[SilentNinjaReader]

Hello everyone and thank you very much for reading this! Possible trigger warning but I'm not so sure.

Recently I was officially diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder Type 2 and Inattentive ADD, and possible insomnia since I take Ambien. I was taken off the Prozac since we at first believed I had depression, and I'm now on Latuda, Lithium, Ambien, Adderall XR, and Ritalin. The problem I've been having lately is that I've been having an increase in suicidal and homicidal thoughts. However, this is strange since Lithium is known for reducing those thoughts compared to other medications based on some studies. It's literally what encompasses most of my thoughts now. As in I'll be in school and just think about it. And my SI urges have come up here and there but I don't act on them. Plus I'm almost always exhausted and refuse to go out on most days. The past couple of weeks have been completely awful. I don't believe I'm going through an episode for I only vividly recall one in which I thought I could practically take on the entire world and then some.

Sorry for the post being long, but my question was, could this tie into the medications I'm taking or could this possibly just be the Bipolar acting up? I'll definitely bring this up to my pdoc but I just wanted to get some input first. Thank you all very much for your time and have an amazing new year!

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[Altered Moment]

Can you tell us all the symptoms you have been having?

Bi Polar II also includes depression. Depression is a very large part of it and the few symptoms you talked about sound like depression. Or it could be mixed state. Bi Polar 2 as opposed to 1 means the manic symptoms are not nearly as extreme. Usually hypo mania.

Personally Lithium would not be my first choice because of the side effects and possible toxicity. Are your blood levels being checked? Personally I like Lamictal. Why Adderall and Ritalin for the ADD?

I only vividly recall one in which I thought I could practically take on the entire world and then some.

This sounds more like bi polar I but it depends on how extreme it was.

I've been having an increase in suicidal and homicidal thoughts. It's literally what encompasses most of my thoughts now. And my SI urges have come up here and there Plus I'm almost always exhausted and refuse to go out on most days.

This mainly sounds like depression. The homicidal thoughts I am not sure about. Maybe mixed episodes or rapid cycling? Most definitely talk to your psychiatrist about all of this. Maybe your pdoc thinks the Latuda will handle the depression side of things. It seems to me Adderall and Ritalin are a little dangerous to throw into bi polar. How do you react to the Adderall and Ritalin? Like does it make you calm and more focused or get you wired???

[SilentNinjaReader]

Thank you very much for the reply! Well my symptoms have just been extreme fatigue, suicidal and homicidal thoughts, increased need for sleep yet it still being hard to fall asleep, and I've had a larger urge to SI but I haven't.

As for the Ritalin and Adderall, I have heard that it isn't very wise to use this along with my currents meds. However, since bipolar patients have a higher chance of having ADD because of the rapid thoughts they have, I believe that this is one of the main reasons I'm on these stimulants. I need both the Adderall XR and Ritalin because I use the XR to last me through the school day and the Ritalin to give me a short burst so that I can do my homework and projects and whatnot. To be honest, I feel like nothing much really happens when I take them, but it's hard to say that considering how the first few days when you start them, that sort of "high" you get is only because they're fresh in your system. So ugh I'm torn and idk what to do.

As for the Lithium, yes my blood levels are being checked. The pdoc said "they're right where I'd like them to be." So I'm just hoping that all of this is just a phase and that it'll all get better soon...

Thanks so much once again!

[Altered Moment]

I am not sure. I was kind of thinking out loud.
I dunno about bi polar and racing thoughts having anything to do with ADD. I have racing thoughts sometimes when hypo manic and I am not at all ADD. I am not saying at all you are not.

I think you should tell your doc everything that is going on and that maybe things are not working so great. If is just a bad spell then maybe you don't want to switch things up. Suicidal and homicidal thoughts, urges to SI, no energy, and wanting to sleep a lot are serious symptoms.

Racing thoughts and ADHD symptoms are NOT the same thing. It is possible to have ADHD and have bipolar disorder, but I wouldn't at all equate the rapid thoughts of bipolar to the distractibility of ADHD. The depressive symptoms you are describing may just be that, a bipolar depressive episode. Meds won't necessarily prevent that from happening unfortunately.

[LastQuestion]

I spent the last year on too high a dose of vyvanse. I wish my pdoc had noticed the relationship between things, taken note of the neuropharmacology of the meds I was on and then had been astute enough to reference that to their psychopharmacology and my 'symptoms'. Sigh.

Too high a dose of an amphetamine, especially chronic administration over an extended duration, can lead to chronic insomnia, thoughts of suicide, unwarranted enmity towards others, depression, dysphoria, adhodenia, rapid changes in mood, a constant feeling of weariness; feeling tired and fatigued but unable to rest, each day more haggard than the last, yet, each morrow body and brain move in protest against the minds want for rest...it's a long list of **** that amphetamine use can cause. Dropping my 50mg dose by 10mg made a huge difference. By the end of the week the change was stark. Now that Im at ~30mg I've started to feel somewhat tired at night, able to get to sleep earlier than before. All those 'symptoms' I had were induced by an amphetamine. That you are on two of them is... I think whoever Rx'd you two amphetamines and then prescribed ambien for sleep, and then proceeded to add more drugs to treat 'symptoms' does not have your best interests in mind.

[jacky8807]

This pdoc to me is scary. What he is prescribing to you is not a healthy or normal combo
Be careful!

[SilentNinjaReader]

Thank you so much for the reply guys and I readily agree with all of you! I'm only saying what he has told me here so I'm not so sure about the facts myself. I do however believe I have inattentive ADD considering how awfully hard my concentration issues have been since even before I was diagnosed to when I was really young, like 9 or 10 or so. I will most definitely be having a conversation with him about this! These symptoms are unbelievable and you have all seemed to help me see it even clearer and know that something is definitely up. Thank you guys so much!

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