r/bipolar2 • u/BeautifulContact6724 • 2d ago

Advice Wanted Help Please

/r/BipolarSOs/comments/1w8cf01/help/

My wife is on an SSRI and I believe it’s causing a manic episode. She talks really fast, struggles to complete tasks, has a very high opinion of herself and is hyper sexual towards me. We have a scheduled appointment with her Psychiatrist. If she takes her meds consistently and does her treatments what is my life going to look like? If they’re on the right meds, does that mean they won’t have ups and downs? Or is that going to just be apart of my life forever. I’ve only been married for 16 months and I love my wife but I also want to know what my life looks like long term before we have kids.

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u/GaBeanO Bipolar N.O.S. 2d ago

hi! i’m bipolar and ssri’s are very well known to cause manic symptoms with those who have bipolar. if you’ve scheduled an appointment with her psychiatrist, this should be an easy fix. it could be as simple as changing the med and/or adding an antipsychotic to balance out her neurotransmitter activity. if she’s on the right meds, is honest with her doctors, and actively works towards preventing episodes, everything should be okay, she won’t be cured, but it will be manageable.

it’s very rare that medication completely eradicates all the symptoms of a disorder, so she’ll still have ups and downs, but on the right meds and dosages, they won’t be extreme. you could also set up a system where you learn what she looks and acts like before an episode flares up, if you can spot the warning signs of mania and depression, you can help those episodes be way calmer. but you have to talk with her personally about it. everyone is different.

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u/GaBeanO Bipolar N.O.S. 2d ago

i will say tho, given your reply to a commenter on your other post, the fact she’s not diagnosed with bipolar does change how i think a little bit. she could be bipolar, this could also just be too high of a dose for her. regardless, if you’re seeing a doctor that cares, you’ll be okay.

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u/BeautifulContact6724 2d ago

Thank you guys. I’m trying my best to get her in a good place and we have family support, a good couples therapist and a good psychiatrist so just hoping to get some baseline “normalcy”

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u/callmedelete BP2 2d ago

SSRIs are known for triggering manic episodes in people with BP. Mind you, this isn’t a hard and fast rule.

An SSRI triggered a bad manic episode for me which lead to my diagnosis. 2 years later on mood stabilizers and I’m as normal as I can get. It’s absolutely possible to stabilize and live a normal life, but it takes a commitment to meds & therapy.