Q:  Does Skipping a Day of Meds Effect Me?

Hello my name is _ and I have been diagnosed with Cyclothymia. I am 14 years of age and have been taken lexapro for the past year to rid the symptoms of Cyclothymia. I also have been diagnosed with adhd when I reach my highs during my dramatic mood swings. For the fun of it I sometimes skip a day of my medicine just to be hyper. I was wondering does skipping a day truley effect me because when I do this I not only reach the ups I also reach the downs or is this just a placibo effect?

Thank you for your time,
 

Dear M' -- 
There is concern that each episode of not-normal-mood may cause some people to become more susceptible to greater mood swings -- more frequent and more severe.  Here's a brief essay about this "kindling" concept with some of the evidence and a scary picture.  However, it is not clear this story is true for every case of bipolar disorder.   

You're probably right about the downs after the ups:  that's a very common pattern.  Lots of people learn, after a while, that the ups aren't worth it because of the downs that follow.  But it's the "kindling" part that worries me.  You are obviously thinking about this too, which is good.  Perhaps you have a doctor you can talk with about this?  

Dr. Phelps

Published May, 2004