Bipolar and Chemotherapy

By bluedemalion Tuesday, June 10, 2008

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I am a 37 year old woman. I have recently been diagnosed with Bipolar II. I am still learning how to manage my illness.

Looking back over my life, it is very obvious to me that I have always exhibited bipolar symptoms -- especially since my college years. Up until fairly recently, I was able to "manage" or cope with my symptoms.

In college, my problems mostly stemmed from depressive symptoms. I probably suffered from minor mania episodes, but I did not have any lasting or irreversible complications from those episodes. In other words, my "manic" episodes were not so extreme that they were outside the bounds of "normal" behavior -- not enough to cause alarm.

However, this is where my question comes in.

In 2006, I was diagnosed with Hairy Cell Leukemia. In June 2006, I underwent a five-day out-patient treatment regimen with Cladribine, 2-chlorodeoxyadenosine (2Cda).

Within a week of that treatment, I entered what I now realize was a highly manic state. I was highly energetic and needed very little sleep. In the week following my treatment, I cleaned my entire two-bedroom apartment, from top to bottom.

My sister had come to visit and watch over me (as we weren't sure what the effects of the chemo were going to be). I had tons more energy than she did. She said that just watching me, made her tired.

Since then, I have been experiencing more dramatic mood swings than I did before my treatment. I seem to be rapid-cycling, and my highs are much higher than they ever were previously, and my lows are much lower.

My question is: I wonder if there is some kind of a connection between my chemotherapy treatment and my "increased" bipolar? I believe that I have always been bipolar, but I wonder if somehow the chemotherapy "pushed" me into a more severe form?

This is a sort of a "chicken-or-egg" question. My entire life is rather a mess right now. I don't know if my bipolar has been aggravated by the circumstances in my life, or if my bipolar is causing the difficulties in my life.

Perhaps I am only noticing my mood swings more, because they are having a greater effect on my day-to-day life. (That I have lost some of my coping ability because of the overall stress and complications of my life.)

I would be very interested in hearing from anyone who might have any information about the possibility that chemotherapy treatments could affect the progression of bipolar disorder. Or if anyone could point me in the correct direction to any published research regarding this.

- Rachelle

Pennsylvania

Comments (11) | Add comment

karmayogi

6/11/08 6:55am

Conventional therapies are known to have serious side effects, especially chemotherapy. And alternative therapies work particularly well in conditions such as depression, anxiety, and stress. Music therapy, yoga, 5-HTP, and St John's wort and sage (herb) have a 'strong evidence' scientific rating from Natural Standard and can effectively treat any depressive disorders. Please visit the site www.rvita.com for detailed information.

MarcusParcus

6/12/08 9:01pm

Hi there. Bipolar mania can be set off by many things, especially stressful life events such as disease and chemotherapy. It may be the fact that you're going through chemotherapy triggering the episode more than the chemical effect. I'd check with a psychiatrist. Also, be sure to get into some kind of counseling/therapy to help you sort through all of this.

Anonymous

6/20/08 4:01am

Hi Rachelle,

Randomly found your post after doing a google search for "bipolar" and "chemo". I'm a 26 year old female cancer survivor (hodgkin's lymphoma) with almost the exact same story as you...looking back I always had depression that I just always "dealt" with, maybe some manic episodes, but nothing too out of the ordinary. Since chemo I've experienced huge surges of energy where I don't know what to do with myself followed by "crashes" where I'll have no energy and be more depressed than I ever was before chemo. I've started realizing that I need to get treatment for this, and have made an appointment with a psychiatrist to see if I can get answers. I relate to your "my life is a mess" comment...just wanted to let you know there's someone else out there who's curious about this! --Devon in California

Anonymous

6/20/08 1:07pm

My mother just underwent six months of chemotherapy. You probably already know that chemotherapy wipes out red and white blood cells. I wonder if that damage to the blood has an effect on the medication? I don't know, just something to consider.

Alan

allison b

8/ 3/08 9:14pm

My mother was just diagonsed with bladder cancer and will soon be undergoing chemotherapy. My biggest question is how it will react with her bipolar disorder, which she has been medicated for for about 9 years now. Her pychiatrist has warned her of possible psycosis during chemo and manic episodes. I am wondering if she will even be able to take her bipolar meds during chemo, beacuse if not I fear she won't be able to deal with it all by herself.

Anonymous

12/16/08 2:54am

I am a 31 year old male who also is a cancer survivor, I had Hodgkin's Disease when I was 17 and underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments. I have never been diagnosed with depression, but have definitely had moments where I wondered if I had it. I have definitely wondered about the side effects of all the chemotherapy and what impact, if any, that may have had on me. I know this doesn't answer anything, but I wanted to let you, and others, know that there definitely could be a correlation. I just recently started seeing a therapist and hope to sift through some of the many possible reasons for feeling the way I do.

Another experience.....

8/30/09 2:01pm

Hi, I had a limfoblastic leukemia when I was 9 and followed a three year intensive treatment of chemotherapy. During puberty I was pretty much on the depressive side and had a couple severe depression episodes. At seventeen I had a pretty big manic episode, kind of what you tell about your room,but with hallucinations and for quite a while. Ever since, I have been treated for my bipolar syndrome.

I was doing some research on bipolar causes and when I saw some article about mitocondrias malfunction having to do with it, I thought right away of the chemotherapy. Then I googled this and I ran into you. I think it absolutely has a relation.

I understand completely how you feel now. I had a really hard time asuming bipolarity as a disease and and spent a long time avoiding correct treatment and feeling constantly unstable.

Go find a psiquiatrist who is specialised in the subject. In my experience, that can make a world difference.

It is incredible how if someone knows how to read your sympthoms and gives you just the right medication, you come back to feeling yourself again.

Lots of luck

MEW

9/16/09 7:55pm

Hi, I'm a year late with this response, but just found your post having also googled on mania and chemo.

No, you're not crazy (bi-polar maybe!) to recognize mania after chemo. I'm a 52 yr old woman who just underwent her first chemo last week, and felt the same as you. It's been several decades since I found myself furiously scribbling poetry at 3 AM! Yes -- this experience will bring out the poet in all of us -- but mania has a unique signature, and -- like you -- I knew exactly what it was.

When I reported it to my doctor today, he thought it might be an after-effect of the steroids that accompanied my chemo treatment, or even some of the anti-nausea medication I've been taking.

I was disturbed to see the other response that indicated the return to the darkside afterward! Would appreciate any insights people have gained since this thread began last year.

Thank you!

shelly

3/24/10 3:10pm

I too have had depressive symptoms in the past. I also experienced severe insomnia during chemo. It has been over a year since chemo and I have been diagnosed bi-polar. I don't beleive that I exhibited any signs of bipolar previous to chemo. Since chemo the SSRI's cause an extreme adverse reaction and I cannot take them anymore. I just started a mood stablizer a week ago and already see improvement. I don't know if the bipolar was stress induced or caused by the effects of chemo. I do know that the chemo affected my ability to take SSRI's so why wouldn't it cause other abnormalities?

chemobrain53

4/15/11 6:58pm

Prior to chemotherapy, I had mild Bipolar disorder. After chemotherapy, I jumped to severe Bipolar and my medications for mild didn't work anymore. I personally believe the chemotherapy had something to do with this. I am on disability right now hoping my new medications (Seroquel and Lithium) will put me back to normal. Because right now, I am so depressed that I sleep most of the day and have no motivation. I feel like I'm dying inside. I've only been taking the lithium for 5 days, so I'm hoping I'll experience something positive in about another week.

Wish the psychiatric and oncology fields would research and put together a study on the long term effects chemotherapy can cause.

lkm

1/10/12 5:14pm

I think we all stumbled across this in the same way.. I am also a cancer survivor.. Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma when I was 15-16. I find it interesting that so far most if not all of the responses to this thread are leukemias and lymphomas... at any rate... I'm not sure I ever really experienced depression or anything like it before I had chemo...but now, 10 years out... I am so sure that I am experiencing bi-polar II. I don't have high highs at all, or tons of crazy energy, and lack of need for sleep... but my mood swings SO quickly from happy to furious, or to deep sadness... and it is affecting work and all of my relationships with people. I have been on medication for depression but am wondering if i exacerbated the issue if I really have bi-polar...

Bipolar and Chemotherapy

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