maize Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Dh's new dr. thinks that his symptoms are more indicative of bipolar II than standard depression. Which might explain why we've had such a hard time over the years getting this disease under control. Does anyone have experience with this? I'm more familiar with the symptoms of bipolar I; dh doesn't get the mania that goes along with that but I can see evidence of hypomania as apparently seen in bipolar II--specifically manifesting as unusual irritability. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 I have bipolar II and am on medication for it. My manic symptoms are extreme irritability and rapid cycling thoughts. I was diagnosed with depression several times by different doctors and was even on medication for it at various times. But about 6 years ago, I was put on an anti-depressant and it kicked in my mania. In hindsight, I have had manic symptoms but nothing like the intensity of them this last time. It wasn't pretty finding a combination of meds that worked but we finally found it and I've, thankfully, not had anymore extreme symptoms on either side. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maize Posted November 4, 2016 Author Share Posted November 4, 2016 I have bipolar II and am on medication for it. My manic symptoms are extreme irritability and rapid cycling thoughts. I was diagnosed with depression several times by different doctors and was even on medication for it at various times. But about 6 years ago, I was put on an anti-depressant and it kicked in my mania. In hindsight, I have had manic symptoms but nothing like the intensity of them this last time. It wasn't pretty finding a combination of meds that worked but we finally found it and I've, thankfully, not had anymore extreme symptoms on either side. Would you mind sharing what med combination is working for you? Dh right now is on sertraline (which he has been on forever) and abilify--recently added. He did have a doc prescribe lithium a couple of years ago but never took it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Veritaserum Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 My 16yo has bipolar II (although that diagnosis might change as he ages). A mood stabilizer (Lamictal) plus Abilify has been the best med combo we've tried. SSRIs make it worse my child. Hypomania generally manifests as him being more active and hyper. The depressive episodes tend to go way lower than the high of the hypomania. Medication reduces both the highs and the lows. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ottakee Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Lamictal was the best here. We also use Risperdal and one is on a low dose Lithium as well. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zarabellesmom Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 Bipolar II here. I think I tried every antidepressant on the market over the course of many years to help with my repeating bouts of depression. Some of these were bad, some were worse and some were just awful. It wasn't until I was diagnosed Bipolar II (and not just frequently depressed) that it all made sense (hello my friend hypomania...anyway). As someone above said, Lamictal was an absolute lifesaver. I did use it briefly with Abilify, but gained a massive amount of weight that I am now trying to take off. My psych. tells me there is something that works similarly to Abilify but with less likelihood of weight gain and that if I needed it, we could give it a shot. Hasn't been necessary so far. Anyway, one tiny bit of information... My psych recommended staying with the brand Lamictal at least to start because the dosage is more even on a pill to pill basis. Read more here if you are interested in the difference between generic and brand medications: https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/mental-wealth/201203/brand-vs-generic-when-it-matters-and-what-do-when-it-does In any case, I started on brand Lamictal several years ago, and did fine. I transitioned to generic with the ok of my psych with the warning to watch for changes in mood and to ask the pharmacy to use the same generic brand each time it was filled. Everything is great and I haven't been "well" for this long in my entire life. I hope your husband is feeling better in no time. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spryte Posted November 4, 2016 Share Posted November 4, 2016 (edited) Adult son has it. I almost (only almost) wish he had the mania aspect, just to have release from the relentless lows. Not really, of course, but I think it stinks that his happiest, or highest moments are akin to my own normal being. At least that's how his doc explained it. Lamictal and Abilify have worked. Staying on the meds would help, too. :( Edited November 4, 2016 by Spryte 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
luuknam Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 (edited) My wife has it, and when unmedicated her specialty seems to be the "mixed state" (symptoms of (hypo)mania and depression at the same time), which features a lot of irritability. She's only on Depakote, though when she first got on it the pdoc prescribed 5 (or so) days worth of Seroquel as well to get her stabilized quickly. But yeah, the past several years only Depakote. ETA: and yes, staying on the meds helps. She went off them before after a while agreed to go back on them again, but the time in between was not fun. Edited November 5, 2016 by luuknam 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MeghansMom Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 I have Bipolar II. I had only ever heard of Bipolar one and while I have mood swings, I do not have mania. I am mainly depressed with moments of hypomania. I take a half of Zoloft. Which helps TREMENDOUSLY with my irritability. I did get a prescription for Lamictal, however I have not taken it. I thought it did not cause weight gain? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slackermom Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 I have BP-2. Mostly ongoing depression with mixed states. I had a bad reaction to SSRIs about 25 years ago, and ended up in the hospital for a while. I have taken many different medications over the years. Having BP-2 can mean you react atypically to medications, so it is a struggle to get it right. It seems like everyone in my BP support group was on their own unique medication combo, and they often had to change combos over time. I think the combo that has worked best for me was Depakote and Wellbutrin, with Ambien as needed, if I couldn't sleep, since lack of sleep is a recipe for disaster. For me, I find some non-medication treatment options to be even more helpful. I have done a lot of DBT therapy, with a strong focus on building skills to keep my mood stable. I highly recommend DBT for people with disruptive mood swings. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Night Elf Posted November 5, 2016 Share Posted November 5, 2016 Would you mind sharing what med combination is working for you? Dh right now is on sertraline (which he has been on forever) and abilify--recently added. He did have a doc prescribe lithium a couple of years ago but never took it. I'm on the generics of Lamictal and Geodon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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