and irritability seems proportionate. I was under the impression that irritability would be present only while having an episode of hypomania or depression, but not when baseline.

I'm confused why the depakote worked GREAT for 3 days.... and then now it seems like it's not doing anything. Unless, I suppose I may have just been having a hypomanic episode and was quite 'up' during that time, so I was just naturally not irritable or anxious. Those were a good few days.

With or without BP II, a grinding situation can make for a lot of irritability too. For me it's a source probably as common as that stemming from the BP, so the situation's contribution is something to keep in mind. You're not alone

That your Pdoc said the other symptoms are hit and miss, that's kind of weird. When irritability is the main symptom, a greater number of the symptoms must be present for dx. But the point is they still need to be met. DSM itself is very direct on that. Anyway, I just think that's weird of him.

I don't know if having irritability all the time is typical or not. It isn't for me outside episodes. When you mention the clothes, 2 things come to mind. One, being more sensitive in the senses is one of the signs I might be headed upwards. The feel, the sounds...some clothes are too noisy for instance. Two, it may be that you're an HSP (highly sensitive person). It was something my psych and I explored at one point. It's something you may want to check out.

Personal experience is having irritability in both depression and hypo/mania, but they seem to have a bit different quality to them. In depression it's more a frustrated overwhelm -- more personal, more like a (hate to say this) tantrum feeling -- tired, cranky, overwhelmed. In hypo/mania, it's more external. It's more likely to be lashing out at Other People. They piss me off with their slowness and stupidity. Just something I've noticed, typical or not I don't know.

Wishing you the best in sorting through all this. It takes time and your mood charting is a very good start in the journey, so keep up the good work.

250 mgs of Depakote is a very low dose. I imagine your pdoc will increase your dose gradually over time. It's a blood level med so the dose that you are taking is less important than the blood levels but 250 is not very much to get you to a good blood level.

That's what I thought too.. about needing more symptoms if irritability is the prime symptom. Whatever, I suppose.

Yeah... sensitivity overall is I guess, heightened at some points. When the irritability is very high, and I start feeling the clothes sensitivity, I also get sensitive to sounds as well... sounds bother me, or make me more anxious / irritable. I do feel more overwhelemed / anxious too.

But then again, my family has had a lot of stress lately. So, I guess, perhaps, all the irritability may just be stemming from that. I really HATE that all of this is not so cut and dry... for example, an OBVIOUS "yes" you have bipolar... or "No" you just need to chill out you're fine.

My hypomania expericnes (if that's what they truly are...) do seem to be consistent with hypomania symptoms. Overly giddy, higher energy, usually speeding on the highway, more talkative to people, willing to engage in conversations or do more tasks.... once I even felt a little 'detached' from my surroundings... I felt like I was almost 'floating' through the grocery store as I walked.

Other times I remember just feeling GREAT but just pacing back and forth ... or feeling like I needed to run but just never stop.

Unfortunately, those episodes only come a few times a year, and last for a few hours to a day and a half tops. They're becoming more frequent though. Ever since I took three days of an SSRI and had VERY fast and intense switching of episodes for two days.... the swings seem to be slightly more frequent.

Another possibility is placebo effect. This happens quite a bit with my BF. The first few days, "omg, it's working!", then not. I think it's hope. He wants something to work so badly.

Hopefully, it won't take a ton of time to find good meds for you. But it might. So be prepared for that and try to be patient. That is hard, but important.

(And from post #6 ...) Be careful about SSRIs. True to your experience, they can make you go higher with faster up and downs. Especially if they are not accompanied by a mood stabilizer. Is this a recent event?

Clear-cut answers would be great, we all wish for that, but they're often elusive.

Yes, I've heard the issues with SSRIs and people that are bipolar. First day I took it I had bad brain fog.. not too bad of an issue. Second day I was VERY VERY anti-social, wanted to go hide in a room by myself, found myself standing in a room bymyself just staring at a wall... almost getting so angry and feeling very violent... (not me!)... second day complete opposite... very optimistic... feeling very great and wonderful. I stopped it that day.

Next day I woke up in the middle of the night... feeling like CRAP... racing thoughts.. crazy.

This was in November.

I've bipolar 1 and irritability is a huge problem for me. I seem to always have it to some degree. I'm extra crabby right now.

wow this is me i hate the way all my clothes feel on me now. this happens to me usually 2 or 3 times a year and i'm depressed, i cant sleep so uncomfortable, i cant even stand the feel of my skin touching. im crying then mad then just pissed at the world. no patience for anything. I dont know how my poor husband is still living with me I just wish this would all end

BP2 here and I could have written this, "I find myself just wanting to stand in a room by myself, everyone annoys / bothers me, even sometimes my clothes on my skin make me irritated. I've found my irritability is WAY worse when I'm in my 'low' times, and it coincides with high anxiety. (So, more depressed mood = higher levels of anxiety / irritability)."

Ugh, I have to wear a lanyard at work, it drive me nuts, I cannot wait to leave the gate so I can take it off.

I have bipolar 2 and have only had a handful of episodes of extreme irritability. Having said that, I was put on a new medication a few days ago and am extremely irritated (maybe hypomanic) with everything. I don't know if they are related but it's extremely uncomfortable. I'm sorry you're going through this and I hope you feel better soon.

I only get irritable When I up my Wellbutrin. It helps with depression, but I can angry.

It sucks