Mania vs Hypomania and Benzos

[RobotRipping]

So i'm currently experiencing hypomania i believe, as I'm not displaying characteristics of mania (my dad has bipolar so i know what it looks like). It seems benzos cause this for me for some reason, perhaps it's not sustainable, doesn't feel like it is.

The problem is that i can't sleep at night at all, like 2-4 hours per night, because i'm hyped up. I'm going to see my Dr. tomorrow about this issue but was curious if any others experience this and what the real differences and symptoms/signs are of hypomania vs mania.

Some background info: i take 3-5mg of etizolam per day, which is bringing this on, happens with clonazepam and other benzos as well. It's strange i think. Also recently quit opiates, so maybe it's a rebound effect.

Thanks for any input.

 

[King-Anubis]

You'd be better of seeing a psychiatrist if you are experiencing any form of mania - you'll need antipsychotics or mood stabilisers, rather then benzodiazepines or antidepressants. I remember a year or so ago I went to the doctors during a minor psychotic episode and I was prescribed citalopram (an SSRI). It solved my depression, but placed me straight into hypomania within a few days. For me this was characterised by unusually high-confidence, high sexual drive, mild delusions of grandiosity and decreased need for sleep (Often only for a few hours each night.)

When I went back to my doctor for a check up he gave me temazepam (A benzo) for sleep, and almost immediately I became manic. I believed I was god and I was extremely energetic. My mind was racing and often my speech couldn't keep up - so I often made little sense to other people. My attention span was a few seconds at best, and I was very creative - to the point that I was making hundreds of drawings a day. I also began to experience other psychotic symptoms such as delusions of reference and extreme paranoia. Either way, I didn't sleep for days as a time and eventually 'crashed' - I lost all control and ended up in a psychiatric unit.

Now it's true that I was already psychotic, and the drugs only amplified the symptoms. But from my experience, and from what i've read, mania is distinguished from hypomania by the psychotic element. If you're experiencing severe delusions or hallucinations, then you're probably manic. If you just have a huge amount of energy and a high libido, then it's likely just hypomania.

 

[RobotRipping]

thanks for the reply, i'm not actually using benzos to counter the hypomania, rather they cause it! lol Yes i'm going to see a psychologist, and psychiatrist next month. Oh well may as well enjoy the hypomania. I've had mania before, and it's a much different beast. I'm not suffering any psychological issues ATM.

citalopram also gave me mania.

 

[King-Anubis]

thanks for the reply, i'm not actually using benzos to counter the hypomania, rather they cause it! lol Yes i'm going to see a psychologist, and psychiatrist next month. Oh well may as well enjoy the hypomania. I've had mania before, and it's a much different beast. I'm not suffering any psychological issues ATM.

citalopram also gave me mania.

Citalopram is a horrible drug. I've known far to many people who were misdiagnosed with depression/anxiety - when they were mildly psychotic - and given it, only to go on to become profoundly psychotic. They seem to hand it out far too easily these day as well, and few doctors seem to understand the dangers. I once attempted suicide on them (Why I ended up in hospital in the above story) and had them taken off me, only for my GP to give me another prescription a few days later. Absolutely crazy.

Anyway, hypomania is fun! Enjoy it why you can!

 

[RobotRipping]

still hypomanic; it's so weird because normally i am just lazy as hell but i'm very productive ATM. Nevertheless going to get some seroquel from the Dr. tomorrow and probably blow his mind by telling him i'm hypomanic lol. I'm enjoying the shit out of it now (got 4 hrs of sleep last night too for a grand total of 10 hours in 3 days).

i think people with bipolar in particular get mania from SSRIs, i also used escitalopram and it wasn't any better. I hate SSRIs, they just do not work for me. I'm afraid my doc will see this as an attempt to throw me on a mood stabilizer and a hardcore AP, though i am not delusional or psychotic by any means. (Then again, how would i even know if i were? lol)

oh and speaking of citalopram stories; once 2 weeks into taking it i decided i would drive insanely fast and swerve my car all over the road, had constant suicidal ideation and emotional issues while also losing my sanity big time. Told the Dr. this, he told me to double my dose and add Welbutrin! Fucking mental health is SO misunderstood, in years from now it will seem barbaric what we had to go through during this time just to get help.

 

[King-Anubis]

still hypomanic; it's so weird because normally i am just lazy as hell but i'm very productive ATM. Nevertheless going to get some seroquel from the Dr. tomorrow and probably blow his mind by telling him i'm hypomanic lol. I'm enjoying the shit out of it now (got 4 hrs of sleep last night too for a grand total of 10 hours in 3 days).

i think people with bipolar in particular get mania from SSRIs, i also used escitalopram and it wasn't any better. I hate SSRIs, they just do not work for me. I'm afraid my doc will see this as an attempt to throw me on a mood stabilizer and a hardcore AP, though i am not delusional or psychotic by any means. (Then again, how would i even know if i were? lol)

oh and speaking of citalopram stories; once 2 weeks into taking it i decided i would drive insanely fast and swerve my car all over the road, had constant suicidal ideation and emotional issues while also losing my sanity big time. Told the Dr. this, he told me to double my dose and add Welbutrin! Fucking mental health is SO misunderstood, in years from now it will seem barbaric what we had to go through during this time just to get help.

Seroquel is great for sleep! Side effects aren't great, but they aren't horrendous either. Good luck with it!

And my problems with cialopram hit around the two week mark - seems like it takes that long to get enough of it in your system to cause problems. I think the problem with mental health is that the drugs used to treat it are relatively new - so if your doctor is above a certain age they wouldn't have been taught about them.The best psychiatrist I had was straight out of medical school.

 

[seaofmonsters]

Benzos made me very hypomanic as well, even full-blown manic at times. I took low doses of clonazepam (prescribed), and I'd start talking my ass off, yelling for no reason and in general acting very irrational. These are called paradoxical effects. Considering that benzos are known to remove a person's inhibitions, it makes sense that benzos could unearth dormant hypomania in susceptible people. I for one can have notable mood swings naturally -- benzos just brought it out in the worst way. There were times I had very bad panic attacks after taking benzos.

My advice is to quit benzos. I'm an anxious person and would do nearly anything to relieve it sometimes, but I am so, *so* glad I quit benzos. The nasty little things can damage your brain, make you physically dependent even if you aren't taking a whole lot, and make you numb and oblivious to things to the point where they harm rather than help. Especially at the doses you're using -- it's not a ton, granted, but more than enough to build up a dependence. Just my $0.02

 

[BlueHues]

Hypomania is great, and if you can take care of yourself and avoid getting too stressed, I believe you can manage it...

I don't cross the line into mania that often, but I can usually handle it too where I don't act too crazy, you can bring yourself down...Kundalini awakening and mania can seem almost like the same thing....I'm very spiritual, so I don't completely buy into just labeling people as "manic"

staying on medications with bad side effects just to prevent mania is something I won't do....

When I go off opiates a few times is when I went full blown manic and ended up in the psych ward, but it wasn't really for doing anything too crazy, my family just saw I wasn't sleeping! It was more traumatizing for me to be hauled off like a crazy person....I think the post traumatic stress from that overrides anything that was going on when I was manic....I have a huge resentment about that....I was not a danger to myself or others, but my family called, and that's it, stripped of all my rights!

 

[RobotRipping]

i haven't had a manic episode in a long time and it was brought on by too much 2c-p, 4-aco-dmt and a benzo withdrawal. I'm not just going to quit etizolam, especially if it makes me hypomanic. I've been on and off benzos for over 2 years and etizolam IMO is a special gabaergic (not technically a benzo). I have tried everything to overcome anxiety and it just doesn't work. I am fully dependent on etizolam and if i quit i will have a psychotic break. As well, there is a huge difference between hypomania and mania.

Saw my Dr. today and got seroquel 50mg. Anyone know if there are any long term effects from taking a small dose of seroquel every night for sleep?

I know mania very very well and have never had a true manic episode that landed me in the hospital.

 

[Draind]

didnt read the whole thread, but slapped myslef when i realised that i had been perscribed celexa (citalopram). after a 10 days of use i ended up getting frustrated with my house keys and decided to bash in the front door with my foorhead.
if the doc had just given me a benzo or sedative hypnotic for use at night instead of an ssri all day everyday for my insomnia, i wouldnt have a ghetto rigged front door.

 

[RobotRipping]

yeah add that to the billion other terrible SSRI stories, why do people put up with these shit meds? I refuse to take them but many others are like, "well you just gotta try the right one, if you try 50 of them maybe 1 will work", or "well i feel better now so the meds must have worked" when in all reality their lives just changed, like all people's lives from down to up.

Sorry hate SSRIs and had to go on another rant about them lol. Glad i got some seroquel today though. Still hypomanic, still feel great, euphoria, energy, motivation, creative and a huge sexual appetite. Of all the internet diagnoses i've given myself, this one is the most promising (joking, going to see psychs soon).

 

[BlueHues]

I think if you're prone to mania in the first place and you use anything that supresses stress and anxiety, and then abrubtly stop, you could go manic if you're prone to that sort of thing to begin with.

^Oh yeah, hypomania is great. I'm pleasant, sociable, I'm full of energy, I can sleep only 4 hours a night and then I'm ready to go! It kind of turns you into the guy thats just walking down the street on a nice day whistling to himself, and makes people say, "what's that guy so happy about!"....I'm also very calm, rational and insightful when I'm in that state of mind to the point where people call me asking for advice about their lives, and I'm happy to listen and give it to them! It's like a "calm" energy that's really better than any drug I can think of!

the funny thing about it, when I'm in that state, it's kind of strange but nothing really bothers me that much! I can put anything into perspective! People could die, I could get robbed or crash my car, and I'm just like, "such is life!"....

Oh Yeah, I've had strings of years that were like that, but I've always had to eventually pay with "major depression" for awhile, but that only lasts a few months and then it's back to Mr. cheerful! lol

I've had psychiatrist tell me I was hypomanic that were'nt really even concerned, they just wanted to keep an eye on it to make sure it didn't progress into mania, which it hardly ever does for me....

but I swear, I know I sound like a flake, but read about kundalini, you can actually raise and lower your moods with different chanting and meditating techniques, it's amazingly interesting to me....The whole feeling of energy starting at the base of your spine and moving up to your brain, the opeening of different chakras, these are things that happen kind of "randomly" with drugs, but the same states can be achieved by learning how to meditate on the different chakras....You can actually put yourself into a benzo like state or an amphetamine-like state or a "psychedelic" state naturally...It takes practice to do, but it's fascinating...

I'm not a "new age" weirdo at all, but I've experienced it and it's just amazing...It's hard to stick with though...it takes discipline and it can trigger psychosis if you don't know how to bring it back down....

 

[RobotRipping]

i have read about kundalini and believe mine was awoken at 19 years old when i was practicing OBEs, lucid dreaming, remote viewing and stuff. I was also a huge psychedelic user at the time lol. I can achieve such states, i meditate daily, i don't know what it all means though but it feels good/strange/wonderful. I naturally get sleep paralysis and lucid dreams constantly so this 'spirituality' has been with me since childhood.

really thanks for posting in my thread, you really gave me some great insight into what i'm experiencing and it's so great to hear that others experience life like me. You are right, i am that person who is euphoric doing just about anything, non stop good mood, no sleep at all (like 13 hours in the last 4 days now i think) and i am playing crazy amounts of guitar, working on my home business and preparing to go back to school. I worry about the inevitable crash but i'm just going to stay in the moment and ride this wave as long as i can.

I also notice that in this state i don't really give a shit about anything; all the pain and misery i've experienced, it's contrasted with such bliss. I probably sound crazy lol but i'm definitely not, not yet anyway. Hypomania is better than the opiates i was abusing for so long to achieve such a state, how strange.

 

[chrisalt]

So i'm currently experiencing hypomania i believe, as I'm not displaying characteristics of mania (my dad has bipolar so i know what it looks like). It seems benzos cause this for me for some reason, perhaps it's not sustainable, doesn't feel like it is.

The problem is that i can't sleep at night at all, like 2-4 hours per night, because i'm hyped up. I'm going to see my Dr. tomorrow about this issue but was curious if any others experience this and what the real differences and symptoms/signs are of hypomania vs mania.

Some background info: i take 3-5mg of etizolam per day, which is bringing this on, happens with clonazepam and other benzos as well. It's strange i think. Also recently quit opiates, so maybe it's a rebound effect.

Thanks for any input.

very interesting.. i take anywhere from 2-4 mgs of clonazepam a day and have the same issues. I also smoke about 3.5 grams of pot tho to and i still cant sleep. im so awake at night and dead during the day... hmmm hypomania eh? ill ask my shrink about that.

 

[chrisalt]

lol blue hues.. I just read what you describe hypomania as being, and it sure as fuck isnt how i act. Im retracting my previous post lol.

 

[BlueHues]

The thing is, if you get angry when you're like that, or if something really stressful happens, you can go full blown manic, which you sleep a lot less and can become psychotic and use very poor judgement, feeling so good you believe anything is possible...

when you come down from that, it can be bad!

 

[paranoid android]

Despite the fact that benzos are used to treat mania some people can experience a manic reaction from them. They are not nearly as bad for doing it as anti-depressants are for examople but the risk still exists. Hell i take bupropion to help with the depression side of bipolar because it works without inducing mania or rapid cycling for me. But other people do get mania from it quite bad despite the lower risk then say ssri's, snri's or tricyclics for causing mania. I also take 4-6mg's of clonazepam everyday and it does help with my mania not to mention anxiety.

Also post acute opiate withdrawal syndrome can trigger symptoms similar to mania in some people. You really have to be clean for a good long time before any diagnoses can be made. I would suggest mentioning all this to a doctor. Even hypomania can cause dangerous behavior so it really has to be treated.

 

[RobotRipping]

thanks paranoid android; my Dr is closely monitoring me and i am prescribed seroquel now in case things get out of hand. Other than that, still feel amazing. I've gone manic before but always from much different reasons. Clonazepam/phenazepam make me manic when i've binged on them for weeks. I'll be seeing a psychiatrist and psychologist next month.

 

[Vaya]

I have to say, many of the responses here are just so emblematic, too, of my own experiences! Absolutely amazes me how those of us who have endured, or are enduring, the devilish dance with the benzodiazepine chemicals. I've been prescribed them for 11 years now - wow! To retrospect on that...

Regardless, I have a long history of high BZD-induced hypo/manic states - so frequently, believe it or not, that there have probaby been at least 8 occurrences at separate times over the past 8 days! Yet, without the pills, I'm riddled with withdrawal symptoms and when I'm on them I'm hypo/manic and am constantly anxious due to rebound anxiety. I asked myself long ago, "what the hell's the point of taking them at all?" Unfortunately I lacked the intrinsic desire to rid them from my life.

I've reached that once-elusive point in my life today, the point at which I'm open to the reality that these drugs carry more expansive side effect profiles than people tend to give them credit for.

Your experiences with these manic states eerily mirror my own. But the mania, I've found, is positively correlated with taking benzos - that is, the more benzos I take (up to a point), the more hypo/manic I'm liable to become! I find this to be especially true of hypnotic BZDs, such as triazolam and temazepam, and in fact my inaugural experience with hypnotic-induced mania was when I would abuse zolpidem as a teenager

Do you plan to stay on BZDs despite this troublesome behavioral side effect?

Wishing you the best,
~ Vaya

 

[mrflowers00]

when i'm hypomanic i'm very irritable very rarely a little overly happy but i spend most of my time in depression which i've come to the hypothesis that the mood stabilizing effect of zyprexa is doing to me no more irritability or joyousness just depression and weight gain i went from 130lbs to 190 in less than a year so i'm gonna stop the zyprexa even though it's the only thing that helps me get a good nights sleep