How can you trigger manic episodes??

[WBrownx]

I know this sounds bad but please hear me out. I have a feeling that I have bipolar and whenever I have read the symptoms I have suspected that I've had those symptoms (for example I saw 'racing thoughts and instantly was like 'I've had that')but I can't pinpoint a period of time because I have literally the worst memory. I know for sure that I have depressive episodes because I had one a few months ago and a mild one a few weeks ago but I'm not sure about manic ones. So I thought that I would try and trigger a manic episode so then I can track my mood and I'll know if somethings wrong or not, if so I'll go to my GP, which I've been putting off and if not I can stop worrying about bipolar. I know that mania can get out of hand so I've asked one of my close friends to watch my moods and if I get too out of hand to sort me out and make me get help if it gets bad, she's very forceful so it'll work.
So, what triggers mania?

[Jaguarcat311]

Zoloft. That triggered a few weeks of mania for me. It wasn't fun.

[Amy4891]

I would suggest you do nothing to try and trigger a manic episode. If you truly are bipolar it will happen on its own eventually.

[flynnster]

I wouldn't try to trigger a mania. I don't know if you can anyway. When I've been really depressed before, I've tried to make myself manic just so I can not feel depressed anymore. You know what? It just doesn't work like that. All you succeed in doing is making a pile of bad choices.

If you're really concerned about it. Go talk to your doctor. Be as honest as you can.

being manic is not as simple as having racing thoughts. It's a combination of many things to the extreme and if unmedicated it can last for many weeks or even months.

In my experience, you can't make yourself manic. Yes there are certainly triggers but it is more than if this thing happens or I do this thing or feel this certain way, I will get manic. At least for me, it isn't like that.

Be careful.

[adel_ezz]

the easiest thing an antidepressant especially a tricyclic. I am giving you a clue to destroy yourself. so DON\T listen to me of course. Also mania not only can get out of hand as you said rather it will surely be out of hand since each time you have one episode the meds to extinguish it increase. Surely once you have one episode you will others consecutively.

MORE important is that once you have one manic episode only once your brain changes and you become an altogether different person. Believe me I was dx BP due to an AD, before this never had mania even under stressful events.

[thatquietgirl]

Track your moods and wait and see would be my best advice.  Different people get triggered by different things.  My therapist once told me one of her patients would start eating a ton of oranges right before a manic episode.

I also would suggest seeing a psychiatrist rather than your GP.  Psychiatrists are doctors specifically trained for this sort of things whereas your GP is not.  It's important if you are bipolar that you not be put on an anti-depressant unless you've been on a mood stabilizer that works for you, for example, or else things can get worse for you.  Not all GPs necessarily know this sort of thing.  Besides that, you will need a therapist to learn things to help deal with your symptoms, and your GP is definitely not going to be able to help with that side of things.

[Cici_xo]

Mania is triggered by diferent things for different people. For me, its stress, drinking, lack of sleep, something exciting coming up (such as a trip), and so on. I do not recommend trying to trigger mania. It can really mess you up. I just came off a 2 month stretch of it and i spent over $3000, drank alot, was promiscuous, and so on. Its not safe especially not on medication because coming down from mania you can drop to extreme depression that could cause suicidal thoughts.  I've been there before too, its not fun.