I think I may have Bipolar

A few weeks back, I was diagnosed with depression because of how I have been feeling the last few months. So the doctor prescribed sertraline 50mg. After a few days, I went from feeling really low to a sort of mellow feeling. I wasn’t great but not really bad either. This lasted for about 2 weeks then I crashed. I couldn’t do anything. I felt paralyzed and could barely get out of bed. I stopped going to Uni and going out in general. When I went to see the doctor for a follow up appointment on the same week, she said that it was serious depression so she increased my sertraline dose to 100mg. This was on a Friday, and when I woke up the next day I felt really anxious, agitated and my heart was racing. I couldn’t keep still and I was pacing around a lot. My thoughts were racing and I sometimes got twitches when I did keep still. I still felt really depressed and stayed in bed all day and didn’t want to see anyone. That night I couldn’t sleep and ended up giving up and staying awake all night. I finally slept for about 3 hours in the morning then woke up again. I still felt down but I had to attend a friends get together that evening. I really didn’t want to go but ended up going anyway. To my surprise, I had a really good time. There were drinks and weed so I got drunk but I had a lot of energy for the whole night even though I was on only 3 hours sleep. When I got home at around 6am I took a nytol and slept for roughly 6 hours. After this I stayed up 2 nights in a row, but during that time I was in a good mood and was pretty optimistic, talkative and social but still felt agitated and still couldn't really keep still. It’s the best I’ve felt in a while but I know its not right because I haven’t slept for 2 nights and my appetite has been bad since Saturday. I never felt like eating until I get hunger pains. I called the GP and a doctor told me to lower the dose back to 50mg and see what happens. I also saw a councillor yesterday at my Uni and she suggested I just use a nytol and go to sleep because I wasn’t really thinking clearly and I was tired ect. I then took a nytol in the afternoon and slept for 4 hours and I have been awake since then.

A lot of the symptoms I am having is making me think I have more than just depression. So I started researching and looking into bipolar disorder. I think some of the symptoms I am having maybe linked to hypomania and this may have been caused by the antidepressants. I have also been smoking weed more regularly as the depression got worse and this may also have had an effect.

I have had times in the past during the depression where I do feel better, more social and optimistic but I always end up crashing and spiralling back down. Could this constant up and down mean I have bipolar instead of just depression?

Hello manicmare: Well... I'm no expert when it comes to these sorts of things. But from what you wrote I would say yes Bipolar may be a possibility. But that's really just a guess on my part. The one thing I do know, from personal experience, is that when you start increasing & decreasing med's & changing med's things can get messed up pretty quickly to the point where you have no idea what's causing what. And then throw in the alcohol & the weed & it the whole situation can become a real mess.

I see this is your first post here on PC. So... to PsychCentral… from the Skeezyks! May the time you spend here be of benefit.

PsychCentral is a great place to get information as well as support for mental health issues. The more you post, & reply to other members’ posts, the more a part of the community you will become. Plus there are social groups you can join & chat rooms where you’ll be able to connect with other PC members in real time (once your first 5 posts have been reviewed & approved.) Lots of great stuff! So please keep posting!

You may have some bipolar tendencies.
you may need more time to sort this out with your pdoc.

Welcome to PC!


WC

Hey. Welcome.
It sounds hypomanicy to my non-credentialed layman self. But from what I have read I think AD induced mania disqualifies a dx of bipolar in the DSM (?). Which doesn't really mean **** bc they just put people in these boxes based on symptoms and give it a disorder name. I think it's all on a spectrum.

My one pdoc tried to convince me that if you get manic on an AD it is just the bipolar that was already there coming out. Which sounds like BS to me personally. I may have been hypomanic at other times but not totally sure. So I don't know what name to give my problems. MDD? BP?

All I know is that when a doctor added a mood stabilizer I started to feel better.

Whatever is going on with you, it doesn't sound like the AD is helping. I would go back to your doctor for guidance on what to do. Not sleeping can cause **** to go downhill fast... I'd watch the drinking and drug use, too.
Good luck. Be safe.

Only a professional(s) can diagnose you. Even then they make mistakes. More than one opinion is recommended.
Good luck.

Exactly Right!,

Thanks for the welcome guys. I cut the dose back down to 50mg and my appetite seems to be back now and i have been able to get to sleep as well. So I think the antidepressants probably did have some sort of effect. However I am in a much better mood now and optimistic but I am scared that I may crash again because I've been in this position a few times in the past where I get out of a bad depression for about a week or two then come spiralling back down. So its really confusing for me but I have a follow up appointment with my doctor in 10 days so hopefully I will understand this better.