Mania and Hypersexuality

[SilentRage]

I had recently posted a question about Mania and Hypersexuality on here but no one really responded. Am i the only one who suffers with this symptom which i dont think that is true. Those who do suffer with this how are you able to control your urges. I keep myself locked up in my room just so i dont do anything stupid or crazy its like i become very promiscious and then i feel dirty afterward with full of regret. I hate men with a passon. the reason for this was explain in a previous post.  and this is around the time it really seems to get worst, and so is my migraines and all the other symptoms i have right now. The heat from the warm weather and my hot flashes isnt helping anything. do any of you have any suggestions?

[ILADVOCATE]

Well I have to admit things aren't quite as bad as I put in that post. At times they are. When I feel depressed. I do believe as I had been concerned about that the Tenex I am taking is causing a personality alteration that has a "burnt out" type depression but then again its not primarily being used as a mood stabilizer. I will speak to my neurologist about that. But I feel that way when I am depressed in general. As well as the hypersexuality people described during mania (when I describe myself as "recovered" that applies to psychosis, I still haven't found the perfect mood stabilizer yet which must be taken in addition to the glycine, however when there is mania or depression I am fully aware of all its aspects coming on and can stop it). So I would ask everyone here who has bipolar especially if you are rapid cyclers. Do you lose interest in sex or does your sex drive go down during episodes of depression?

[LetaB]

  Another reason I have started to question whether I have B.P. or not is that the intensity of my sex drive is very steady. just before my period it goes lower but besides that I'm quite commonly randy. I am much more depressive in symptoms than anything else but I don't see that makes any difference regarding it. Of course when I've been suicidal I've only been thinking of one thing.

What are "destructive urges" pertaining to sex? Would these be nonconsensual ideations? Otherwise I can't imagine what you're referring to..

[ILADVOCATE]

The answer would be yes although they were never acted on and really are something that I discuss with my psychiatrist only. But I get many urges to do things that are destructive overall when I'm psychotic which I have not been in a long time but in an episode of mania I lose judgment. I know when a manic episode is coming on and I will ride it out but its not very pleasent. The thoughts are of an obsessive nature in all areas not just sexual and it makes my life unpleasent. When a person has schizoaffective, regardless of how effective the antipsychotic (and glycine and the glutamate antagonists are proving very effective overall) they need a mood stabilizer as well. The only exception is Clozaril. With that a person often doesn't need a mood stabilizer. I myself didn't need one when I was on it. But it basically killed my sex drive and personality overall though until new medications are released for some people it is a good option although for the years I was on it I felt half alive and spent most of my time sleeping but I know that it has kept some people from acting on suicidal ideations and the like and has helped them indeed.
  I have a girlfriend and we both have issues let's say but we respect each other's boundaries as well and have known each other almost ten years and hopefully things will continue in that vein although for a variety of reasons, including some I detailed and would not detail further we will not get married but we are highly emotionally supportive of each other.

[LetaB]

I hate to muddy the waters here but you mentioned feeling blah on Depakote, right? I've been taking it for three weeks (along with lithium) and I feel bloated (I know it's partly water because of the symptoms), FAT, and listless. For the first time I do feel a damper on my sexuality as well. Don't you feel I've given it a long enough shot and can call my doctor now in good conscience and ask for a med changing apt.? I want to try Lamactil because it doesn't have these side effects.

[LeftCoastChick]

My pdoc was concerned about my impulsivity earlier in treatment, because I've dated 4 women since last January. I told her, look I haven't dated in over 2 years, so I was enjoying myself, and it wasn't except one, casual sex. I told her I wasn't getting any younger ;)  I miss the company of women, so I told her it didn't all have to do with sex. My best friend is even concerned, and said that I shouldn't date until I'm totally stable, geez, that could be a decade! But then a couple of women who've been interested in me, changed their minds when I told them I was BP. Since I've been off SSRI's I actually have a libido, I feel more alive then I have in 15 yrs in that respect. Being single I would be a bit more erm sexual, I'm always very safe and discerning with whom I sleep with. (these days, my 20's were a different story)

[ILADVOCATE]

Well as for Lithium and Depakoate I'll take a quote from my psychopharmocologist that comes from clinically accurate sources "Lamictal is the least likely out of the mood stabilizers to cause cognitive confusion". Of course people have occassionally run into that but I didn't. The same as regards sexual side effects and it didn't cause sexual side effects for me. I was getting them at the time but that was because of the antipsychotics I was on which do cause those, although the atypicals clearly much less than the typicals (Haldol and the older ones were heavily likely to cause prolactin elevation which resulted in a decreased libido, the atypicals from Risperdal onwards far less so) to cause that. You are on Lithium and Depakoate together and although its a highly effective combination, with both together if you are experiencing decreased libido and some cognitive side effects that's not surprising.
   As for Lamictal sure its worth asking about and I don't see why your psychiatrist wouldn't try it but because of the slow titration rate by FDA regulations it would have to be raised at the rate of 25 mg. per week and 150 mg. is the starting effective dose so it would take at least a month and half and probably more before it could reach a targeted effective dose. Then your psychiatrist would gradually titrate you off the other medications. So if he does agree for you to go on Lamictal that's how it will occur and you will feel slogged from all the medications together as I did but at the end you may get a better side effect profile overall. Certainly worth asking about as unlike when I started it in 1998, Lamictal is now FDA approved as a first line mood stabilizer in the U.S.