So I went to bed last night and had the worst sleep of my life. I tossed and turned so many times I’m pretty sure I wore a hole in the pillow. Then this morning when I was taking my morning medication I saw I forgot to take my nighttime medication which includes Seroquel, Lithium, Depakote, Propranolol, Risperdal, and Ativan (not to mention my birth control which I promptly took). This perfectly explains my lack of sleep and why I still don’t feel tired. Then I went to the gym. Usually I’m sluggish on the treadmill pushing to get to at least twenty minutes. Today I had to be interrupted by my mom after doing a mile with no sign of stopping (it might not sound like much but that’s a lot for me. And omg the sweat). So I don’t know if I’m manic or not right now. I might be hypomanic (a less severe form of mania). Or just have more energy because I’m not bogged down by all the medication. I did alert my psychiatrist and he’s going to call me later. Which brings me to my blog post. What triggers mania?
Here are several things that can contribute to manic episodes:
· Missing medication (obviously)
· Lost sleep. It’s a vicious cycle because if you miss your medication you might get manic. But you also might not sleep which can also make you manic. That’s why all-nighters are so dangerous for bipolar people. My last manic episode in early November was caused by an allnighter.
· Caffeine. Caffeine can prevent you from sleeping which can lead to manic episodes. This was a really hard thing for me to accept and I’m sure I’ve triggered more than one episode with a Monster.
· Types of medication such as antidepressants. This is tricky because I am also on Prozac for my OCD so it’s a balancing act of having a therapeutic dose while not going too high.
· Stress
· Excitement (like being overly excited about Christmas or your birthday can trip you into a manic episode)
· Seasonal changes
Now I’ll just sit and wait for my psychiatrist to call. And remember my medication.
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