[cinnamonstick]

Does anyone have rapid cycling? If so, how do you maneuver? Thanks a bunch.

[jaysmotogp]

I do. Not sure i'm catching you on how I "maneuver"
How i work around it, maybe?

[cinnamonstick]

Thanks for responding. No one ever responds to my posts.
Thanks for rephrasing it. How do you work around it?
I truly hesitate to make plans because I am not sure how I will be feeling. I can rapid cycle in a day, do you experience that as well?

[Wander]

I am responding. It is a great question. I too have really bad rapid cycling. Not just the four required in the DSM V but at least 15 and then when mixed it can be several times a day. It can be hell. What I try to do is; first keep safe, second enjoy the mild hypomania's without causing myself or others any trouble, such as cleaning my house, car or organising everything; when mildly depressed I make myself stick to a routine which often helps me out of it. However, once the depression, hypomania or mixed get too much to handle I immediately contact my pdoc to nip it in the bud before it gets dangerous.

I hope that is what you were looking for. I am hypomanic right now so I tend to rant.

[Sunflower123]

I do not but am responding to your post to offer my support. I’m glad you are on the forum.

[Gabyunbound]

I don't suffer from rapid cycling, but wanted to clarify its meaning, as it is sometimes not well defined.

According to the DSM, 'rapid cycling' is 4 episodes in a given year. Anything more, is considered (as I interpret it) ultra-rapid cycling and there's some controversy amongst pdocs and researches as to if this actually exists in Bipolar Disorder, or if it points towards a different diagnosis (such as BPD, but you have to have far more traits than that for this diagnosis, and others).

From what rapid cyclers have posted here, it sounds like it has a special place in hell, so I wish you the best. I think different kinds of therapy can help to learn to stabilize ones emotions and reactions, as well as medication from pdocs. Maybe these, once a good T and good combination of meds are found, can at least lessen the number of episodes.

[jaysmotogp]

Originally Posted by cinnamonstick

Thanks for responding. No one ever responds to my posts.
Thanks for rephrasing it. How do you work around it?
I truly hesitate to make plans because I am not sure how I will be feeling. I can rapid cycle in a day, do you experience that as well?

Yep i definitely know what you mean about the planning thing.
I cant rely on trying anything two or more weeks out, as i usually cant make it past two weeks before i cycle. Longest i’ve gone in in the last year was seven weeks(hypomanic for those seven).
Anyhow, as far as planning it kinda depends on if its work or personnel.
For work i’ve learned (recently) to run with the hypomania and be as productive as possible while i can. When the mixed/crash eventually comes i try to continue dishing out the extra work i had completed while hypo. In other words i sort of store up extra completed work then release it when i’m in the dark place so i look productave to my boss.
I have the luxury of being able to that at my job.
Hope that makes sense.
For personnal stuff, yeah i have not mastered that one yet...i pretty much cave and dont do/plan anything

[BeyondtheRainbow]

I am a rapid cycler but with the right meds it has slowed down so much. Not working helped that a lot too. At this point I'm closer to 4 than 15-20 cycles per year and if I remember right in the last year I've only been bad enough to need med changes 3 times and one of those was anxiety meds because my father is terminally ill and I've been dealing with a lot.

Don't give up hope. It can get better. It took me many years, 40 meds in 70 combinations before I got to this one and it works as well as I think anything will ever work.

[bipolarsojourner]

Rapid cycling sucks. It's so draining to go from high to low and back in a short time. BTW, DSM considers rapid cycling as 4 cycles in a years. Mine were a day.

Meds can play a part at both ends. My rapid cycles were caused by a med reaction. I’m had just changed meds and reversing the change made everything well again.

There is the is the other end. If not coming of a recent med change, a med change could help. There are a number of meds that might be able to help with rapid cycling.

No matter what, check with you psychiatrist or doctor for further help.

[Pookyl]

I rapid cycle ‘x’ number of times per year and usually end up in hospital. When I’m unwell I can also ultra cycle - although with time my meds management has improved and this does not happen often.
I’m no longer afraid to plan (or afraid to go with hubby’s plans&#128512 because I manage my illness well.

[Tryingtobehappy5]

I spent the last two years rapid cycling on doses of meds that were way too low to help me. I would go about 1 to 2 weeks before my mood would change between hypo, normal and depressed.

I didnt make any plans but managed to work by taking naps(head down on the desk with a timer) on coffee and lunch when I was depressed. I always felt like quitting during those times but would be happy that I didnt when the depression was over.

During hypo episodes I just got done as much as I could before crashing and when I would get back to normal I just tried to take it easy.

I am crossing my fingers that my larger doses and added meds(plus staying on them because that and alcohol were contributing to my issues) will stop the cycle because in the last few months I had longer manic episodes ending pretty horrificaly. Finally got a new pdoc who I trust more and she said she believes that it was the meds I was on werent able to control the rapid cycling properly. I was very sure that the rapid cycling was because of the meds and that I didnt even have bipolar. Thats still hard for me to stop thinking but if I get stable longer maybe it will be easier to believe her.

That was way too long, I just have lots to say lately. Anyways what Im trying to say is maybe a med change or increase could help. Do you have a pdoc?

[wildflowerchild25]

When I first jumped back on the bp train (or roller coaster, I suppose) seven years ago, I was rapid cycling. I was suicidally depressed for two weeks, normal for one or two, then hypo for two. It was exhausting. When I started meds it got worse because I would start and stop meds on my own and abuse meds to push myself into hypomania which eventually led to full blown mania (so they tell me, I still have my doubts). I can tell you by stopping and starting meds it just made my rapid cycling worse. I finally decided to be completely led compliant five years ago after a scary episode of psychosis. It took a couple more years to find the right meds but eventually the rapid cycling did stop. Now that I’ve been on the right meds since April and I’m at a less stressful job, I’ve been stable for the most part. Couple episodes of depression here and there but they’ve been short and more manageable.

So, in summation, I do believe with the right meds you can recover from rapid cycling. You just have to keep working with your pdoc to find the right ones and don’t completely trash meds if they’re not working. Talk with your pdoc and adjust accordingly.