Tiger Blood similar to hypomania?

[YinnyBinny]

My fiancé has bipolar disorder type I. He has been stable on his meds for as long as we have been together (2.5 years) and I've never really seen him have a full out manic episode. We are on day 15 and he feels great. I assumed it was Tiger Blood. Well he just told me he is concerned that he is hypomanic because he is very energized and focused. Even if it is just tiger blood I am worried about I triggering something for him and pulling him into a full out manic episode. 

 

What should we do? How can we keep this a safe process for him? Every time he has been manic before, he was hospitalized. 

 

Thanks in advance. 

[SugarcubeOD]

Perhaps the best bet would be for him to see his mental health professional and discuss whether this is mania with them.  Bipolar is a complicated condition that we're not able to help diagnose or treat on this forum.  Having more energy from eating decent food shouldn't push him into mania but that's said with the caveat that each person is unique and with something as concerning and potentially life threatening as mania, you'd be better off talking to a doctor.

[ShannonM816]

I don't think anyone here can really give you much advice about this, it's something he should talk to his doctor about.

"Tiger blood" is usually feeling good and having energy, but still sleeping at night and waking up refreshed. It's being able to focus on tasks you need to do, but not being so hyperfocused you forget everything else around you -- so you'd still stop and eat and sleep and just generally take care of yourself. I don't have a lot of knowledge about what a manic episode entails, but from what I understand, those could be two big differences. Basically, if he's worried that what he's going through right now is not just feeling good and having steady amounts of energy and a good mood, he should talk to his doctor to figure out if there's a way that they can prevent this from turning into something bad enough to end up hospitalized.

I do hope that the two of you can figure out what is going on exactly and that if this is related to his bipolar disorder you can get treatment before it gets too bad.

 

[Guest]

I have some experience with people in my life with bipolar; a manic episode can come on sometimes after years of doing well for no discernible reason.  Please have him call his doctor.

[BCS74]

I, too, have Bipolar Type I. I'm on day 22 of my first Whole30. Since beginning the program, my mood has improved greatly. So much so, that I was worried I was starting a manic episode after the first week. I am on antidepressants, mood stabilizers, and antipsychotics. Before Whole30, I was drinking a lot and eating crap. I think that my diet over the last 22 days has enabled my meds to do what they are supposed to do, and I no longer feel manic - I feel like myself. I would strongly encourage him to talk to his doctor, as his medications may need adjusting with the new diet, especially if it's very different now than it was before he began the program. Especially important if he takes Lithium - it's a salt, and any changes to dietary salt intake can change his Lithium blood levels. If they are too high, it's dangerous; too low, and he's not getting the benefits. Hope this helps.