Extreme lethargy followed by extreme productivity ... and repeat

[frequentnoise]

Do any of you get these rapid cycles?

I have extreme periods of lethargy, where I can barely bring myself to do the bare minimum.

Then, all of a sudden, like today, I am a whirlwind. I get everything done. All the housework. At work for 11 hours getting all my prep done. At the gym. Food shopping. Home cooked meal. Presents wrapped. Cards written. Mind won't switch off.

I'm not naive, I know that having bipolar 2 means you're going to have these swings, but they can be literally day to day. I'm reckoning tomorrow I am going to struggle to function because I have been so on fire today.

Psychiatrists always talk about these periods lasting weeks and months. I don't know if that's really true. It makes me think, oh well I don't really have that illness because my schedule doesn't fit yours!!

Anyone who has these rapid cycles, would love to hear from you about your experiences and how you deal with them!!!

[Bellatrix]

I have these rapid cycles along side my longer episodes. I tend to notice it more when my hormones are changing, I always imagine it as a roller coaster of ups and downs (bipolar episodes) and now and then you get corkscrew twists (rapid cycles).

You should speak to your psychiatrist as some mood stabisers are good for these rapid cycles.

[tiptoes]

There is such a thing as ultra-rapid cycling bipolar and with some mixed States (periods of high and low mood at the same time) where there is a little definition between the two moods. So even though rapid changes of mood aren't classic bipolar symptoms it doesn't necessarily rule it out.

There are a few orher things that can cause mood fluctuations like you describe, it can take a while to work through all the possibilities.

One thing that might be a good idea is to keep a diary of yours moods and what was going on in each mood state. It will help you and your doctor to work through the patterns which can help towards working out what might help you and then what it might be.

There are also physical illnesses that can cause mood irregularities so it might also be worth speaking to a doctor about ruling the out also.

Whilst it can take a while to figure things out that doesn't mean that things can't improve along the way. Good luck!