signs of crashing after mania

Wondering what the signs are for heading for a crash after a mania episode? .. wondering because i have been full of energy for the past few months .. racing thoughts etc ..
doing things i dont normally do but getting alot done !
It is just i have been noticing this week i am becoming slower and slower .. i try to fight it but is hard... today i had energy for about 3 hrs this morning and then spent the rest of the day .. sleeping and resting .. no energy. totaly opposite than the manic part .. still have lots of ideas but lacking strength to do it all. .. i have had in the past major depression that lasted for three years .. i cannot go there again.. just cant afford it .. am i headed for a crash or will this feeling go away? i was just diagnosed with bipolar 1 and doubted i hd it but now i do know it is what i really have but now i am pretty much convinced.

I know for me personally when i start to crash i get irritable and just want to yell, cry and eat chocolate. my decent into depression usually takes a week or so. my dr has me write EVERY thing down, how i feel, how i sleep, what stress i experienced even how much caffeine i take in everything and after doing this i better understand my triggers and how to kind of regulate these things to help control the highs and lows. hope this is help to you.

I start getting more agitated as I know my high is coming to an end. That's how I know...temper is much quicker.

For me, I can feel the change quite fairly. It's almost exactly like those diagrams, Where theres just two arrows, one going up, one going down. Like, I am going up from depression to mania right now, I could feel myself just completely low just yesterday. (I may be a rapid cycler) like I just wanted to break down and cry my eyes out. Today, i could feel myself in a much better mood, what I would consider just an inch above normal level, not exactly mania though, towards the end of the day I stared to get irritated, so I hopefully will be entering mania soon
I love my mania...most of the time.

thank you for your replies ~
i can relate to the feelings of agitation .
Today i was so high - full of energy - mood was great - so high..
I am beginning to feel like a bouncing ball ..in slow motion.

never been diagnosed with anything other than depression, anxiety ptsd....but wonder....I have been so up for 2/3 days....now just like always...I feel I'm going down again.....

Jin

When I start going down hill I start out by being too quiet, keeping to my self, letting small minute details aggrevate me, no more flowing ideas, start slowwing down, then BANG, I get pissed off over everything and at everyone. I yell at anyone in hearing distance. I have this rage that I have no control over, normally I end up kicking my self in the *** for the way I acted, then comes the depression, boy is that fun,,,,not. But everyone is different and has different meds and conditions that may play off each other. Start trackingyou moods and ups and downs, sometimes that helps, and talk to your doc.--Jen

yea that sounds like what i am feeling or have been feeling too.
i have tons of energy - get alot done in one day - it relaxes me when i am working hard .... but then i get agitated - pissed off easy .. been fighting to slow down feelings but it is hard .. i am fighting to not slow down .. i am afraid if i do i will not get back up and sink into the dark depression.
it is a struggle.
i snap at ppl easy cuz i am tired i spose.. i dont ever mean to hurt anyone though.
klonopin helps alot!
I had some rapid cycling the other day that was driving me nuts .. up down and sideways feeling - all out of sorts but i feel better now/
learning to use mindfullness is helping when i cycle like that.
thanks for your reply!

I also have klonopin for when I need to 'chill out' it does work but only if I take it in time,, I have a tendancy to ignore the signs or tell myself I can handle it with no medsand I always end up with the same result, I need the meds, you'd figure I would learn. One of these days i may just accept myself for who I am deal with it!! I took on the position as a den leader for boy scouts during one of my high ends, I had so many good ideas,so many things we could do, I didn't realize just exactly I was getting myself into until I SIGNED MY LIFE AWAY!!!! I know it is a good thing to volunteer for but it has turned into a full time job and I already work part time. Just and example of the things I do as I start climbing the manic ladder !!! As I start to come back down I wonder where are all these good ideas!!! Anyways sorry i went off on something else.---Jen

ya i can understand about the high ideas and creativeness (is that a word?lol) because during my mania i returned to do childrens ministry at my old church of 10 years! Also planning a Christmas program including signing songs etc.. oh vay!! On top of that a plethora of other activities in mind and doing... i nap in the day for a hour or 2 then up till around 1am then up at 5am and going going and going ..
till i literally drop. Klonopin is good in that my anxiety is way down .. but my mood has escalated. i am not on a mood stabilizer. well lets just say my house will be completly painted and organized inside before too long .
i want to illustrate books - beginning next year so will be focusing on drawing ..if i can sit still long enough..

Free 1,

FINALLY a kindred spirit, that is MY mania! I happen to be going through one now (meds aren't working, SURPRISE, not). I don't mind the mania, wish I could bottle it, I dread the crash that I know is coming. And each one is worse than the one before. I keep telling myself "one more day, I'll finish this and call my doctor" but then I think of something else that hasn't been done since my last mania and then I'll just finish that.

I haven't been painting this time, I just painted the whole inside of the house about a year ago, and when my husband saw me start to organize cupboards he hid the speed painter. I was sitting in the kitchen only two days ago... Everything was out of my cupboards being washed and organized (I cannot find my label maker either, I think he hid that too!), throwing out things I never use (but will surely need tomorrow) and I thought "I bet that I can get this room painted and put back together before he even gets home from work."

I did realize that I simply could not possibly do it in a matter of hours, the paint needs time to cure, but... he's going on a business trip for a week the second week of January, so.... who knows what will happen? Can I help it if someone breaks in the house and repaints my kitchen and diningroom while he's gone?

I know he's just worried that I'll crash in the middle of it, but I've been very diciplined this time, only one room at a time! (I must admit the last one was ugly, I ripped up ...well every room of the house at the same time... got bored, moved on). Throw a little AADD and OCD in with the mania and you have one heck of a party!

He doesn't understand washing and ironing linens that I only use once a year, if that. Hauling out and washing four sets of dishes that haven't seen the light of day since the last time I hauled them out to wash them and put them back in the cupboard. But as I said, dicipline this time, I actually boxed up a set to give to my sister-in-law this time!

In guess you are lucky in one respect that you have a family and a husband. I am divorced and I have the following disorders:
Bi Polar
PTSD
Osteoarthritis in my hip and back
Substance Abuse
Obsession about things
Brain Injury recovery I had a pituitary tumor removed
I just wanted you to know what I deal with every day I am 100% disabled from a brain tumor surgery in 2003 and I will never work again. I don't have many friends close, My roommate and best friend Melissa and I are very close but we have never been sexually involved or dated we have never even kissed maybe one day. The nice thing is we have a kind of thing where one of us knows when the other one is in need or hurting it never fails yet that If I have this feeling I will call her. other than that My medications have kept me for the most part from getting out If i do go out I cant take my pain medications and i have to return in about two hours. I have my care at The VA Hospital. I am in the MISA program for Veterans that have Mental Health/Substance abuse problems and I have a case manager that I work with she gives me assignments to do in order to reach the goals I want to obtain Like dating I looked up the singles church groups and emailed them in regard to the programs they offered so that was part of my homework. I am trying so hard and sometimes the depression wants to win it is very difficult even with Melissa's love and support sometimes I wish she saw me in different way but I know she just considers me a best friend and I am the one that has to accept that I need to get out and date and see what my reaction would be with a different lady and what her reaction is, she is very protective of me in regard to women and who I have contact with because of my brain Injury she knows I can be mislead very easy so I should be grateful for what she is I'm my life and I am I just want to grow and have my own relationship's is not dating right now but she still talks to her old boyfriend every day and all she has to do is tell him to come over And when she was dating him there was a problem he wouldn't go home he would stay for a week at a time.
Frank Duffey

Careful, take care of yourself. If you can get to the doctor now before the crash you'll stabilize and lessen the fall. For me, it's much harder to get to the doctor after the crash.
I can completely relate to how productive you feel right now.
It's a good feeling but it won't last. Good luck and enjoy the Holiday's.

well ... the crash came .
on christmas morning.
woke up in tears
could not talk to anyone without tears.
i was fine the night before - excited - wrapped gifts to music and burned candles .. had everything planned for the morning to go to my husbands aunts for christmas dinner and gifts.
morning came and took it all away..
had no energy.. was totally to weak to do anything.
had not slept but 10 hours maybe in a week.
i woke up .. feeling strange.. then it happened..
i looked at my son and cried - looked at my husband and cried .. talked to ones on the phone and cried .. deep tears and pain all day.
when they al left to go to his aunts house..
my dog woke me up ..
i got up showered.. stayed up .. the tears stopped ..until everyone came home.
my son and his new wife opened their gift ..
my son said he liked it - his fiance did not like it..
cant please her. wont try to. i told them to take it back - get what they want .. my son said no he liked it ..so i said then you keep it.
she was mad at me. (his fiance)
i am ok today - just weak - no enegy - agitated - irratible etc..
my doc and t is out for the holidays .
if this does not go away - scared of depression.