Clinical Depression/Bi-Polarism

[Howlinghound]

This is for those that have been diagnosed or knows someone who is diagnosed and is on their journey of absolute fitness.

How has the change in lifestyle affected your/their condition? Have you/they gotten better and gotten off the medication or is it still there and still have to maintain the chemical balances? Has overtraining affected you in any way during your journey?

I ask because it runs genetically in my family. Mother is bi-polar and father is manic-depressive. A wonder I came out as awesome I did. lol

Anyway, I've been off the pills for a year now, have recently started working out to attain something, not just health and am taking it seriously. However, I think that I may have overtrained myself the last two weeks as I am falling into phases of anxiety and depression so I'm spreading my workouts a bit further.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

[micromatikal]

Originally Posted by Howlinghound

This is for those that have been diagnosed or knows someone who is diagnosed and is on their journey of absolute fitness.

How has the change in lifestyle affected your/their condition? Have you/they gotten better and gotten off the medication or is it still there and still have to maintain the chemical balances? Has overtraining affected you in any way during your journey?

I ask because it runs genetically in my family. Mother is bi-polar and father is manic-depressive. A wonder I came out as awesome I did. lol

Anyway, I've been off the pills for a year now, have recently started working out to attain something, not just health and am taking it seriously. However, I think that I may have overtrained myself the last two weeks as I am falling into phases of anxiety and depression so I'm spreading my workouts a bit further.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

I am bi-polar so I can definitely relate here...

You say you have been off the pills for a year now? What pills are you referring to? Were you diagnosed bi-polar?

Overtraining can make me a little manic some days, depressive others. I'd say the increased testosterone tends to push me in the manic direction...

It is definitely nothing serious though, as long as I keep on the meds it's never a problem, I can just feel it slightly one way or the other...

Maybe you can elaborate, have you been diagnosed and stopped taking meds?...

[Howlinghound]

I was on 300mg of Wellbutrin and 150mg of Trazadone for sleep. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and was a very hard road for me to go down until I started excersizing and started wheening off the meds. But I've never "overtrained" before until just recently when i started to step up the workouts and all that. It gets really hard to concentrate at work and get motivated in my job as I keep falling into the gloom. That's why I've spread out the workouts a bit so the imbalance can right itself again. It's good to know I'm not the only one teetering on that edge.

[micromatikal]

Originally Posted by Howlinghound

I was on 300mg of Wellbutrin and 150mg of Trazadone for sleep. I was diagnosed with clinical depression and was a very hard road for me to go down until I started excersizing and started wheening off the meds. But I've never "overtrained" before until just recently when i started to step up the workouts and all that. It gets really hard to concentrate at work and get motivated in my job as I keep falling into the gloom. That's why I've spread out the workouts a bit so the imbalance can right itself again. It's good to know I'm not the only one teetering on that edge.

For sure man, do you have a regular doctor you check in with regarding the depression? 300 mg of Wellbutrin is quite a bit, maybe you can get back on something for the depression. Working out (even overtraining) shouldn't make you more depressed, maybe you are overtraining due to some other stimulus that's causing you to try and block it out... General stress and that type of thing. If that's the case, overtraining can amplify it because now on top of everything you'll hurt like hell =).

[Amandarose531]

Originally Posted by Howlinghound

This is for those that have been diagnosed or knows someone who is diagnosed and is on their journey of absolute fitness.

How has the change in lifestyle affected your/their condition? Have you/they gotten better and gotten off the medication or is it still there and still have to maintain the chemical balances? Has overtraining affected you in any way during your journey?

I ask because it runs genetically in my family. Mother is bi-polar and father is manic-depressive. A wonder I came out as awesome I did. lol

Anyway, I've been off the pills for a year now, have recently started working out to attain something, not just health and am taking it seriously. However, I think that I may have overtrained myself the last two weeks as I am falling into phases of anxiety and depression so I'm spreading my workouts a bit further.

Has anyone else had similar experiences?

To answer from my own personal experience, I was diagnosed bi-polar/manic depressive at the tender age of 11 - how you can tell that early i'll never know, but it ran largely in my family so i'm sure it was also partially assumed nevertheless: I gave into it and followed along what they wanted for quite a while until I realized that I just hated being a zombie (I was never properly prescribed the RIGHT medication) so when I was 16 I took myself off the meds and started using working out as an outlet, since then I've maintained being in a very successful relationship where understanding is essential, an unmedicated bi-polar is a scary thing to watch sometimes with mood swings and all, but i've found the more I tire myself out through physical activity the less likely I am to outburst.

As with anything balance is everything, my problem was always getting up about good things because I was always able to get down a lot faster, finding a passion and keeping to it really helps but take everything with moderation.

[micromatikal]

Originally Posted by Amandarose531

To answer from my own personal experience, I was diagnosed bi-polar/manic depressive at the tender age of 11 - how you can tell that early i'll never know, but it ran largely in my family so i'm sure it was also partially assumed nevertheless: I gave into it and followed along what they wanted for quite a while until I realized that I just hated being a zombie (I was never properly prescribed the RIGHT medication) so when I was 16 I took myself off the meds and started using working out as an outlet, since then I've maintained being in a very successful relationship where understanding is essential, an unmedicated bi-polar is a scary thing to watch sometimes with mood swings and all, but i've found the more I tire myself out through physical activity the less likely I am to outburst.

As with anything balance is everything, my problem was always getting up about good things because I was always able to get down a lot faster, finding a passion and keeping to it really helps but take everything with moderation.

Wow, you may want to check with another doctor or something... if you really think you are bi-polar (which it sounds like you do based on the mood swings and whatnot) you want to get your valproic acid levels checked. I am manic as well, you don't want to mess with that stuff. Have you ever had a full blow manic episode? Trust me you will want the medication after that =\

[Howlinghound]

Originally Posted by Amandarose531

To answer from my own personal experience, I was diagnosed bi-polar/manic depressive at the tender age of 11 - how you can tell that early i'll never know, but it ran largely in my family so i'm sure it was also partially assumed nevertheless: I gave into it and followed along what they wanted for quite a while until I realized that I just hated being a zombie (I was never properly prescribed the RIGHT medication) so when I was 16 I took myself off the meds and started using working out as an outlet, since then I've maintained being in a very successful relationship where understanding is essential, an unmedicated bi-polar is a scary thing to watch sometimes with mood swings and all, but i've found the more I tire myself out through physical activity the less likely I am to outburst.

As with anything balance is everything, my problem was always getting up about good things because I was always able to get down a lot faster, finding a passion and keeping to it really helps but take everything with moderation.

An unmedicated bi-polar IS a scary thing. I've dated a few that would have unbelievable swings. However, I have also dated a few that have had the same types of episodes but channel them into working out and arts. I have this list of the most influential people in the world who were bi-polar and almost 80% of them are artists involved in music, painting, writing etc. And many of them on that list are known to be very healthy and active people. I know that my depression without the pills have been very scarce since I started getting healthy again and the episodes are not that bad. It's only been recently that its been bugging me, hence the thread.

I think you might be right though Mic. Since I'm exercising now, I'll go see about the possibility of a lower dose. I was at 300 cause 150 wasn't doing anything for me. Might be different now.

[Freddie Beef]

I have bi-polar/manic depressive problems, plus anxiety issues. Along with a bit of OCD and Oppositional Behavior Syndrome,and ADHD.

I havent been on meds for a while and I am pretty miserable most days, intill some financial problems came up, I have been handling it okay kinda, now I dont know whether I am gonna be happy, mad or sad from one minute to the next.

I am getting back on meds soon, I was on Lithium, Risperdal, and Xanax. I got off of them cuz I was stupid.

I am tiredof bieng miserable, I am in here to say, if ANYBODY thinks they are, it is a real disease, my dad has everything I do. It runs in families. It will not hurt to get in to a shrink. Swallow your pride. I am looking forward to getting back on meds. I am not fun to be around anymore.

[Howlinghound]

Originally Posted by toobigfred

I have bi-polar/manic depressive problems, plus anxiety issues. Along with a bit of OCD and Oppositional Behavior Syndrome,and ADHD.

I havent been on meds for a while and I am pretty miserable most days, intill some financial problems came up, I have been handling it okay kinda, now I dont know whether I am gonna be happy, mad or sad from one minute to the next.

I am getting back on meds soon, I was on Lithium, Risperdal, and Xanax. I got off of them cuz I was stupid.

I am tiredof bieng miserable, I am in here to say, if ANYBODY thinks they are, it is a real disease, my dad has everything I do. It runs in families. It will not hurt to get in to a shrink. Swallow your pride. I am looking forward to getting back on meds. I am not fun to be around anymore.

I can't imagine what you're going through bud but I hope the best for ya. Seriously. Keep that working out and takin those meds man. Best of luck brutha.

[Freddie Beef]

Originally Posted by Howlinghound

I can't imagine what you're going through bud but I hope the best for ya. Seriously. Keep that working out and takin those meds man. Best of luck brutha.

I can honestly say, my head is a very scary place most days. Thanks!!

[Lpenny]

I'd say there is a definite link between weight/physical health and depression. For many, when the pounds go away, so does the depression.

[Freddie Beef]

Originally Posted by Lpenny

I'd say there is a definite link between weight/physical health and depression. For many, when the pounds go away, so does the depression.

I lost all my weight once, I was still just as bad, but I know what you are saying.

[TuSeMorte]

It does seem to hamper weight loss at times. I was on Lexapro and 800 MG of Seroquel. My father is also BP'er. I play guitar in a metal band and am an artist (painting and drawing) and edit video for a living. My doctor said I was text book candidate for BP.

It helped a lot with my explosive mood swings and ocd behaviors but I when money go tight due to downsizing I had to improvise. I was spending 350 a month on meds between this and asthma. Luckily my wife is very understanding and helps me find way to avoid the thing that made me go ballistic.

If I get mad I take one of my 9 Bassett hounds for a walk or out to play. I also draw or play music. I am also finishing my Masters in Fine Arts. If you think you?re a BP'er or Manic do not take it lightly and try and help yourself. Meds are needed for most. When I cannot control my moods and oc behaviors I will go back on the meds whether I can afford them or not. Because people with this condition are not only dangerous to their selves but to those around them it is literally like a light switch from happy loving to the antichrist and back in a matter of minutes or hours.