Hey all. I have dealt with depression for a looooong time. For some time now, I have been seeing a "cycle" to the depression. I don't have any warning when it hits, but I am unable to function when it does. Then, I can feel myself coming out of it. I get to a point where I am cleaning, exercising, getting out, and basically feeling great. I read about someone having bipolar ll, that it was a different form of bipolar. I've been doing some reading on it. I was wondering if anyone else here has experienced this form. I am planning on asking my doc about it next week. Depression meds are just not working for me. If anyone has any info on this, please share.

Hi Marcie, I am BP II. I don't seem to have what they call "manic" episodes. My main problems are depression and severe mood swings. I have tried 13 different meds for BP and nothing seemed to help. I am now on Adderall for ADD and I take Celexa for the depression. This seems to be working well for me. I tried Lithium but ended up in teh hospital with a toxic Lithium level. It gave me a severe kidney infection too. It has taken a year to get this far and just because it works now doesn't mean that it will in another month. You just have to be patient and know that it won't last forever when you are feeling down.
Kiki

That's how I recognized it might not be just depression by the cycles. Also another clue was insommia. Getting up and going shopping for 6 hours in the middle of the night because I couldn't sleep was a red flag...lol. Personally, I like my manics and I'm not dangerous to anyone including myself and my pocketbook. What makes it hard is I crash afterwards on depression. That's why I didn't see the manics at first. Different people will have different stories and reactions. Your best bet is to visit a doc, but you already know that.

marcie you may not be bipolar, it may simply be that you have periods of wellness between your depressive episodes. some people have ongoing depression others have periods of depression and periods of wellness.

tell us more about the periods when you feel well and we can try to help...

a website i've checked out is about.com type in bipolar - there are lots of articles and also message board if you choose to join. they have lots of links.

Thanks everyone. Sweet pea-more about the well times. My mind races with everything I need to get done, and I get very anxious. Compared to the depression, it's great because I can actually get stuff done. I do have insomnia-always have-but I don't have all this energy. It's more anxiety than anything else.

Marciet, definitely talk to your doctor about it. I was diagnosed depressed long before the real diagnosis of Bipolar II. One day I was talking to my dr. about how the managing of the depression was going and I said that I felt like a yo-yo. Way up, then way down. He gave me a questionaire to fill out and by question 7 he said I was definitely misdiagnosed on the first round that I was manic and depressed. My sysmptoms were the like DeafinlySmart, shopping like a madwoman with no real need for the purchases, getting into very deep financial trouble, sleeping for 2 hours a night, wanting sex all the time, etc. Basically like a madwoman. And I agree with DeafinlySmart, I like my manic spells now. I dind't when I was financially out of control. A wise person on 3FC told me a year ago when all the financial mess was cleaned up and I was doing great (in other words, even keel) to reveal all my secrets to my hubby. What to look for financially, how I hid things, etc. Best advice I ever got. Because in August, I went off all my meds and quickly spiralled into a manic state. DH knew everything and I couldn't revert to old ways. So I just enjoyed the ride. Now I'm closer to a depressive state but am staving it off with exercise and light therapy.

Basically, you're on the right track to wonder. Ask your dr. and research like SweetPea suggested. Now that I know what I'm dealing with I've put coping mechanisms in place to make my life and my husband's life much more easy to deal with. Good luck and let us know how you're doing and ask many, many questions.
Marie

hi again
marcie it could be anxiety - it's very common for depression and anxiety to go hand in hand, but the racing thoughts could also be bipolar II (hypomanic vs manic)

here are some questions. during your well periods do you:
- need less sleep or no sleep at all
- are you reckless eg money, drugs, sex, driving extra fast or dangerously
- is your judgement impaired
- feel unstoppable, invincible on top of the world
- feel like you have boundless energy
- think big ie want to be the best at something, start a big business, become superambitious, take on too much
- irritable, impatient
- do the racing thoughts interfere with your ability to get things done
- does everything else speed up - your movements, your speech
- do you talk more loudly, become more expressive, laugh for no reason
- act over the top
- are you the life of the party, the centre of attention

another thought - ask your friends/family for their take on you doing those periods of wellness. ask them some of those questions as we are not always aware what we are like

and yes definitely talk to the doc. whether it is anxiety or hypomania those periods could influence the meds the doc prescribes

p.s. what depression meds are you on and for how long have you been on them!

Well, I talked to my therapist this morning, filled out some questionnaires, and he really feels I have bipolar ll. It's kind of a relief, actually. Maybe now I can get the correct treatment. I can't keep going on like this! I'm making an appt with my md this week to figure out the next step. Thanks for all your input. It's great to talk to people who know what you are feeling.

wow just like that! amazing. can i ask did the therapist interview you as well as giving you the questionnaires?

you're right it's a huge relief when you feel lioke you know what's going on and are getting the right treatment

He did interview me, but I have been seeing him for a few months now, so he has been able to observe me over this time, and has seen the different moods himself. He is actually the one who brought it up. I was just telling him how the week had gone, and he was seeing a pattern.

Hi Marcie. I have been diagnosed BPII with rapid cycling (amongst other things. lol). My very first visit with my p-doc he told me right off the bat what he thought, which was bp. I was very adament about not being put on meds, I guess somehow I thought it made me weak. He didnt push it until I'd been in therapy for about a year and I was still struggling with all the effects of bp. I was ready to do the next phase and begin drug therapy. While it's been alot of trial and error I'm so relieved to have the meds to help me control what I cannot right now.

Just never give up, never feel afraid to question your dr's diagnosis and keep the lines of communication open. Hopefully now you will get the treatment you need. I hope you find relief very soon! Keep us posted.

I started out as PPD, then moved up to Depression, then I went to see this Pdoc (after I had already thought of BP) and she said I might be BP on the first visit (without my suggestion). Then my next visit she said (when I started questioning it) that I was definately BP. When I went back to look at my records before moving to a new state I say that she put definately BP on the first visit. I realized she was giving me time to think about it. She told me to ask people various questions and see what their response was. My husband says yes to most of the questions but still thinks I'm compltely normal...lol. He won't admit the idea of it. I gave my new doc my symptoms but no records. He said okay, so what kind of medicines are you taking for your BP. Of course once you know what to look for you can spout out those symptoms in a way that says plainly a certain thing, but I still tell my husband that I have 2 opinions so he best believe it. I think the first one would have kept going and let me slowly accept it if I needed to, particulary if I hadn't already been on medications. I never did the therapy part though.

My husband doesn't like to hear about my problems. Since he has been in Iraq, I haven't said anything to him, as it's much easier to hide your feelings when someone is not there. But I did tell him about the bp ll, and what was going on with my treatment. All he replied was, I hope you get what you need for your anxiety. This kinda hurt, as it is a completely new thing for me. But, I guess that's just him.

DeafinlySmart, my husband would tell me I was acting like my mom.
That's all I needed to hear! lol My mom's BPI and didnt get diagnosed until about 6 years ago. It sure explained a helluva lot of my childhood, that's for sure! I went into my first therapy session just praying he wouldn't tell me I was BP. The things that I explained to him, I honestly didnt think were bi-polarish at all. But after about 10 min. he told me what he thought. I took it with a smirk, yeah whatever, but kept going. Then about 6 months later my diagnosis was still the same only now it was written as positively bp2.
I'm just thankful that he didnt push the drugs on me right away without trying to get to know me or my situation. It's one of the main reasons I stayed with him. I was the one who finally initiated it and I'm glad I did even tho at times it can be very frustrating.

Marciet, I'm sorry you didnt get the response from dh that you expected. I know he didnt mean it to come out that way. I know that he's probably really happy that you are seeking the help and support you need now since he can't be here with you. Alot of people sometimes don't quite know how to respond to words like bi polar or mental illness. Unfortunately they carry quite a stigma and all they picture is people running around in a hospital somewhere. Just try and be patient with your hubby and slowly he will realize that it's not you per se, but it is just your brain that needs some extra help so you can feel your best. I know for a fact that had my mom not been diagnosed before me, my dh would have been completely unsupportive to this. He's got a much better understanding about what "mental illness" can mean and how much great help there really is out there. Chin up sweetie, things are going to get alot better for you now that you are confident of what you're going thru is real. Besides, you always have us here to lift you up and give you a soft place to fall whenever you need it.
PM me if you ever want to talk, k?