Mental Health Mood change during certain times of the day

nuttynutskin

Bluelighter
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May 15, 2011
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Has anyone here noticed that their mood changes around the same time of the day for no reason? Unless something comes up that affects it, my mood is usually fairly stable for the first half of the day, but then it seems like sometimes about half way through the day it drops for no reason and I feel tired and moody. Then about an hour or so after that it seems to improve. I would chalk it up to an irregular diet resulting in a drop of blood sugar or some such, but my diet is totally consistent throughout the day. Either way, has anyone else experienced this, or that their mood changes frequently during a different time?
 
I range from manic to depressed throughout the day, sometimes cycling through multiple times a day. It gets tiring. I would say what your experiencing is normal whatever that means. Things changing seems to be the only constant.

Glad to see you round these parts again nutty. Hope you are feeling better. :)
 
Yes, I find I feel down/depressed morning and afternoon and it's only in the late evening/night that I start to feel content and better.

Maybe it's because I'm a night person, I don't know?

Have you spoken to a doctor about this at all?
 
I've never had a large swing, but occasionally I have one where my day was seeming normal but dipped to a dark place slowly from about lunch time.

I don't know if energy levels has to do with it, but I have had many swings, as you described with moods, with energy levels throughout a day. I would say that definitely has to do with me being a night person.
 
Glad to see you round these parts again nutty. Hope you are feeling better. :)

I don't remember who you are, but thanks lol.

Yes, I find I feel down/depressed morning and afternoon and it's only in the late evening/night that I start to feel content and better.

Maybe it's because I'm a night person, I don't know?

Have you spoken to a doctor about this at all?

I actually usually feel ok in the beginning of the day, it's about halfway through that I normally feel the swing in mood. I've spoken to my doctor a lot over the years about my depression, but right now I don't really want to go on another medication. I'm currently prescribed 2mgs xanax daily, but I've exhausted pretty much everything else besides SSRIs. Right now I'm trying to fight my depression with a good diet and exercise. It helps, but it's still there. I'm also a night person btw... I get up around 2:30pm and usually don't get to bed until 6:30-7:00am. The mood swing is usually around 10:30-11:00pm which would put it right at midday for me more or less.

I've never had a large swing, but occasionally I have one where my day was seeming normal but dipped to a dark place slowly from about lunch time.

I don't know if energy levels has to do with it, but I have had many swings, as you described with moods, with energy levels throughout a day. I would say that definitely has to do with me being a night person.

Yeah, I still find weird tho since lately my schedule and sleep has been consistent despite being nocturnal lol.
 
The xanax could also be contributing to your mood swings. It has a short half life and is often used for panic attacks because of its short duration and quick onset. It can be taken once a day, twice a day, or sometimes multiple times throughout the day. Point being, there are some ups and downs due to its short duration. It made me really irritable, moody, really only worked for a couple of hours and, for me, made my depression worse as well. Klonopin has a longer half life and a slightly different mechanism of action so there would be less ups and downs. It is generally considered better for long term use if you do decide to stay with the benzo route.

You may also want to talk to your doctor about lamictal. It's a mood stabilizer and anti-convulsant and used off-label for depression. It works differently than most meds and the people that do respond to it respond very well. It didn't work for me and made me paranoid but I am 'treatment resistant' when it comes to most meds. Generally, it has limited side effects but there is a chance of some potentially serious skin rash but it's pretty rare. Some people consider it a 'miracle drug' but like most meds it does have its downsides and side effects. If you have tried other things with no luck, it may be of some use to you. It's not an SSRI, so it may be appealing if those haven't worked for you and you enjoy having an orgasm once in a while. It's also $8 at wal-mart for a 30 day supply.

EDIT: You may also want to give a high-quality magnesium and/or fish oil supplement a go. I think most supplements are generally useless but magnesium is essential to many biochemical processes. Most soil and crops are magnesium deficient due to current commercial agricultural practices so these may also be of value to you.
 
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Yeah, I think I may need to find a benzo that has a longer half life. Either that or break my xanax dosage in half and take half when I get up and another half later. Tonight's definitely one of those nights where my anxiety/restlessness came back.
 
I think it's kind of normal. Some cultures encourage afternoon naps and work/socialise later into the night.
 
I think it's kind of normal. Some cultures encourage afternoon naps and work/socialise later into the night.

It's funny you mention that, because I used to be a napper but it would fuck my schedule up a lot of the time. Now that I've sobered up and started working out again tho I've maybe napped 2 or 3 times in the last 2 months. I think it's actually been beneficial for me because I'm going to bed and getting up at the same times mostly. I just drag a bit about halfway through the day is all. Tonight I didn't really experience much of any mood fluctuations.

Oh welll, just rambling now. Thanks for the responses.
 
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