How long do your mood episodes last?

So I was in a hypomanic phase for 3-4 months off and on, then a manic phase off and on from january to february, then a terrible mixed manic episode that landed me in the hospital in march. In April I was stabilizing with little episodes in between, may was stable, but then started edging toward a sluggishness and loss of motivation. June brought full-blown depression and July has brought steady depression daily. I also had major surgery two weeks ago which only adds to the fatigue. I force myself to do things but I just struggle so much, the least little thing makes me tired, everything feels like an effort, and I used to be able to have a good cry and now I just want to cry so bad and can't. I took the Beck Depression Inventory online and got moderate depression and I wasn't surprised.

I talked to my pdoc about my depression last month and she said she would switch me to rexulti in august but that she wanted me to lose weight on topamax before switching meds because I would likely gain more weight from rexulti (I am on latuda right now and I hate it with a passion). I talked to my tdoc about it and he thinks my depression is more due to the meds and not my moods, so there is some disagreement there. I personally think it is both. I think the bipolar is switching around and the meds just aren't helping.

I hate this dang disorder and I would give anything for a hypomanic frenzy to clean my house or have a spark of interest in something. Or even just a normal cry would be decent. I don't know how long this will last. How long do your depressive episodes last versus your manias or hypomanias? I have bipolar 1 so I am aware that it works a little different for different types.

My depressive episodes tend to be more often. I guess it's my default mode. Then every few months I'll have a few days mania, which I try to stamp out as fast as possible. I've been mixed before, which sucks, absolutely hate it. I'm BP1

I also have weight issues, which I'm trying to keep in check right now with Weight Watchers, it's slow going though. I take topamax for migraines but I'm on a low dose right now so it's not really helping either for weight control or my freaking migraines. I'd suggest the next time when you go to the pdoc that you let her know that you are concerned about the depression more than you are the weight loss, even though I'm sure you think losing weight is good. Sometimes it's about getting your goals and her goals going in the same direction.

I wish you luck
Blue

Thanks bluedragon. It sucks that the depression is more prevalent, right? Why can't it be a hypomanic dominant disorder? lol But then it wouldn't be as much of a disorder I guess haha. I emailed my pdoc and she called me in to see her in 2 days so I am relieved to have some hope of change coming my way. But nervous because sometimes change is not good. I will hope for the best though. I think I may be trying Vraylar next...we'll see.

Yeah depression sucks! That's awesome you can email your doc. It must be so helpful. Saw mine today and was able to get her to go up on my Topamax. Hopefully that will help my migraines and help me lose some weight.

Hi, it is good to talk with others who struggle with this beast of a disorder. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 about a year ago and for the first time I am getting my moods under control. I have found so much success with Lamical over the years. Every time I am put on it I have good luck I started on 20mg many years ago and am now on 200mg. Though with change of doctors some thought I was just depressed and the antidepressants alone cause me to go into a hypomania. I am like many of you that state is a tone better than what I have with a majority of the time being in the depressive phase. Though with this last doctor he has managed to get my medications pretty well on so I have only had 5 months of depressive moods in two spurts the most recent is just one month and I see my doctor in a few days. The change to Lamictal was too activating for me for awhile too so my doctor added Cymbalta I am up to 60mg on that one but I'm thinking it's working too well or the Lamictal needs to be upped. Luckily I haven't let it fall so badly that I don't want to go the doctor (which is my usual pattern) Catlover, I'm curious if you have Bipolar 1 or 2 because it sounds like you might have 2. But I think they only diagnose that one if you have mild mania so??? I gained 10lbs this month and can't think straight at all. Watching T.V. is even a struggle so I completely understand. I think that changes in stress level definitely could be affecting your moods as well. I see patterns in my moods when I have changes in my daily schedule and when there is high stress. So your cortisol levels or other hormone levels could be elevated which could be triggering the depression. At least that's what my doctors found. My naturopathic doctor had a huge blood panel done and found I was depleted in all the energy vitamins iron, b12, and d plus my cortisol levels were crazy high. I have been keeping up with my blood work every three months to make sure my vitamin levels stay even. After a depressive phase my vitamins are usually totally depleted and I have to up my dosages. Just something else to think about it certainly helps me. Since your question was about length of episodes I'm going to post my mood chart. Not sure if you can read it being so small. Basically I have 3-4 months in each phase right now. But I used to have as many as 8 months of depression at a time. I thought I would die, but the longest I've struggled recently is 4 months. Best of luck. I would love to hear how it is going and hope your surgery recovery is going well.

Angang,
thanks for your thoughts. It is always encouraging to have more people chime in on how they are coping. I think we can only cope in community. I have loved Lamictal as well. I was on it for monotherapy for over a year and did fantastic, it kept me at baseline with a slight hypomanic edge that I loved, I was just super energetic all the time. I had zero side effects on lamictal. I still take it but only 50 mg because I started getting too activated at higher doses. I had some severe mania earlier this year that landed me in the hospital and the lamictal was part of the issue (and trileptal and seroquel too. isn't it terrible when the things that are supposed to help make us worse?) I'm glad to hear you were able to find something that worked for you for quite some time, but it sounds like you have had some rough patches lately. I can't imagine having a struggle watching TV. :( I think TV and comedy right now is among the few things that gives me solace. So I understand it must be miserable. Yes, vitamin and stress levels can greatly affect it. I take lots of supplements and eat healthy doing the best I can but sometimes it just isn't enough I guess. This disorder is a true beast, you are correct. Wow, 8 months of depression. That must have been so hard. I admire you for your strength and sticking with your treatment despite the suffering. From looking at your mood chart, it seems like your mood episodes switch about the same length as mine do.
Back in March, when I was hospitalized, the pdoc there thought I was rapid cycling, but then later they said it was a mixed episode. I was mostly manic, but basically it was a big mess. Sometimes mixed is so hard to judge. And I think that further complicates matters when trying to understand my mood switches from depression to mania. Sometimes it's not always black and white.
Keep updating us!

Thank you, it is great to have people to talk to who understand. Mixed moods are hard. I struggle determining my moods sometimes. It's hard to judge when you feel so good. The depression is usually pretty easy to judge for me. Luckily the 3-4 month cycles have been better than my previous cycles. I want to recovnize the deoression quickly so I don't fall. I haven't had full blown mania thank goodness. That must be hard. My main problem is fast speech and only 2-3 hours of sleep when my moods get too high but, it always falls. The first clue for my deprrssion seems to be changes in how I taste foods. It's weird like I can't taste food which makes me want to choose those high salt and sugar foods so that I can at least taste a little. Food doesn't taste good bit I keep eating trying to feel better. T.V. is another clue to the foggy thinking that comes with depression. I can't seem to follow the plot or it takes a ton of concentration and forget about reading, that's hopeless. The hypomania feels like my normal. Especially when the depression has been a long struggle. Here's hoping our docs can get us out of the dark and not to bright.
Thanks for being there to talk to. Hope I can be a support as well.

Ultradian - change constantly within 24 hrs.

After my doctor upped my antidepressant Cymbalta to 90mg from 60 about 5 weeks ago I am finally out of the moderate depressive episode. I had fallen into it in early June and it went slowly downward. I am proud of myself for asking for the change before waiting too long. Now as a teacher I am able to be okay after the 2nd week of school rather than suffer through the depression and the spirals of sadness that come with it when I can't perform at my best. Facing 32 students with lots of high needs this year was quite the challenge at the beginning of August however with the help of several sessions to the therapist, and the psychiatrist trusting me that I know my moods well enough to know that I was about to fall into a much worse depression I was able to handle it. I am so freakin' proud of my ability to catch it and advocate for myself that I wanted to share my success here on this very helpful forum. I cycle into depression so much more than into my baseline or hypomania. I spend over half of the year in mild to moderate depression and I'm fighting to get as much of that 6 months back as I possibly can. I just watch those warning signs like they are a big slap in my face. I have a reminder that pops up on my phone right after my alarm that says BE WELL: it reminds me of 4 things to help me do better and be better everyday. Do you want to know what they are? Well, I'll tell you anyways. :) I researched the best of the best this summer and this is what I have determined as what best helps your brain activate the good feels chemicals that help you fight that beast depression and get you back on track. So here they are....
1. GRATITUDE: actively search EVERYDAY for something you are grateful for, even if you don't find it even the act of searching triggers the release of dopamine and seratonin.
2. LABEL EMOTIONS: Say it out loud. I'm angry, I'm sad, I'm lonely whatever the feeling is label it say it out loud to yourself even, or even better tell someone you love. It activates the prefrontal cortex (logic center of the brain) and lowers activation of the limbic system (emotional functions in the brain)
3. DECIDE: Make a "good enough" decision. It doesn't have to be perfect or the right decision. "Good enough is almost always good enough." This reduces stress and boosts pleasure parts of the brain. It allows you to move on and not feel bad for not making that usually really easy decision.
4: TOUCH: Hugs, there are studies that show physical connection to others is a huge mood booster. Sometimes you don't feel like being around anyone except maybe your dog and your pillow. Let people hug you. It releases feel good chemicals and even if it doesn't fix it immediately it helps the ones you love know that you still love them even when you are depressed. Eventually it will get better and you want to still have those people by your side. The catch is in order for the hug to work it needs to be at least a minute, doesn't seem like long until you actually time it. So touch your loved one on the arm and tell them that you love them more, hug your dog, your kid, a stranger (well maybe not a stranger), but hug someone today. I am lucky enough to work with 2nd graders so I get hugs from the beginning of the day until the end and if I see a stressed out teacher I tell them I need a hug and I tell them the brain research behind it and they will hug me as long as it takes for me to feel better. And a bonus is they usually feel better too.

Sorry for the length of this post but, now that I'm feeling better I just want to shout from the rooftops and climb the highest mountain and say "IT WILL ALL BE OKAY SOON!" Don't give up my fellow bi-winning friends. Use bipolar as a superpower not your kryptonite. You are stronger than you feel just do the best you can today and know that you will get better if you are taking care of the basics. Medication (if needed), therapy, health (eating right and trying to exercise even if it's just getting up to take that much needed shower), and of course reach out to others develop relationships if you don't have many people in your life. We are out here. My name is Victoria and I have been Bipolar for 2 years diagnosed but I have a sneaking suspicion I've always been and just wasn't diagnosed. It is okay to live with this disability. Bonus I get to have my sweet chihuahua my service dog with me at all times. I have a disability but the disability doesn't have me. Love to you all have a great day! Reach out if you need to make a friend!

Unfortunately it is very hard if not impossible to tell how long an episode will last. It varies greatly from person to person and has a lot to do with your treatment and what end of the spectrum you are on. I, myself am an ultra-radian cycler, also known as rapid cycling. In one day I can be very episodic and go back and forth between mania and depression.