Monday, August 25, 2008 Shirlene Gaddy asks

Q: is there treatment for someone with bipolar disorder who has sudden bouts of uncontrollable crying?

My friend, age 44 has been diagnosed with bi polar disorder which manifests itself mainly with a feeling of hopelessness as well as not being able to concentrate and bouts of sudden uncontrollable crying spells. Usually, but also at other times, it is about the time of her monthly period . She started on the birth-control pill several months ago to see if that would help, but so far, has seen only slight benefits. She is currently taking lithium, neurontin, abilify and restoril to manage the bi polar disorder. Do you have any suggestions as to some other treatment that is available? The crying spells are really embarrasing and causing problems at work. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you, S. Gaddy

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Answers (3)

Suzanne

8/27/08 7:08am

I also take a lot of meds for bipolar I (Abilify, Topamax, Lamictal, Provigil, Klonopin, Trazodone) & have had problems with crying in inappropiate places & times. The spells will just come over me & I started isolating myself as they were very embarrassing. My provider increased my Lamictal to 300 mg (150 mg a.m. 150 mg p.m.) & that seems to have done the trick. I also am in individual therapy & doing dialectical behavioral therapy as I do have extreme emotional reactions to things & want to calm these emotions down.

I did come from a "crazy" (bipolar & alcoholic mother who committed suicide/ alcoholic father) family so I do actually have a lot of things to cry about, but I am 54 years old so surely these experiences should not be affecting me so much now. I'm ready to live in the "here & now" & right now I really don't have much to cry about!!

8/26/08 5:56am

Sounds like your friend is going through hell. I feel her pain. My marriage almost broke up because of my severe mood swings. Not sure about some of the meds you listed, but I take anti-depressant meds along with my bi-polar mood stablizing meds. They work well together. I also take Yasmin birth control, which helps me during those times of the month. Yasmin is supposed to be a very good for women bi-polar suffers. I see a huge diffrence in my mood during that time of the month, which as you know, is when bi-polar symptoms are the worst for women. Yes, sometimes I get edgy, but there's no crying spells, or fits of rage (in my case). So, Yasmin, anti-depressants along with my bi-polar mood stabilizers is what was recommended for me. Unfortunately, I had to try a few meds before I found the right combination. It's a miserable waiting game, but when you find that right med that lets you live without "feeling" every mood under the sun in one day, you appreciate life so much more!

I wish your friend the best,

your bi-polar sister

8/26/08 6:23am

I forgot to list the meds I take (and used to take)...

Mood-Stabilizers

- What works for me is Topamax. After 4 weeks of it in my system my highs and lows were gone.

- A couple of weeks ago, I stopped taking lithium. It gave me severe headaches.

- When I couldn't afford Topamax, my doctor put me on Lamictal. I didn't like that med because one of the side effects was a rash that could lead to DEATH! However, it did stabilize my mood.

Antidepressents

- What I take now is Fluoxtine (generic Prozac). It works well. No mood swings, but I don't sleep at night.

- Zoloft. Good stuff. It worked well.

- Prozac (brand). Really Good stuff. It really helped me sleep at nights and get up refreshed.

Q: is there treatment for someone with bipolar disorder who has sudden bouts of uncontrollable crying?

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