Different stages of mania

Hey, I was just wondering of any of you experience different stages of mania. I find that my mania starts out with excitement and euphoria but then spirals into paranioa that leads to delusional thoughts. Is this common? Any input would be great, Thanks.

Mine works just like that, too, and then I crash. Sometimes it'll go into rage instead of just paranoia/delusional thoughts, but there's almost always that build from a sort of overly happy, excited, bubbly place to losing control of my mood completely. Makes me wary of being happy. :/

Mine is the same as well, Lexicon described it almost exact with the paranoia, delusions, and almost always turns into rage. Throw in spending money like mad, buying things I don't need, really want and can't afford and it makes life a mess. I hate the depression but fear the mania because it always has dire consequences which makes the depression and hopelessness that much worse.

Thanks for the responses. Yes I crash after the end stage of the mania as well and usually what weird/crazy stuff I did during that mania makes the depression worse. I really fear the mania more than the depression too.

lithium
lamictal
klonapin

Mine starts off with pleasurable things like getting more done, reaching out to people, being positive about the future, etc. Then I stop sleeping for more than a few hours at night and my mind becomes a whirlwind I can't keep up with. Eventually about a week after this, I start getting paranoid and will hallucinate. If I'm lucky it stops and I go into a depression, if I'm unlucky it turns into a mixed phase and that's when it becomes dangerous.

Out of all the phases, it's the hypomania that is hardest to hide. I become like an overexcited puppy

I suddenly became very scared after reading this thread. I experience the same exact thing you all have reported. Realizing I truly have an illness with very real and in common symptoms. I hate my manic and I hate my depression. They are both so harmful.

Hugs Faust74 - it is possible to work on conntrolling your illness - all is not lost. I hope that you can get on top of things

In terms of my mania and hypomania - it starts pleasurable with all the fun stuff then escalates including acting out dangerously sexually etc and can become more extreme with psychosis as well. Then I crash. Which sucks.

Cracked

This post actually makes me feel a little better confirming my behaviors are caused by my illness and not something else. Gives me hope that with the course I'm on and learning about my illness and coping skills things can get better.