So MageMichael, don't you find if you stay in hypomania, that makes you have poor judgemnt? Do you worry it could push you into a full blown mania? How do you stop yourself from this happening if you keep using these drugs.. cocaine especially?

Asking, cause I think my husband, who is bipolar was also hooked on cocaine. He got off of it and had a full blown "crash". Don't mean to scare you. He probably wouldn't have, had he gotten onto his anti psychotic and other med right away.

I think if you want to get off of it... like I have read on here... see your PDoc and he will probably prescribe you like an anti depressant and anti psychotic.

Also, this is personal, but doesn't this hypomania push you into hypersexuality too? I fear this happened to the husband too.

Thanks, hope you can get off these drugs safely.

Yes all of the above. It makes me hypomanic, hypersexual, etc.... I'm on a antipyschotic/antidepressant but it doesn't provide the good feeling that cocaine does. I feel on top of the world and am very productive. I guess it's like I need somekind of jolt to make me give it up. Like I'm hurting the people around me.

That is why I gave up drinking because it was affecting lots of people not just my immediate family but there brother and sisters also. I can't seem to have the same appifany for drug use as I had for alcohol use. I don't seem to be hurting anyone. Yes it is dangerous being on the edge of mania but hypomania i like. If I get pushed into fo full blown mania that would be really bad as I am a basket case then. Thanks for you input, perhaps my pdoc can help me I never thought of engaging her into this problem I have. I'm sure she will not be pleased.

Well, again, don't mean to scare you, but I'm sure you are well aware of full blown mania, and this is what happened to the husband, and he became psychotic. I don't think he even remembers alot of the things he did. It did hurt the ones around him... me and our marriage, and the kids.. It was and is devastating. i didn't even know he was bipolar. He came out of the mania on his own really, but the crash is what hurt him mentally the most. This is when he started to divulge things, and they were bizarre.. That is how we knew he was bipolar.. He has not been the same since.

Good luck to you and your recovery.

MM, I'm a 12 years sober alcoholic in AA as well as being a meds compliant Beeper with other mental illnesses too.

Have you ever heard of Narcotics Anonymous? Its a sister organisation to AA. And if your drinking re-emerged you could consider AA too. Flipping from booze to dugs or the other way around is what we in AA call, "swapping the witch for the bitch". It's like shuffling deck chairs on the Titanic.

Street drugs in and of themselves can cause mental illness and psychosis in people who haven;t had those illnesses before, let alone the diabolical mix you have going of street drugs, psych meds and mental illness. I was in a psych was in Nov 2009 for a med increase and met several people with drug induced psychosis. And from what I understand, they will have those drug-created psychiatric illnesses for the rest of their lives, just as we who have those illnesses to start with do.

So in my view you need to have your GP, psychiatrist on board and also NA/AA. You need to attack it from all directions. And maybe a detoc and rehab to start.

That's right. I agree with Wendy above. You should do this before you do end up in psychosis and a big crash. it will have lasting effects. It changes the chemistry in the brain forever. It's a shame and it is heartbreaking. It looked like brain damage in my husband when he crashed.

I think it's normal for anyone (with or without mental health issues) to feel crappy coming off of a drug addiction.. that is part of detoxing.. Have you thought about rehab? They have dual diagnosis programs.

Oh, and I forgot about Cocaine Anonymous. That could be a good path because as an alcoholic with no propblems with other subtsances, except food, I don't have an idea what it's like to be a Cocaine addict but the people in CA certainly would.

My experimental phase with drugs was kind of cut short after I jokily picked a fight with an ex-boxer. A friend I kind of pushed too far. After he completely let me have it verbally. I was off my face drunk unsure if I really wanted to live or die. The last thing he said to me was "Don't let the Drugs and Alcohol take over your soul because tomorrow's anther day!" it left me stunned for three days just repeating what the Fu@k does that mean.. but did slow down after that and looked into counselling .

More of it just escaping from reality. Your getting the hypmanic as reward from your drug habit and I have never heard a BP person say they have not liked being manic. Although it does cloud judgement and sometimes friends will not tell you what you have chosen not to remember while in that state. Your more or less are realising it is a problem the question is what do you feel the next step is.

The physical withdrawl from cocaine doesn't exist. It is all a mental withdrawl. You feel crappy because your brain tells you that you do. Trust me been there done that for years. Cocaine goes directly to the pleasure center of our brain, that's why we love to do it, it makes us feel better unfortunately it only lasts for a short while, that why we keep doing it. It also majorly triggers BP and rapid cycling and interfere with your meds. It took me therapy, support, meds, and a physical move to get off cocaine, find what works for you and stick with it. Good luck.

Thanks guys. I think I need to get serious with this before it causes a major problem. I'm sure all the psch meds along with the cocaine isn't a good combination. All those chemicals running around in my brain. Ugh.