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  • BDD Moderators: Keif’ Richards

Why do bipolar people take drugs to suppress the mania?

M

Mycotheologist

Bluelighter
Joined
Apr 8, 2012
Messages
141
I have little or no understanding of what bipolar disorder actually is so correct me or flame me if anything I say is wrong or stupid. Anyhow, my limited understanding is that people with bipolar disorder have unstable emotions and cycle between a state of euphoria (mania) and a state of dysphoria/depression. I can understand how the lows would be a serious problem and I would probably take a mood stabiliser like lithium just to prevent the lows but I read that bipolar people are often prescribed a drug specifically for controlling the mania part of the cycle. Why would anyone want to suppress a euphoric state? I quit benzos last week and for some reason I've been getting these waves of euphoria every day (I'm in one right now). If I had the choice, I would be in one of these euphoric states permanently. The mania that comes with bipolar disorder must not be the same thing as what I'm experiencing here. What makes bipolar mania a problem?
 
I'm a bipolar myself and heres why i take them.

When i get a manic episodes i start to make very bad decisions (quitting my job, spending large amounts of money) simply cuz i just love everybody and love life. Dont get me wrong manic episodes feel great but once im out of the episode i start to regret some of those actions....things are made worst if a depressive episode followed the manic episode
 
I have a family memory with bipolar disorder and his "highs" generally consist of believing he is the messiah, becoming obsessed with secret messages in newspapers and a general sense of invincibility that makes him do wacky dangerous shit.

Not saying all bipolar people act in this manor but most i have known don't just sit around feeling euphoric :)
 
Bipolar I people need to suppress it so they don't ruin their lives when they go manic. Bipolar II people, on the other hand, just get hypomania, which I've been told is like a very long stimulant high and is just really nice.
 
The manic episode causes people to just throw caution to wind. They display risky behavior like have multiple sex partners, going out on drug binges, spending all their money with out thinking about the future, they can have paranoid thoughts and delusions, they can stay up for days and days at a time, and many many other things.

Then the opposite to this is; suicidal depression, hopelessness, dealing with the post consequences of the mania, and tiredness deep depression. There are other things too.

Mania is caused by an over flow or build up of neurotransmitters.

Depression state of bipolar is cause from the depletion of the neurotransmitters.

With medication a bipolar person can have a more level life.
 
I find a lot of peeps who are bipolar tend to benefit from regular use of marijuana. One of them - a work buddy - claims it's by far, the most effective mood stabilizing drug he's ever ingested (or smoked in this case). Don't know if that's the case for others.
 
my mum has manic depression. the mania is not really like being high, it's like the end of a stimulant binge psychosis type shit. during a manic phase, she was chasing police out of the house convinced they were demons from hell the first time she was sectioned. it's not fun to be around, and probably even less fun to experience delusions, paranoia, uncontrollable energy.

after a few times being sectioned and now the right meds and treatment she's all good.
 
When I had my worst manic phase, it was terrible. I was basically acting like a paranoid schizophrenic..i thought my phone was tapped and the government was after me...I ended up in ICU for 3 days. I couldn't sleep. The only thing that helped me was weed and xanax (though now I know the xanax was making it worse), and eventually I had to move to get back to normal. I was hanging out with shady people so it was a situational thing as well..
 
Adding to what I said before, I believe marijuana works really well for a large percentage of bipolar people because it seems to have unique stimulant, yet also depressant properties.

To answer the OPs question, I believe they take drugs to suppress the mania because having a manic episode isn't fun.
 
^Maybe use a high CBD strain?

The reason manic-depressives take shit like lithium is that mania can be disabling. Hypomania isn't too bad at first, kind of like being on a natural cocaine high. Unipolar hypomania wouldn't be too bad if you could get some sleep and keep up your appetite. In fact, some have speculated that unipolar mania may exist, but they might not seek out treatment or it doesn't cause what is perceived as disabling. But when it goes into full-blown mania it's like what "i against i" said. You can become very agitated, thoughts racing, paranoid, grandiose and even delusional or psychotic. Then you swing the other way to extreme depression like you're a worthless POS who should just die.
 
A bipolar person many times doesn't realise they are in a manic state at the time it hits them. From my experience, I would numb myself with alcohol and still not be able to sleep for days. Got a prescription for Prozac which just exasperates the hypomania- but I hate feeling down. This is why so many people self medicate. You take what you need to make you feel "normal" again.
 
ro4eva said:
I find a lot of peeps who are bipolar tend to benefit from regular use of marijuana. One of them - a work buddy - claims it's by far, the most effective mood stabilizing drug he's ever ingested (or smoked in this case). Don't know if that's the case for others.
Click to expand...

That's weird, because for me, and many other "normal" people, marijuana is completely the opposite.
 
i'm bipolar type 2 so i get what they call hypo-mania so i don't go quite as high on life as others with bipolar disorder and i still make bad decisions when i'm feeling that way
 
onetwo said:
That's weird, because for me, and many other "normal" people, marijuana is completely the opposite.
Click to expand...

I'm the same way, and I'm sure more people than not would say it's the opposite; but that just goes to show how differently our nervous systems are in terms of how psychoactive drugs affect us.

I wouldn't mind weed as much if I didn't develop a significant amount of paranoia the last few times I've smoked it. It's definitely not my doc; probably because I slowly developed a low tolerance over the last few years to drugs which can cause panic attacks.
 
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