SSRI induced mania?

Have you ever had mania caused by an SSRI? If so was it sudden? Did it involve periods of missing time? Periods of disorientation? Periods of appearing normal? Did you have psychotic symptoms?

Yes, to almost all of your questions. Most all antidepressants made me manic, and very quickly (days or a few weeks). As for appearing normal during mania, not as much, but I suppose there were brief periods that strangers, especially, might not have seen a lot of dysfunction. Longer periods, they would.

During the worst depression of my life, one AD just didn't budge the depression, though at the same time I was on my strongest anti-manic medication cocktail of all time. I ended up needing ECT. On a different version of that antidepressant, at a different time, I did become manic quickly. Or more accurately, manic with mixed features. Sometimes that is what happened, or would be elated, initially, then turn mixed.

"Bipolar Blackouts" are not uncommon at all. I don't remember much, or anything, about half of my 10 past psych hospitalizations. I also had some amnesia of times even outside the hospital. Memory issues often accompany trauma. That includes a type of trauma from severe episodes and psychosis. It need not be a trauma resulting from a typical horrible event.

Most of my bipolar blackouts were surely during psychotic periods, but I wouldn't say psychosis was a must for having them. I haven't taken an antidepressant for about 12 years now. Most were prescribed before my bipolar diagnosis, or in hospitals and IOPs soon after, while also on moodstabilizers/antipsychotics. It became apparent to me and my psychiatrists, that ADs were ultimately more de-stabilizing than helpful.

All told, in the long ago past, I had taken 8 different ADs (3 of which were SSRIs), at times. In all cases, I either quit them because of switches to mania or hypomania, or was taken off them because of dangerous switches. The stimulant Provigil also made me manic. High doses of Lamictal did, as well, in combo with Abilify. Sometimes other moodstabilizers and antipsychotics maybe didn't cause mania, but just didn't curb it, sufficiently.

Have you ever had mania caused by an SSRI? Yes, my first manic episode was caused by Lexapro and the only other SSRI I've been on was prozac which also made me manic.
If so was it sudden? Yeah, within a week I went from depressed to full blown manic.
Did it involve periods of missing time? The first one didn't, the second did.
Periods of disorientation? Yes
Periods of appearing normal? Yes
Did you have psychotic symptoms? Yes, but I had psychotic symptoms before my first manic episode (I technically have schizoaffective not bipolar but I consider them basically the same).

Thanks for the replies.

I discussed this with my psychiatrist today. She thought that I may have had something called serotonin syndrome/toxicity. Another possibility is neuroleptic malignant syndrome. These two disorders are suspected due to the enlarged pupils, tremor, and confusion that I had based on a report by someone I know who witnessed me in that state. - This doesn't seem like mania at all.

My psychiatrist mentioned delirium which seems to explain some things that I did, along with the disorientation that was noticed by the ER physician at the first hospital I ended up at. At another hospital that I was taken to I was treated for an apparent O.D. I ended up there because a security guard at a government building called for medical assistance due to the state I was in. Apparently I walked into the building, wanting to get in to find someone.

I'm puzzled why hospital staff failed to notice while friends, family and my old landlord noticed. It's so bizarre.

I've requested more medical records to investigate what happened. The documents I have now seem to support my psychiatrist's suspicion.

Have you ever had mania caused by an SSRI? Yes, many times in the past, until my psychiatrists simply stopped prescribing them for me.

If so was it sudden? Sometimes, yes. Sometimes it took a handful of weeks.

Did it involve periods of missing time? Manias, themselves, gave me blackout periods - usually fragmentary. Not all manias gave me blackouts, but many.

Periods of disorientation? Probably. Actually, yea, at times.

Periods of appearing normal? Probably, but that would be up to others to comment on. Often I did not appear normal.

Did you have psychotic symptoms? Often I did, but I have had full-blown manias that didn't quite go psychotic. Instead, the other usual symptoms were just severe.

My symptoms came on abruptly. I tried to leave the house around 2 am. Apparently I stated I had to find someone and could barely get dressed.

The next morning I had very dilated pupils, tremors and incoherent speech. An ambulance was called. I have no recollection of this and which hospital I was taken to.

I have a vague memory of being in the ED at a hospital I have never been to. I tried to leave, but a staff member would not let me. Apparently I was treated for an OD with an NG tube and charcoal. -- I suspect they misdiagnosed my symptoms.

When my mother came to the city to investigate what happened, the psychiatrist at the hospital where I was treated for the OD stated I had overdosed, was admitted and discharged a few days later. He told her there was no evidence of psychosis. I have no recollection of being an inpatient at the hospital.

I left all my belongings at the psych unit when I was discharged. I'm not sure what happened after that. I remember getting on a city bus near the hospital and people being concerned about me.

When I retrieved my things from the hospital with my mother, a clerk recognized me. She told me I had a coherent conversation with her about my grandmother, who died 6 months before. I have no recollection of that conversation.

During this time I did and said a lot of things that were not reliable. There was no way I could provide an accurate history. I know staff at one hospital noticed on numerous occasions that I was possibly psychotic and exhibited signs of disorientation.

Why I suspected mania? It was due to a few things I did that were very out of character and bizarre. I also asked people for red wine, a drink I have never liked. Actually I have never been much of a drinker.

It took a few months to recover from this illness.

This was all the medication I was on during that time:

Admission no. 1:

MEDICATIONS ON DISCHARGE:
She will continue the same medication:
Perphenazine 2 mg t.i.d. and 8 mg h.s.
Prozac 60 mg q.a.m.
Trazadone 150 mg h.s.
Cogentin 2 mg b.i.d. p.r.n.

Admission no. 2:

MEDICATIONS ON ADMISSION:
Perphenazine 2mg q.i.d.
Trazodone 50 to 100mg q.h.s.
Prozac 40mg once a day.
Clonazepam .5mg p.o. t.i.d.


60 mg of Prozac????

Is that a lot of Prozac- 60 mg?

Moose 20-80 daily is the normal dose. I'm on 20 my son's on 10.

For me it is. I have a well documented history of being sensitive to medication. I tend to get the same effect with a lower dose than the standard recommended dose. This is also quite common in the elderly.

Quote:

Originally Posted by The_little_didgee For me it is. I have a well documented history of being sensitive to medication. I tend to get the same effect with a lower dose than the standard recommended dose. This is also quite common in the elderly.

if you dont mind me asking, do you have a bipolar dx?

No, I don't. I have been diagnosed with it but when I was on medication. After I stopped all medications the symptoms went away.

I had a hypomanic reaction to Cipralex when I first started it. Only 5 mg triggered it.