Can anyone relate to feeling bipolar-ish???

[gabriella17]

@Mesurfer As someone who has bipolar disorder, I would say it's not really what you describe. What you're describing really sounds normal for someone with ME... on good days, your mood brightens because you feel like things are possible! Then when you crash, you have to go through a loss all over again.

You know how people say, "Oh, I get tired too! Really burnt out!" but they don't understand what ME fatigue is really like? Bipolar disorder is so much more than what you're describing. It's disabling, in and of itself. Unfortunately, the term "bipolar" is used loosely, often as an adjective. Bipolar disorder is a serious illness, and is not an adjective.

I think what you're experiencing is pretty common for someone with ME! I often feel that way too - when I feel "normal" and have energy, it feels like everything in the world is suddenly possible again, and I almost forget that I have this illness.

 

[Daffodil]

i was told a couple of times that i had bipolar..the one where you are almost always depressed and have a rare, hypomanic episode. I was never sure if the diagnosis was accurate because i knew i had a lot of CNS Inflammation and that this could be affecting things. i also remember a weird, wired feeling which i thought could be related to the CFS.

the suspicion i had bipolar arose when I became a little "too happy" on Paxil many moons ago (but still after CFS began).

anyway, i have not taken anything for it through most of my CFS because the severe brain fog and lack of energy muted most of my emotions..i was never able to feel anything too intense or extreme.

lately, since i have been getting a tad bit better healthwise, i do notice sort of new depression / ruminating thoughts creeping up, but i am not sure if it is unreasonable given how much i have lost due to this illness. the rumination is probably not normal....that sort of thing runs in our family a lot.

i am going to ask my doctor for Lamictal tomorrow. I do remember once i did well on an SSRI and a tiny dose of Lithium but learned that small Li doses can help the SSRI work better.

I once knew a guy who was perfectly normal but developed OCD after the CFS...so its really hard to know whats what.

xo

 

[DoggerFisher]

I'm inclined to agree with @gabriella17 on this one. True bipolar disorder is very different from these circumstantial ups and downs. I don't suffer from it but I know people who do. I certainly recognise what you describe with ME though and I think it's natural. If anything the surges of enthusiasm when we feel a bit better are something that shows we are not clinically depressed either.

 

[gabriella17]

i was told a couple of times that i had bipolar..the one where you are almost always depressed and have a rare, hypomanic episode. I was never sure if the diagnosis was accurate because i knew i had a lot of CNS Inflammation and that this could be affecting things. i also remember a weird, wired feeling which i thought could be related to the CFS.

Sounds like Bipolar Disorder II - the type with depression more common, with hypomania, rather than full blown mania. I have Bipolar Disorder ! (considered "classic" bipolar), where it's significant depression and mania. But I do agree, I feel like it's all so inter-related with ME because of CNS inflammation. Sometimes I wonder, if there were a way to treat the ME, if it would also alleviate the bipolar disorder.

 

[Pen2]

@Mesurfer As someone who has bipolar disorder, I would say it's not really what you describe. What you're describing really sounds normal for someone with ME... on good days, your mood brightens because you feel like things are possible! Then when you crash, you have to go through a loss all over again.

You know how people say, "Oh, I get tired too! Really burnt out!" but they don't understand what ME fatigue is really like? Bipolar disorder is so much more than what you're describing. It's disabling, in and of itself. Unfortunately, the term "bipolar" is used loosely, often as an adjective. Bipolar disorder is a serious illness, and is not an adjective.

I think what you're experiencing is pretty common for someone with ME! I often feel that way too - when I feel "normal" and have energy, it feels like everything in the world is suddenly possible again, and I almost forget that I have this illness.

 

[Pen2]

Yes I know I don't have Bipolar. I thought with your "bipolar- ish" was a funny way to discuss how we go through ups and downs. There was a time though that my Doc did talk about it. I am thankful to not have it.

My sister had Bipolar, very sad. Another lonely disease. I always felt so sad for her and how hard it must have been to have her mind. My family shunned her. Me and my Mom never did. She deserved unconditional love.

So since your Bipolarish blog was one of the first blogs I saw when I found PR. I really thought the "ish" meant our ups and downs. I hope you don't have Bipolar but if you do...I hope you have good treatment. Take care Gabrielle17 We'll talk again sometime.



Thanks for replying,
Pen2

 

[Pen2]

Oops.....I just remembered you said you don't have it. Awesome, that's a good thing.

 

[Dechi]

I feel the exact same way. When doing better I am optimistic and I feel like making plans. I start acting on them and then PEM hits me and destroys everything. Then I get depressed and feel miserable. Funny I saw this thread, I was thinking about feeling like I am bipolar just yesterday or the day before !

 

[Pen2]

Dechi, yup we all relate. It's hard not to want to do stuff when you have a good day. I just have to learn not to do too much.
It's hard at times to know what's too much since we have delayed responses.
You CAN so you do......then the crash...

 

[gabriella17]

Yes I know I don't have Bipolar. I thought with your "bipolar- ish" was a funny way to discuss how we go through ups and downs. There was a time though that my Doc did talk about it. I am thankful to not have it.

My sister had Bipolar, very sad. Another lonely disease. I always felt so sad for her and how hard it must have been to have her mind. My family shunned her. Me and my Mom never did. She deserved unconditional love.

So since your Bipolarish blog was one of the first blogs I saw when I found PR. I really thought the "ish" meant our ups and downs. I hope you don't have Bipolar but if you do...I hope you have good treatment. Take care Gabrielle17 We'll talk again sometime.



Thanks for replying,
Pen2

Not sure if you were addressing this to me?

Also, another thing worth mentioning: borderline personality disorder is often misdiagnosed as bipolar disorder, and even more often, the general public confuses it with bipolar disorder. Much of the time, what's seen as "bipolar" behavior, as in, "He is SO bipolar!" is actually borderline personality disorder (BPD). When someone behaves in a "jekyll and hyde" way, nice, sweet and affectionate one minute, then mean, paranoid, abusive the next, it's more indicative of BPD, or another personality disorder. BPD is about swinging from one extreme to the next as far as how the person treats other people, while bipolar disorder is internal experience of energy and mood swings.

 

[gabriella17]

BPD is about swinging from one extreme to the next as far as how the person treats other people.

And this is actually the "acting out" type of borderline personality disorder, not the "acting in" type. But geez that's a whole other post, lol.

 

[Treeman]

Hi, a dormant thread but I came across it having reconsider some of my health items. I don't have bipolar but finding a illness called cyclothymia which is much milder than bipolar could certainly describe what I experience.

I tend to have more pronounced episodes of being down, but being high as never been seen as a negative to me and crave for more!

I'm going to keep a mood diary to monitor it. I have been keeping a food diary for years so I don't see that as any kind of trigger and I'm unsure of any trigger anyway. My main concern is the agitation, anger and aggression when I'm in a low phase, however my wife has been telling me for years that I have low risk aversion and the symptom of "reckless or impulsive behavior" could be seen as a nod to it.

I can see many of the symptoms ticked for me but have to admit tis difficult to separate some of the symptoms from that of ME/CFS. Thanks.

 

[Learner1]

A couple of good resources might be:

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1591202590/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_WueIFbR5YX7DT

https://g.co/kgs/SMjn5H

https://g.co/kgs/DQLhtJ

You might also look into celiac disease and food intolerance which disturb gut balance, particularly IgG reactions which are typically delayed and may not actually give gut symptoms but can cause brain symptoms and fatigue. Cyrex Labs and US Biotek have good tests.

An immediate family member was bipolar and after many doctors, multiple psychiatric meds which created all sorts of unpleasant symptoms but didn't really help, we learned that celiac, food allergies/intolerances, gut damage, microbiome disruption, nutrient depletion/imbalances were behind it. Reversing all of this led to a complete cure.

 

[Treeman]

You might also look into celiac disease and food intolerance which disturb gut balance, particularly IgG reactions which are typically delayed and may not actually give gut symptoms but can cause brain symptoms and fatigue. Cyrex Labs and US Biotek have good tests.

Hi, thanks for your comments. I've tried almost every diet under the sun and excluded all the major food items that are known to cause problems, but without any difference to my mental health but some did for my gut health. My father in law used to work for the U N advising countries on diet and even his knowledge didn't help.

I wont give up though and will take a fresh look at and the resources you suggest. I have had no testing which is something that could be explode also.

 

[Learner1]

I'm a fan of testing. These intolerances can be difficult to figure out.

Additionally, nutrient deficiencies can be tested for.

Best wishes...

 

[Pyrrhus]

I can see many of the symptoms ticked for me but have to admit tis difficult to separate some of the symptoms from that of ME/CFS. Thanks.

Since the early reports of ME, "emotional lability" has been listed as a symptom of ME, in people with no history of prior "emotional lability".

So mood swings can be just another fun symptom of ME...

 

[Learner1]

Since the early reports of ME, "emotional lability" has been listed as a symptom of ME, in people with no history of prior "emotional lability".

So mood swings can be just another fun symptom of ME...

The 2015 report by the US Institute of Medicine/National Academy of Sciences, which looked at 9,000 publications on ME/CFS in coming to its conclusions, did not at all list "emotional lability" as a symptom of this disease. They were very clear in explaining that this is a complex, multi-organ system disease, and not a psychological problem.

Psychological symptoms can be caused by biochemical imbalances of various types, including under or overmethylation, zinc and copper imbalances, food allergies, amino acid deficiencies, microbiome imbalances, and a number of other issues. They definitely should be investigated. Three helpful books on this subject include:

1. "The New Optimum Nutrition for the Mind" by Patrick Holford
2. "Nutrient Power" by William Walsh
3. "Primal Body, Primal Mind" by Nora Gedgaudas

 

[Treeman]

Since the early reports of ME, "emotional lability" has been listed as a symptom of ME, in people with no history of prior "emotional lability".

So mood swings can be just another fun symptom of ME...

Thanks. I've been looking at this a bit more and other symptoms I've found include as a co morbidity, autoimmune problems, rumination and obsessional thoughts, and argumentative,(all of which I have), Interesting also that vanity is also one, my wife says I'm vane, I don't think so, but I'm going to look in the mirror just to check......

I also found some information where it's believed that many infections can cause bipolar, including EBV, which I believe to be the onset of my illness. There was a report of a man claiming he'd never had bipolar until he caught glandular fever.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

Does anyone else feel bipolar-ish

I totally relate to what your saying...I think we have big mood swings, tied to the PEM and then the day your a little better, some hope returns, some good intentions..the long put off- things we'd like to do or accomplish- might be feasible. Then there is the- punishment later...

I have alot of emotional highs, and I like that. I dont' want to get rid of that. So then the occassional - big bummer day ...they happen.

I'm prescribing- Go Sit Outside in the Sun. Today, tomorrow. Get more Vit D.

 

[Rufous McKinney]

@Mesurfer As someone who has bipolar disorder, I would say it's not really what you describe. What you're describing really sounds normal for someone with ME... on good days, your mood brightens because you feel like things are possible!

Yes, I think most of us aren't really describing bi-polar- its just our mood swings associated with health status.