Can high excitement push me into hypo-mania?

[And]

I'm in grade 12 and we were planning a prank day today. It was early evening and we were running around the school throwing streamers and setting up disco lights. I came home and my parents were really just staring at me. I told them that I was going to go buy more meds at 9 pm. My dad says "Be careful driving. This prank day has really got you up there.". I'm not sure if I was excited or hypo-manic. Can high excitement push me into hypo-mania even if my medication is good for average days?

[JennyRN]

Hi And - I have sound sometimes high excitement and hypo-mania can go hand in hand - or it is in fact hypo-mania looking like high excitement - just wait and see if you are still having a high after your prank day is over - I hope this helps

[Sweetest1]

I agree with Jenny. If you're still UP in a few days it's hypo mania, if your not, it was just excitement. The two can go hand in hand though.

[astronaut]

I imagine that it usually works the other way: you have be be hypomanic to get overly excited. But if a death in the family can make one depressed, then I suppose high energy events could make one hypomanic...

[paul m]

Hello And. Certain things will push me into hypomania. Those items or events can over ride my medicine. (unless I'm taking so much that I'm a zombie).

Generally an event or a series of events that can cause an episode are known as triggers. I have one particular activity that I used to do that will immediately send me to the hypomanic side even when taking my medication. I have other activities that may take several days to send me hypomanic. For example if I don't get enough sleep for a week that can trigger a hypo stage even though I'm well medicated.

Could over exitment trigger a hypomanic stage, certainly, given the right conditions and the right individual. Is that what happened to you, I can't say. It could have been just excitment. One of the really difficult parts about this illness is learning which of our activities and emotions are normal and which are brought about by the illness.

I agree with JennyRN, if it lasts than it probably is hypo, if not it is just normal excitment. Take Care. paul m

[And]

Thanks. It's just that I can go from depressed to hypo-manic almost instantly. I've been depressed for months, then hypomanic for weeks. But someday's my mood will change from one to the other in a matter of hours. So I can't really say for sure if I'm depressed or hypomanic. They sometimes happen at the same time. I'm on prozac which is contributing to the quick cycling. I've been weening myself off of it for a while now. When I get really excited or really sad, I'm worried that I'm getting sick again. I might be psyching myself out a bit.

[paul m]

Hello And. You have my sympathies as mood swings are hard enough to control without adding in rapid cycling or mixed states( For anyone who doesn't know mixed states occur when we have symptoms of both mania and depression at the same time).

I tend to rapid cycle myself and if given the right stituation can go from being depressed to manic and back to depressed in an hr or two. I also have a problem with mixed states. Only when I get stuck there it tends to last for weeks.

This really used to happen a lot when I was on anti-depressants(A/Ds). About 30% of people with bipolar cannot take A/Ds at all due to this problem. I can take wellbutrin for a very short time(4-6 wks) before it starts me rapid cycling, but that is the only A/D that I can take at all.

I don't rapid cycle very much anymore, but then I take large doses of two different mood stabilzers and sometimes lorazepam to help control my mood swings. Still, as I said, if I allow myself to get into certain situations, it can be difficult.

Keep fighting and learning, eventully it does become easier to predict what our moods are and what sometimes causes them. If it's any consolation, I also worry about getting really ill again. It hasn't happened to me in a while, but it is a normal fear.Take Care. paul m