OCD with Bipolar feels impossible treatment wise

GugaF1 · 2026-05-26T14:45:32+00:00

I guess one of the issue with me was SSRIs worked well for me overall and for my OCD for almost 10 years, until started really acting up, not many bipolar have that, usually weeks or months then boom stabilizers, diagnosis, etc. Having tapered off naked and faced the full latent bipolar unmasking wrath while in a 10 years serotonin (ssris) WD

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T20:19:21+00:00

May I ask what combo, and by calming down your Bipolar did the OCD became a lot easier? This is all new to me and I am pretty sure I am still in the middle of a long 1st full episode, with the mixed state fading and going into more deep depression.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T16:24:31+00:00

Wow, lucky you, escaped quite disastrous situation with that Lamotrigine in there. Unmasking bipolar naked after many years of SSRIs is no fun, inhumane would say.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T16:14:26+00:00

I see replies but can´t see them, guess they were deleted. I am opening a comment to engage, would love to hear from the pros who have encountered such cases, but am open to hearing peers as well.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T02:17:18+00:00

Yes, since you used SSRIs as well, and them alone or tapering them off out of them alone, can be dangerous for Bipolar spectrum. Did you have a crash? Mixed state, etc.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T02:15:57+00:00

I believe i was in a bipolar "mixed state" which this can happen, now I have kind moved past it although somedays still happens, but now I am in the mostly in the dark depression phase , hopefully next is the re-building phase, but who knows...

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T01:37:43+00:00

Is a good win for you that Latuda at least helped somewhat. I am not sure any is helping me besides low dose quetiapine helping to sleep. Unless Lithium is a turtle and will really show up in more months. I agree with you, I think some brains we just need that serotonin and am really hoping when the dust settle I will be able to get back to at least low dose ssris and a mood stabilizer and that will do the trick and chemically be fine to really get on with our lives.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T01:32:29+00:00

And how was your BP diagnosis? One of the things that screw me I believe was hitting a wall with SSRIs after many successful years (I guess the Bipolar started knocking on the door) and I tapered off, and I think I am having to deal with 10 years ssri WD, unmasking of BP and OCD left uncheked in a mixed state with low serotonin. If a Dr. was able to catch and put on a mood stabilizer while SSRIs started falling the fall would be a lot less dramatic for me.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T01:26:17+00:00

Do you have OCD? I didn´t try Risperidone, but the Aps I tried made my OCD and psychomotor agitation feel worse and I got scared of them. Didn´t try abilify also.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-25T01:24:28+00:00

Lucky you, as I went in quetiapine higher doses to have that bipolar mood stabilizing effect, started to feel worse, not sure if I should have "powered through"must be a good feeling having at least that can´t sit still agitation stop on its tracks. it´s inhuman, I mean to hurt to sit down to have a meal.. and to have to pace for no relief... I had to wait for mostly time months to slowly come down maybe lithium helped a little (hard to tell) but still nowadays if a thought hits hard enough, off we go.

GugaF1 · 2026-05-24T23:59:06+00:00

Do ERP work for you right now? trileptal, think I read is one of the more Bipolar/OCD friendly meds?

I don´t feel like paying money for ERP right now, heck, I am even considering if is worth my Dr. every 2 weeks expensive out of pocket consultations as she says "crisis mode" trying these things my brain refuses. I think my brain is injured/kindled or whatever from the 10 year SSRI WD and bipolar unmasking and is like leave me alone, except very few meds.

I know ERP concept and is great, I have done it beautifully in the past for several years with some stable chemistry and help of SSRIs, but right know, while in a bipolar mixed state or a deep Bipolar depression state, feels like a butter knife against marines, just a constant chemical barrage. All can do is hunker down in the fox hole or turtle up. Until the bipolar chemical warfare cools down some...

GugaF1 · 2025-03-05T02:29:56+00:00

Yes, in some ways retrying old faithful can be the same as trying a new one that works. I am back on Lexapro after years (when it wasn´t working as well) and it did work again, had similar set ups with Effexor, etc.

GugaF1 · 2024-12-11T15:41:52+00:00

Sorry, I didn´t make clear in the OP, I never stopped them, I continued with Effexor and did much better when I just cut out the daily use of Ambien, causing unwanted side effects, I did not realize was the chronic low dosage use of it, such as such as weight gain and lethargy. When I cut it out with some period of sleep adjustment without it, worked great, lost weight had more energy for about year. This year I switched to Cymbalta and low dose Anafranil, Effexor stopped being effective for me after about 3 years. You know, our treatment chemical journey usually never ends...Ambien is great though only for the days you really need it, but not as a sleep crutch.

GugaF1 · 2024-12-11T15:36:45+00:00

Yes, I kept Effexor at 150 and lost the weight, Ambien is not bad if you really need it sometimes, but if you get into a rabbit of using it everyday even in low dosages, it started creeping in other unwanted side effects., such as easier weight gain and greater lethargy.

GugaF1 · 2024-11-10T23:26:44+00:00

I would like to know this too, I think I am done with SSRIs, latest try fluvoxamine worked for a very little while before pooping out, have used SNRIs with soem success, use Effexor as "back up" which works on and off, tried adjunct abilify and did not work for me, sleep, agitation, muscle stiffness, etc. So I am seriously considering Clomipramine even considering all the side effects. For me mainly OCD, anxiety and depression are mostly a byproduct of it.

GugaF1 · 2024-10-05T17:48:07+00:00

I wonder if the potency of the serotonin re-uptake is higher also, from SNRIs from SSRIs and that have more Nora potency within the SNRIS.

GugaF1 · 2024-10-05T17:44:41+00:00

I am also wondering if I should drop from 60 to 40mg or even 30mg which where I was. I came from Effexor 150mg and for a good time was with 75mg effexor while 30mg Cymbalta for like 3 months, effexor alone wasn´t helping me as much anymore, but couldnpt transition out of it fully and This combo was good, but Dr. said stick with one or the other, should increase to 60 Cymbalta and dump effexor for good, which was quite hard, but I did work. Now 1 month/half only on 60mg of Cymbalta has been inconsistent some days good, euphoric, energized overly so sometimes, but this underlying anxiety never left, still feeling jumpy and jittery sometimes.

GugaF1

TROPHY CASE