60 second Bipolar orgasm-like surge?

Since I was a teen girl (am 45 now) I've sporatically experienced what I can only describe as a bipolar chemical surge in my brain that lasts about one minute. It ocurs very randomly and rarely. I may have two occurrences in a year, I may go 2 years without any. Many years since my first occurrence I became clinically depressed and have sufffered from depression for about 15 years.

The episode begins with a "good" feeling....a smell or a thought explodes from the ordinary slight smile into debilitating euphoria! I can almost feel a wave of chemicals splashing over my brain as it intensifies and I can make it more intense by focusing more deeply on it. It's like the combination of the pleasure of an orgasm with a feling of extreme happiness and bliss. It is so intense if I'm driving or something similar I try to pull over. The euphoric feeling lasts about 30 seconds followed immediately and overwhelmingly by a feeling of doom and extreme sadness. The sadness is deep and dark unlike anything I've ever experienced just as the euphoric feeling that preceeds it is more wonderful than anything anywhere ever! The doom is also accompanied by a feeling of a wave of chemicals surging over my brain. It then lessens it's grip on me after 30-60 seconds but the sadness lingers sometimes for about 30 minutes after the episode continually lessening in intensity.

Is this like anyone anywhere has ever heard of or experienced? I've gotten "the look" from enough doctors and friends over the years to stop asking.

Your experience is quite unlike anything I have heard of, but that does not make it bad. It just is your experience.

It is unfortunate that the doctors give you "the look" when you tell them about it. I wish you could be hooked up to an MRI machine when you have one of these experiences. I bet the doctors could see your experience in your brain on the MRI. They would be very interested in it then... But that is very unlikely to happen.

Feeling good when manic is not a problem for us. It is the behaviors that come with mania that get us into trouble. Manic people make a lot of very quick and often bad decisions. They can become permiscuous, go on shopping sprees, get into arguments or fights, shop-lift, quit their job, or gamble excessively among other things. Manic people need very little sleep and might spend their time house cleaning which isn't unusual except that they will wash the kitchen floor or clean the oven at 3:00 am.

I've never heard of a spontaneous 30 minute manic period followed immediately by doom and gloom.

Since doctors don't seem to think it is problematic, perhaps you can talk to a therapist about how these episodes make you feel, and how you deal with the feelings they create. You, with a therapist or psychologist could develop strategies to keep out of harms way. Your pulling over when you are driving is one such good strategy.

If nothing else, stay with us on the forum. You can write about an episode when it happens and we can support you in the blues that follow.

The main thing as I see it is that your short intense episodes are not in any way harmful.
You having to live with depression is a much more important issue. I hope you are okay with your depression,

Take care,

I know what you are talking about. I have this too, but it lasts like 5-10 minutes. Then, i get sadness for like 10-20 minutes. It doesn't have any triggers.

That is a very unusual experience. I am thinking maybe a certain kind of. Seizure?

Must admit I also thought of seizure...

Hi,
I just re-read my reply and noticed a comment that I am not qualified to make, and a psychiatrist would probably not make without seeing you in person.
Here is what I said:

skilsaw wrote:The main thing as I see it is that your short intense episodes are not in any way harmful.

It would be more correct to say that the doctors you have seen apparently don't see these episodes as harmful. That I know, based on the information you have given.

We are haveing an absolutely beautiful spring day here in Victoria, Canada.
I hope there is some sunshine in your life too.

Take care,

It sounds to me like some sort of variation on serotonin syndrome, or a serotonin overload.

I've been getting a similar thing recently - sort of like an all-over tingling feeling with dizziness and an adrenaline rush and feeling generally quite high. It just lasts a few seconds though and it doesn't seem to inhibit my ability to function in any way. I definitely get it when I'm feeling manic, and not when I'm balanced or depressed, and no depressed feelings afterwards... Must be a serotonin rush or something.