"Breakthrough" mania

[Elena]

I posted this in the Bipolar 1 group and see that it doesn't get posted on the general forum as well. To get a wider response, I thought I'd post it here too.

My husband gets breakthrough pain, chronic pain that stays under control with big narcotics until suddenly pain breaks through.

I've come to call the manic episodes I get 2 - 3 times a year "breakthrough" manic episodes.

I really feel that with all the medication I'm on I shouldn't be cycling at all. The episodes, both the happy side and the flip side, are mitigated by the medication, but I have to let both the manic and depressive sides run their course. Actually I'm not letting anything, I don't have a choice once the episode gets rolling.

At my recent appointment with my PDoc, I requested that we change things up because I really think I should be episode free. Is that asking too much?

But actually, after reading what people have posted here about Lamictal and the memory etc issues, I might reconsider which meds I change to...

Does this happen to a lot of you? Do you continue to have episodes even though the cocktail is supposed to be right? Anyone stable for any length of time??? Now that's what I'd like to hear about.

[My idol]

Hi Elena, yes, I can also have breakthrough mania's at any time. And once I do, my hypomania will usually go on for 1-3 months. I consider myself fairly reigned in as far as my med (Lithium) normally being quite effective. But I'll never forget the words of my pdoc at one of my visits. He slid his glasses down, looked me in the eyes and said "Linda, you know there'll be another episode". It kind of sent chills down my spine to think that this will never be over.

That being said, though, I certainly don't dwell on when my next episode will happen. I do think that this cycling is a normal part of our disorder. It helps if ourselves and our loved ones are tuned in to our cycling changes to ward off problems from the start. Best of luck to you.
Best wishes,
Linda

[Judy W]

Yes I still have break through episodes of both depression and mania but they do not last as long. They are not extremely low nor extremely high as with out meds. My doctor thinks that I will always have them (does not mean that you will be that way!). I really dislike med changes and sometimes do not disclose things to my doctor for fear of changing meds. Then I am angry and frustrated that I am not where I want to be with my illness and think that maybe things could be better if I tried something new. Meds effect everyone differently so you really just have to try it for yourself.

Good luck

[Marian Hoffman Johnson]

Elena, No, I've never been stable for any length of time. However, my brand of the illness is very hard to treat. Sometimes I am a little better than others and then, breakthrough everything hits me. With almost everyone with bipolar, there are times when the medication just can't fight the brain chemistry. And for most, there are good times. However, your experience with bipolar may well be different from everyone else's on this forum. I don't think you should be afraid to try any medication just because some people have had a side effect from it. I Googled "Lamictal" and found a blog just about the drug. While many people reported memory loss, many others said the medication was a Godsend and that they had not experienced any loss of memory or focus. Others said they had memory loss, but that the stability they experienced on Lamictal was far more important than forgetting what they were in the pantry for. The medications that work for you are unique to you! Nobody here will ever be able to tell you what will or won't work for you. That is something for you and your doctor to talk about...and remember, finding the right medications is hardly an exact science. Many times we have to try a med only to stop it after a time because it isn't working or has side-effects we can't live with. Patience is probably the name of the game, and as you know, we're all blessed with infinite patience. LOL. Let us know how you're doing!

[withavengeance]

Yes, I think I have breakthroughs of both hypomania and depression, though they're not as severe as they were w/o meds.

I've been slightly hypo for the last 3 or so months & now I'm on a low.

[Jim Buchanan]

I have breakthroughs.

They are usually very mild and short. They don't seem to follow any cycle like my moods did before treatment. They seem to be triggered by stress more than anything.

There have been a very few exceptions that were not so mild.