Posted by madison88 on September 28, 2002, at 20:41:56
In reply to What is rapid cycling??, posted by sienna on September 27, 2002, at 19:16:26
I think rapid cycling is going up and down in your mood more than once a week. I know I was going up and down every couple hours for a while. I was on antidepressants without a mood stabilizer. If the med is causing you to cycle, the doc won't consider you manic or hypomanic at times b/c it is being caused by the med. It is common to get moody when coming out of a depression. Mixed states are when you feel agitated and restless but also depressed enough to maybe consider suicide still. If the moods make you feel like you are out of control (that is how i felt), ask for a mood stabilizer. I don't think you need lithium, but Neurontin and Gabitril, which are antiseizure meds actually, have been shown to help with mood swings like that, esp with rapid cyclers (but remember, you won't get diagnosed with anything if it is caused by meds, usually). They both helped me. I had to stop Neurontin, though b/c it blurred my vision, though i don't think that happens to most people. I still go up and down on Gabitril, but i feel much more in control b/c it isn't as near as severe. Good luck!
poster:madison88
thread:121292
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20020922/msgs/121447.html