i'm not sure...but exercise couldn't hurt...it's such a cure all...and boosting your overall energy is one of the benis

I don't get manic, only hypomanic but I don't miss that with all the chaos it creates and then the huge crashes. So no, I don't miss it!

I have however, stopped taking seroquel and am more functional..but I have it on hand if I get another attack.

Hmmm well as am BPI hypo is enuff. Manic is when Jagg takes over and its drink and trouble cos hes MAD BAD AND DANGEROUS TO KNOW

I don't get manic..Never have! I used to take seroquel myself and all it did was make me gain alot of weight and made me feel like a zombie all the time. I now take clonodine to help me sleep.

i agree with @3. i have great STORIES to tell from serious manic days...whether it was 'good' mania or 'paranoid' mania...but overall, i do whatever i can to stay out of that zone...it all ends in tears and suicidal tendencies...

mild hypomania, however, is where i usually live, thanks to awesome med and overall management from my support staff and huz and me just having learned good coping and mangement skills...

i have even learned to appreciate the less often but important mild downs...a time to take stock, rest up body and mind, and get ready to kick *ss soon again...

i would never (and did never) settle for overmedication, though...unless i was really, really sick...which i have been...either on the supermanic side...or the suicidal side...

it's a hard balance and has taken years to strike with all sorts of tools...but for the most part i have been able to keep it...

but yes, if i wasn't even having any hypomania, yes i would miss it...

actual mania i can certainly do without. blech. dangerous. greedy. ick.

a long time in the learning and even longer in the implementation...

good luck to you in your own personal balance, xx, sL

It's not the Meds. that make you tired by the sound of it, more like it is conforming to "normality" and grieving for those mad manic days again.

fck normal. there is no such thing.

there is only a personal state where we feel our personality, intellect, and creativity are allowed some breathing room while we, at the same time, feel safe and out of danger of serious bp episodes, manic OR depressive.

this is a very personal balance to strike between support staff (pdoc, analyst, friends, family, etc), meds, coping skills, and lifestyle (regular sleep, exercise, and general healthy living).

I feel let down when I'm off my mania, but those around me sure like it.

From watching my friends, I can say that when they seem perfectly normal to me and everyone else, they are complaining about how sluggish and blah they feel. According to my psychiatrist, this is the primary reason people with bipolar go off their meds and end up back in trouble again.

I'd give it serious thought before you go off anything.

Don't go off your meds. I am a chronic meds goer-offer and it's constantly bad news. I went to half doses of seroquel for six days by necessity (couldn't get any) (I take a lot, 800 mg) and I had a rip snorting manic for like 10 days. Although it was fun I expect a precipitous crash and now I have basically no money and have alienated half of the state of New Jersey.

Don't forget that depression follows manic.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u0-oinyjsk0&feature=related

Seroquel was too sedating for me. Some of the other atypicals like abilify and geodon are much less sedating. I don't miss my my manic periods because they have always been dysphoric and frightening. I long for stability for me and my family.

oh yeah. look2 is bang on ::lol::

i would strongly, seriously suggest that you ALWAYS do all med tweaking (on it, off it, up it, down it) with your pdoc at your side coaching.

and if your pdoc relationship isn't a good one...find another.

I do sometimes miss the mild mania...it helped me get through college, keep my house clean, party like a rock star...BUT, when it starting leading the hypomania, that took all the fun out of it..I lost jobs, friends, and seriously freaked out my family. While some of my memories of those experiences seemed cool at the time, it was not fun for anyone else. Now on the right meds, I feel like myself again. If you are feeling too tired & sluggish, talk to your pdoc and try something else.

every beeper that is in some from of recovery dreams of the good old manic days. I dont miss them.
I started so many unfinshed projects . Hurt so many people and hated myself for being such a silly boy.
I would put off all my work.
I do miss the energy . but now I conserve it for when I need it. I dont start new stuff till I finish the old stuf. Execise and diet help oput alot. Stop the cafine and cigeretes that will help .
Keep asking and the right answers will come.
Matt

Ditto to what Tink123 said. Plus after being manic for almost a month due to needing a med change took the cake for me. I don't want to see manic ever again! Up, yes....too up, no way. Makes for a dangerous mix with me.