Is Anyone Familiar With Ultra Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder?

Question by : Is anyone familiar with ultra rapid cycling bipolar disorder?
[rewrite]I have a daughter that was just diagnosed with this and am wondering what others have experienced concerning this diagnosis? Successes and medications used. Really anything would be helpful. Thanks.
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Best answer:
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Answer by Rebecca Morgan
Anti psychotics and mood stabilizers are the usual meds for rapid cycling Bipolar… anti depressants can often make it worse… Sometimes a benzo like Xanax or Ativan is also used but there is a risk of addiction so it must be used with care. Ultradian cycling can be confused with Borderline Personality Disorder so this might be something to consider fi the meds do not work as they will not help the mood swings caused by a personality disorder… One reason that psychiatrists are more likely to diagnose Bipolar is that insurance companies will not pay for treatment of Borderline because it is considered psychological and not a chemical disorder like Bipolar. Treatment of Bipolar is covered. Advice…. get her into regular therapy and work to find the right med combo for her…. sometimes we are too willing to trivialize side effects, especially with someone who already seems emotional and short on patience but side effects are a valid issue… there are dozens of meds she can try before settling on one (or two or maybe three)… if side effects are really bothersome to her do not hesitate to suggest to her doctor that they try something else… in order for her to want to stay on meds they shouldn’t make her sicker than the Bipolar does. I belong to a Bipolar group at www.dailystrength.org… it is a great group. They also have a family of Bipolar group that is great. Having the support of those in the same boat may be helpful for both of you….. You can email me if you have any questions…

Answer by ?
I was hospitalized when I was 14 and spent nearly 3 years in a variety of psychiatric facilities across the country. I was given that diagnosis when I was 15. They told my mom I’d probably be institutionalized for life. I’m not trying to scare you, I just want you to be aware of how severe this can get. I am now 21 and have been in and out of hospitals since my diagnosis. I’ve had to drop out of college twice and quit two jobs. My episodes now average days to weeks but my depressive episodes can occasionally last months. This has actually made it more difficult to function but I end up in the hospital less.

It is incredibly important to regulate sleep, diet, and exercise. For me this merely reduces the frequency, severity, and duration of my episodes. It’s very hard to get started doing and when a bad episode pops up it’s hard to continue. She, and those closest to her, needs to become more familiar with herself with her disorder and her particular signs and symptoms. It’s important to know when things are going wrong and how.

She needs to learn positive coping skills to deal with things. I struggle with eating issues, OCD, intimacy, and abandonment issues. I have no clue to interact normally with people most of the time. It’s a serious problem and complicates my ability to function even further. I also distrust most male authority figures.

It doesn’t happen to everyone but self-harm, drug abuse, and suicide attempts are incredibly common. You should try to educate yourself and your daughter on these things.

If you have to send her to a residential treatment and she is a minor, I would recommend Devereux in Viera, Florida. If she’s an adult or Devereux isn’t an option, just make sure you ask lots of questions. Who are the potential doctors/therapists she might see? What are their qualifications? Have they had any complaints filed against them? What is the staff to patient ratio? What kind of training do the staff receive? What plans do you have in place for incidents (anything your daughter might be prone to doing)? What kind of security do you have? Who makes up the treatment team? Etc.

If she doesn’t require residential treatment, make sure she gets a good psychiatrist or psychologist. It can take awhile but don’t get discouraged. You should never underestimate the value of someone she feels like she can place complete trust in and who has a personality and approach to therapy that suits her.

If she is a minor, make sure you talk to the teachers and staff about her disorder. It’s very important they understand what is going on. You can work together with a therapist/psychiatrist to help come up with an IEP that works for her. She may need to go to an alternative school. Make sure you find one that isn’t based on behavioral/legal issues or learning disabilities unless she has those too. In most of the U.S. public schools are obligated to find the least restrictive environment for a student.

If she is in college, make sure she understand she needs to make arrangements with the special needs departments.

If she’s eligible for it, she needs to apply for FMLA. She should also speak to whoever is in charge of HR about her disorder. I don’t actually do this because people treat you differently.

Look into support groups, art therapy, pet therapy, outpatient programs, information, etc. for her, you, and anyone else who might be involved.. Some people benefit more from these than interactions with an individual therapist. Some people get the most out of a combination.

My experience with anti-depressants has been horrible. At best, they did nothing. At worst, they cause a full blown manic/mixed episodes complete with psychosis… even if I’m on a mood stabilizer.

Lithium and Depakote are the two major mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder. Neither of them worked for me. In fact, Lithium made things 100x worse.I tend to suffer from insomnia and severe anxiety. Ambien CR works for my insomnia. I’ve recently been put on Vistaril 50 mg for anxiety. It works wonders.

I’ve been on quite a few mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics as well. Lamictal eases my depression but not to a functional level. Seroquel treats my mania perfectly but I have to take it as a PRN because using it more than a week will make me depressed.

Please keep in mind that many psychiatric medications can have the opposite of the intended effect and can have unbearably miserable side effects, especially when the dosage is raised too quickly. I refused to take medications for years because of this. The right intentions can still do more harm than good.

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