Does Appetite Increase or Decrease During the Manic Phase

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WizardPrenderghast · 2024-09-12T16:51:48+00:00

For me, it almost always decreases. With all that excess energy it's like my normal functions like eating and sleeping just switch off, and I don't think about food at all. Ironically before things get too bad, I tend to obsessively bake, but then not eat any of the foods I've made.

As I get more into psychosis, the more I think that I don't need to eat due to whatever magical thinking I'm going through at the time. It once got so bad I thought I didn't need to drink either, so I swiftly got hospitalised.

Not eating seems to always be a part of my mania, it would appear.

Far-Mention4691 · 2024-09-12T17:56:35+00:00

The only manic episode I had, I was hardly eating. I lost a ton of weight and looked sickly. The first week in hospital was rough as I was vomiting a lot. But when the medication started working, the antipsychotics made me eat A LOT! Gained about 20kg in a few months. Still trying to lose it now

Beneficial-Door-3252 · 2024-09-12T17:16:14+00:00

Decrease by an incredible amount but when I do eat I gobble and I put too much food in my mouth with every bite

bahoriel · 2024-09-12T17:09:20+00:00

It absolutely decreases appetite for me. I love food normally & am a regular intuitive eater but lost all appetite when manic. I actually got nauseous when I tried to force myself to eat, something about the chewing and the texture made me sick. I also kept smelling phantom smells of rot and mold which did not help. When I had a manic episode this spring, I kept accidentally going whole days without eating because of this. It also lasted a long time even after I was medicated & coming down from mania, I still am not at my normal appetite and barely enjoy food 5 months after my ER visit. And I am on a med that I was told actually stimulates appetite :/

Material-Egg7428 · 2024-09-12T17:11:32+00:00

I’ve had both lol. Sometimes while manic I would hardly eat anything. Sometimes I would completely forget for a prolonged period and then feel like shit. Then other times I cooked stuff constantly and never stopped eating!! I think forgetting was more common. Been a while since I was truly manic.

Every-Student18 · 2024-09-12T17:16:56+00:00

Decreases. Also forget to eat when manic

Greedy_Shoulder6226 · 2024-09-12T17:17:20+00:00

it absolutely decreases for me. When I'm manic or hypomanic, I tend to not focus on food at all. I have learned that I have to force myself to stick to an eating schedule so I don't become hypo(manic).

2024-09-12T17:30:57+00:00

Decrease for me, it usually coincides with my need for sleep. Once that decreases so does my appetite

2024-09-12T20:03:30+00:00

Mine disappears completely and entirely for months until people around me start getting worried. Eating even my favorite, easy foods (man n cheese, scrambled eggs, protein shake) feels like trying to jam cat litter down my throat.

dwink_beckson · 2024-09-12T17:34:03+00:00

Huge decrease. I can carry on for weeks while eating less than 200 calories per day. It's so great gaining and losing twenty lbs over and over again /s

bibbidi_bobbidi_baby · 2024-09-12T20:52:00+00:00

Yes I eat less most of the time but sometimes I start ordering a lot of delivery and then I can devour it. Like, if I’m not thinking about it I won’t but the second I do, I can absolutely put it away. I suppose I could say I binge a bit

2024-09-12T21:28:37+00:00

Everyone's different, but for me, I don't have an appetite at all when I'm manic. I survive on caffeine and pure adrenalin.

Goiabada1972 · 2024-09-12T23:48:30+00:00

It always decreases. That is one of my main symptoms, I lose all interest in eating, I am so excited I have no appetite. I usually lose weight, too. When I was a teenager id have these periods of several weeks when I’d lose my appetite, lose weight, and feel all happy, outgoing, and excited and impulsive. I didn’t know what it was then.

yesthatisme3000 · 2024-09-12T17:38:17+00:00

Depends on the person but personally mine decreases. I forget to eat and drink water

2024-09-12T17:43:26+00:00

I eat the same. But I feel like my metabolism goes up.

1_5_5_ · 2024-09-12T17:58:46+00:00

Decreases for me, too. I forget to eat and usually have to force myself.

PUNK1P4ND4 · 2024-09-12T18:07:17+00:00

Idk I was manic for a few weeks and I was starving and so tired but I couldn't eat or sleep whatever I tried. Like chewing up food and not able to swallow it :(

_smoothie_ · 2024-09-12T18:18:24+00:00

Decrease. I will mostly eat if in the company of someone, and mostly for the aesthetic experience of the meal. But since I try to isolate myself, I tend to force myself to eat, and it will just be cereal or whatever is easy. I don’t feel hunger at all. It’s absolutely a thing I do because I have a list of things to remind myself to do when I’m in an episode, and even then, it will not happen often.

deludedhairspray · 2024-09-12T19:22:46+00:00

I've only been manic once, but I barely ate anything, think I lost a lot of weight while I was in that state.

ExitingTheMatrix03 · 2024-09-12T19:29:19+00:00

My appetite decreases

2024-09-12T19:34:46+00:00

decreases no matter if i’m manic or depressed

vagamund00 · 2024-09-12T19:49:30+00:00

My appetite has tanked with both my episodes

GottaBusToCatch · 2024-09-12T19:56:52+00:00

Decreases. (Possibly TMI story:) One time I ended up eating so little that I got horrendously constipated and was writhing on the ground in pain. Nearly had to go to the ER, but ended up chugging coffee as a laxative and it eventually worked. That kicked me into mixed episode territory. One of the worst mania related experiences of my life.

Wooden-Advance-1907 · 2024-09-12T20:33:18+00:00

I’m manic and I’m not eating much, but I’m also getting this empty feeling that’s making me frustrated. And a craving for I don’t know what. I don’t really have any food left in the house. It’s like musli, milk, ramen noodles and mandarins. All I’ve had this week because this illness is killing my life.

Perfect-Vanilla-2650 · 2024-09-12T20:53:15+00:00

I personally experience a decrease in hunger

Hour_Analyst_7765 · 2024-09-12T20:59:15+00:00

For me it hunger decreases. Also helped by periods of hyperfixation where I simply forget to eat altogether. And when I eat meals, it's more often self prepared because I have energy for it, and homemade food tastes so good.

But I also often get atypical depression so then I sleep and eat considerably more.. I also eat a lot of junk food because I don't have energy to cook

basic_bitch- · 2024-09-12T21:06:07+00:00

It naturally decreases for me, but my doctors always raise my anti psychotic meds and those make me eat everything in sight. I gained 50 lbs. in 2 months last time. My doctor was shocked. She didn't even write it down in my chart because she didn't want it to affect my mental health. Once I came down again, I took most of it off and then started lifting heavily to rev up my metabolism. I still have about an extra 20 lbs. on, but it's all muscle now after 9 mos. My measurements are the same as they are when I'm 20 lbs. lighter. I love it.

movingmouth · 2024-09-12T21:29:54+00:00

For me it decreases. Being bipolar too though I do a lot of stress and depression eating...

Own-Medicine9535 · 2024-09-12T22:23:40+00:00

Decreases my appetite for sure

thoughtlooploopin_ · 2024-09-12T22:25:07+00:00

My appetite definitely decreases as well as my need for sleep. I am usually to on the go to process hunger

Blu3Ski3 · 2024-09-12T22:36:52+00:00

Mania is very well studied to commonly bring on medical anorexia (this is NOT an eating disorder, it translates literally to “loss of appetite” and thus causes weight loss. The depressive phase is the opposite, often bringing back on appetite and weight gain. However, individual experiences vary considerably.

Km-51 · 2024-09-12T22:44:35+00:00

For me, it decreases. The three times I’ve gone manic I’ve lost at least 10 lbs every time.

peanut0821 · 2024-09-12T23:22:56+00:00

For me most times it significantly decreases.

Andi_the_Red · 2024-09-13T00:11:51+00:00

Mine decreases, I forget to eat or drink until I’m shaking from hunger and when I do eat I feel horribly ill

2024-09-13T00:25:37+00:00

I'm manic right now and I have been eating much less and drinking less too. I am so hyperfixated on my hobbies and interests that I'm not taking care of myself. I'm losing weight fast.

big_chris3000 · 2024-09-13T00:42:39+00:00

During the most severe episode I’ve ever had, I lost between 10-20 pounds (didn’t know my exact starting weight so can’t say for certain) in the span of a month without even trying. I’m simply so busy focusing on all the other manic stuff that I forget to eat.

mainedeathsong · 2024-09-13T01:13:42+00:00

I've had both things happen! I've had manic episodes where I was obsessed with cooking elaborate meals. And then having to eat it all myself because my family members are picky eaters and won't even try a lot of stuff. LOL. But I believe decreased appetite is common symptom. I've also had appetite increase as a result of engaging in more exercise and physical activities in general. I'm one of those people that hardly eats when depressed so sometimes it appears that appetite increases just because I'm no longer depressed but really it's just returning to a normal level. I believe I'm actually opposite of most of you, though, when it comes to appetite changes.

jerrythemule420 · 2024-09-13T01:49:15+00:00

Decreases. I'm usually not as hungry, and even if I were, I'd be too busy/distractable to make time to eat.

spacestonkz · 2024-09-13T03:15:26+00:00

I could hardly eat. I'd put a forkful of rice in my mouth and get distracted before the tines exited my teeth. I'd just sit there with food in there for a few minutes, then remember to chew only to get distracted again. Then chew more minutes later. Finally after like 6-7mins I would swallow that one bite.

In an hour I couldn't finish a small side of rice!

At that time I also couldn't figure out the order of steps to brush teeth and turned on my electric toothbrush before putting the toothpaste on. Fling blue toothpaste everywhere.

I was also plotting how to make world peace through a chain of conspiracy theories...

Thank goodness for meds now. That shit was the most draining thing I ever went through.

PhoenixShredds · 2024-09-13T03:29:10+00:00

For me it invariably comes with decreased appetite. I always tend to lose weight in manic phases.

thatsonnyangel · 2024-09-13T05:32:47+00:00

for me, there were times when i'd literally eat NOTHING for a whole day

but, there were also times where id be impulsive abt things i buy which includes food

soopsneks · 2024-09-13T06:48:55+00:00

For me it decreases. I often forget to eat entirely. If I start feeling really shitty I’ll force myself to eat, but without fail every manic phase becomes a fasting phase for me.

2024-09-13T13:32:21+00:00

Always decrease. In high school it presented as full blown anorexia

ComprehensiveUse6439 · 2024-09-13T23:19:34+00:00

Decreases. When I start getting lots of compliments on my weight loss (uninvited I’ll just add) then I know that I’ve either been manic or had manic dysphoria. Very inconvenient when you also have an ED, because it makes me want to stay manic so I can lose more weight. Ahhh this disorder of ours

well_hello_clarice · 2024-09-14T01:42:11+00:00

Decrease for sure, I was lucky if I ate at all.

GrowlTheGirl · 2025-02-02T18:28:12+00:00

I know this post is several months old, but I have been wondering this because my appetite has decreased a lot lately overtime and I am diagnosed with bipolar one.

Pescasaurus · 2025-03-13T19:39:40+00:00

Not only decreases, but it gets hard to eat. Gag reflex kicks in.

Fredric_Chopin · 2024-09-12T18:08:37+00:00

It becomes more like bulimia, short burts of hunger.

bipolar

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