Posted by alchemy on October 24, 2010, at 12:26:42
In reply to Re: ultra, ultra, and ultra rapid cycling » alchemy, posted by maxime on October 23, 2010, at 23:12:35
hi maxime! I liked trying to answer your question because I learned more about it.
- Yes, they are basicially mood swings and are considered a type of bipolar. People with regular bipolar can develop rapid cycling.
- It is also believed that antidepressants can increase the incidence and so there needs to be a mood stabilizer.I always thought "Rapid Cycling" was a very recent diagnosis, but the term is in the DSM-IV. The "ultra" types are not in there, but are generally accepted.
"In the early 1970s, publications began to appear suggesting that patients with more than four cycles of bipolar disorder per year did not respond very well to lithium. Rapid-cycling Bipolar dsiorder was therefore recognized as a lithium-resistant subgroup of bipolar disorder and alternative modes of treatment were tried."RAPID: four or more mood swings or episodes in a twelve-month period
ULTRA-RAPID: cycle through episodes within a month or less.
ULTRA-ULTRA (or ultradian): within 24-hours
- All kinds of different patterns are all mixed up together under the heading of "rapid cycling."
- "Because symptoms of depression dominate in most people with rapid cycling bipolar disorder, treatment is usually aimed toward relieving depression."My experiences:
I think I have had a ultra-cycling for a long time. I don't notice a sudden change. But I do have to remind myself that when I am in a really down "episode", it won't be as bad a few days.
When I tried Adderall (without a stabilizer), I started to go really up & down. Further ups, but further downs. It may have contributed to my hospital stay.For what I think is my ultra-ultra, I have gone through times where I know my morning depression will improve later during the day, but it is gradual. Then there are the times I have sudden changes - it is maybe less than a half-hour period. I am doing nothing different, and I just feel my mood just fall/switch. Why does it only go down?
There doesn't seem to be a term for cycling within minutes or seconds. I think of mine as "waves" or intervals. I don't think they really recongnize this, but there are some experiences I found on the web. For me, this is a weird feeling, and they may be unique to just me. It only started AFTER starting dexadrine, but even Lamictal (but I'm sure it would be worse off without it.) They aren't a terrible thing, and the dexadrine is still worth it. I am just worried it will get worse. Sometimes they are subtle and barely noticable. Sometimes they are quicker or worse. For an example of one type of this for me is like saying the word "ta-da", ta(down)-da(back up)
My oppinion with my "waves" is that there is some correlation with epilepsy. It's like I have a messed up chemical/neuron firing. There are some doctors out there that believe there is close association between epilepsy & bipolor.
There is interesting graph of the different cycle intervals at: http://www.psycheducation.org/depression/Waves.htm
poster:alchemy
thread:966574
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20101020/msgs/966802.html