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Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 25 of 30. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 13:53:58
I've been bipolar since the age of 18 although original diagnosis not surprisingly was cyclothymic personality. Like many Bipolars, I am sensitive to light and to season (I was also diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder) but what is more and more marked as I age is an incredible sensitivity to color which constantly fluctuates. I often use colored sunglasses therapeuticlly, orange is best for depression and cyan best for my hypomania. Glasses were prescribed by Dr Peter Mueller of Princeton. As I get worse with each passing year, the glasses are more likely to induce mood oscillations. Almost any antidepressant, but especially the SSRIs aggrevate this. Since I have occasional taste and smell hallucinations, I suspect that my Temporal lobe may be screwed up! Can anyone out there relate to this?
mocdoc
Posted by tina on July 5, 2001, at 14:44:23
In reply to Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 13:53:58
You know, this is very interesting mocdoc. I never thought about it before but certain colors put me into a nasty rage and others cool me off. Hmmm. I'm going to look into this.
thanks> I've been bipolar since the age of 18 although original diagnosis not surprisingly was cyclothymic personality. Like many Bipolars, I am sensitive to light and to season (I was also diagnosed as Seasonal Affective Disorder) but what is more and more marked as I age is an incredible sensitivity to color which constantly fluctuates. I often use colored sunglasses therapeuticlly, orange is best for depression and cyan best for my hypomania. Glasses were prescribed by Dr Peter Mueller of Princeton. As I get worse with each passing year, the glasses are more likely to induce mood oscillations. Almost any antidepressant, but especially the SSRIs aggrevate this. Since I have occasional taste and smell hallucinations, I suspect that my Temporal lobe may be screwed up! Can anyone out there relate to this?
> mocdoc
Posted by Noa on July 5, 2001, at 15:22:17
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by tina on July 5, 2001, at 14:44:23
Kind of makes me think about the possible connection between bipolar and seizures, for some reason. Guess I was thinking about a friend who has bipolar II and migraines and often wears sunglasses in the house because too much light gives her a headache and/or makes her really irritable. She is prone to agitation and panic symptoms.
Posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 15:35:29
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by tina on July 5, 2001, at 14:44:23
Dear Tina,
For a source of colour on your computer screen, check out
http://www.queenofpentacles.com/color.html
Personally I ignore the meditations and thestuff on Tarot and just look at the colours.
Let us know if they do anything to your mood.
mocdoc
Posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 15:46:21
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by Noa on July 5, 2001, at 15:22:17
Dear Noa,
Do you happen to know if your friend prefers a certain colour of sunglasses. Dr. Peter Mueller
of Princeton,N.J. who first described SAD (though Rosenthal always seems to get the credit) has described a syndrome -he calls it "Seasonal Energy Syndrome"-its probably a variant subset of Bipolar-in which patients tend to get migraines in the spring-summer. He treats them with antiepileptics and blue-green polarized glasses. Is there any seasonal pattern to your friend's migraines or does she get them year round?
mocdoc
Posted by tina on July 5, 2001, at 16:10:46
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 15:35:29
> Dear Tina,
> For a source of colour on your computer screen, check out
> http://www.queenofpentacles.com/color.html
> Personally I ignore the meditations and thestuff on Tarot and just look at the colours.
> Let us know if they do anything to your mood.
> mocdocthanks mocdoc. I went there and stared at the blue for awhile and it calmed me down almost immediately. That is way cool. I'm changing the color of my backgound right now.
I have a pair of orange sunglasses that make the blues bluer and the greens greener.I guess that's why I was drawn to those glasses more than any other that I tried on that day.
thanks again
peace
Tina
Posted by medlib on July 5, 2001, at 16:45:45
In reply to Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 13:53:58
mocdoc--
Are you familiar with the Irlen Method for treating scotopic perceptual problems? Certain people with autism, dyslexia, ADD, or epilepsy are helped by this method (which uses colored lenses). I believe that the Irlen site has a self test (www.irlen.com). It has had extensive media coverage, including a TV movie.
And, speaking of TLE, I thought you might find this Salon magazine article on chromatic-sensitive epilepsy interesting.
http://www.salon.com/health/log/1999/06/02/color_sensitivity/
Well wishes---medlib
Posted by Else on July 5, 2001, at 19:57:14
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by medlib on July 5, 2001, at 16:45:45
< snip >
>
> And, speaking of TLE, I thought you might find this Salon magazine article on chromatic-sensitive epilepsy interesting.
>
> http://www.salon.com/health/log/1999/06/02/color_sensitivity/
"In 1991, American Dianne Neale suffered seizures when listening to the voice of "Entertainment Tonight" co-host Mary Hart. Neale suffered from a rare form of epilepsy called temporal lobe seizure, and the mere sound of Hart's electronically transmitted voice triggered abnormal discharges in her brain."I'm sorry but I find this so completely hilarious. That Mary Hart would induce seizures. Hope nothing bad happenned to that woman though.
Posted by medlib on July 5, 2001, at 20:38:37
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by Else on July 5, 2001, at 19:57:14
Hi Else--
I remember that brouhaha; my son (who has epilepsy) cracked, "And here we thought that only pregnant women needed to avoid ET." (due to increased susceptibility to nausea) He added that her "relentless cheerleader tone" was obviously the trigger.
Well wishes---medlib
Posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 21:40:45
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by medlib on July 5, 2001, at 16:45:45
Dear medlib,
Salon article was interesting for sure. I've never heard of the Irlen thing and will chech it out. Thanks.
Be well,
mocdoc
Posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 22:01:34
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by medlib on July 5, 2001, at 16:45:45
Dear medlib,
Did the Irlen thing, migraine fits me more than reading problems and I got 6 on the test, >3 is said to be a problem. No wonder I already own 53!(yes-fifty-three) pairs of sunglasses.Most unique are a pair I built myself out of temples which I cannabilized from one pair,frame from a second pair, two rotating photographic (camera) polarizers, one sheet of polarized material, and "stick-on 2,50 diopter (my personal correction) reading glass half moons available commercially. I excluded the small reading part, but in the rest of the visual field, I can alter the degree of polarization to each eye independently, and "dial out" some of my problems temporarily by giving a different strength stimulus to right and left eye respectively. Whoops-I just published it-there goes my patent!
Thanks for info you provided,
mocdoc
Posted by Mitch on July 5, 2001, at 23:33:43
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by Noa on July 5, 2001, at 15:22:17
Noa et al,
This is fascinating because I have IBS/d and when it gets very bad I have to shut off lights and close shutters and stuff to help with relieving it. It is like the cramping is intensified by the light. Temporal lobe seizure activity is supposed to be commonly connected with abdominal/GI discomfort as well. This has been the case since I have been 12 or 13 years old.
Also, I have mentioned before that Effexor and Prozac created intense vivid color perceptual changes-reds almost glowed! I did notice one time when I had a seasonal major depressive episode (midsummer) that I had just got new sunglasses and the episode seemed worse than usual as well. This is getting VERY interesting.
Mitch
> Kind of makes me think about the possible connection between bipolar and seizures, for some reason. Guess I was thinking about a friend who has bipolar II and migraines and often wears sunglasses in the house because too much light gives her a headache and/or makes her really irritable. She is prone to agitation and panic symptoms.
Posted by Mitch on July 5, 2001, at 23:42:21
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by Noa on July 5, 2001, at 15:22:17
Noa,
Just another quick follow-up. My mom had generalized nocturnal epilepsy with daytime panic symptoms and she has told me several times that when she had to ride the bus(she wasn't allowed to drive back in the 50's when she was diagnosed with the seizures)she would get "panicky" whenever the sun would be shining through picket fences etc. and "flashing" in the morning while she was going to work and she had to look away or it made her "nervous". She was on Dilantin 400mg/day + Phenobarbitol for decades. My Sister has migraines. My Mom's mom had to have ECT for psychotic depression. Her seizures started in 1950 with the birth of my older brother and they stopped after my birth in 1960. I thought that was bunk a long time ago-until I talked to my doctor and he said that pregancies can stop and start seizures (wow-that was news for me!)
Mitch
> Kind of makes me think about the possible connection between bipolar and seizures, for some reason. Guess I was thinking about a friend who has bipolar II and migraines and often wears sunglasses in the house because too much light gives her a headache and/or makes her really irritable. She is prone to agitation and panic symptoms.
Posted by Noa on July 6, 2001, at 8:59:12
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity;Seizures? » Noa, posted by Mitch on July 5, 2001, at 23:42:21
Well, that is interesting, Mitch. My friend's migraines/panic attacks/agitation/depression got worse postpartum (although it has always been a struggle).
She is doing pretty well now on neurontin and effexor, btw.
BTW, it certainly sounds like your family medical history is loaded for seizure disorders.
Posted by Mitch on July 6, 2001, at 9:51:55
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity;Seizures?, posted by Noa on July 6, 2001, at 8:59:12
Yep, I am aware of this. I have been procrastinating about seeing a neuro again. I saw one once and the standard EEG was normal. He was a behavioural neurologist and he was still convinced there was *something* going on there-if not temporal, then frontal lobe seizure activity. He wanted more tests, but I couldn't afford them at the time-so given my reluctance and skepticism about further tests (at the time)-he diagnosed me as "atypical bipolar", and that was it.
Yesterday, just before I went to work I had an intense paresthesia (or numbness)that went all the way from my forehead to my chin-my entire face had practically no feeling! I also starting feeling this "detached" feeling from reality again. Man, it gave me the creeps! It could have been my meds I don't know-but the more I talk here and hear stuff about weird symptoms the more I am inclined to believe the seizure stuff.
Mitch
> Well, that is interesting, Mitch. My friend's migraines/panic attacks/agitation/depression got worse postpartum (although it has always been a struggle).
>
> She is doing pretty well now on neurontin and effexor, btw.
>
> BTW, it certainly sounds like your family medical history is loaded for seizure disorders.
Posted by susan C on July 6, 2001, at 14:13:08
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity;Seizures? » Noa, posted by Mitch on July 5, 2001, at 23:42:21
Mitch, just a note about your mom and dr comment about pregnancy starting or stopping seizure: estrogen is a powerful proconvulsant and progesterone a powerful anticonvulsant. Both are obviously female hormones and progesterone is very abundant in pregnancy (I think I got that right). My new pdoc diagnosed me a bipolar, genetic (father with depression and ect and brother suicided)and seizure due to history of severe pms that started in puberty and helped dramatically by sustained release natural progesterone. Needless to say, I felt GREAT when I was pregnant. We have a complicated illness.
> Noa,
>
> Just another quick follow-up. My mom had generalized nocturnal epilepsy with daytime panic symptoms and she has told me several times that when she had to ride the bus(she wasn't allowed to drive back in the 50's when she was diagnosed with the seizures)she would get "panicky" whenever the sun would be shining through picket fences etc. and "flashing" in the morning while she was going to work and she had to look away or it made her "nervous". She was on Dilantin 400mg/day + Phenobarbitol for decades. My Sister has migraines. My Mom's mom had to have ECT for psychotic depression. Her seizures started in 1950 with the birth of my older brother and they stopped after my birth in 1960. I thought that was bunk a long time ago-until I talked to my doctor and he said that pregancies can stop and start seizures (wow-that was news for me!)
>
> Mitch
>
> > Kind of makes me think about the possible connection between bipolar and seizures, for some reason. Guess I was thinking about a friend who has bipolar II and migraines and often wears sunglasses in the house because too much light gives her a headache and/or makes her really irritable. She is prone to agitation and panic symptoms.
Posted by mocdoc on July 6, 2001, at 14:27:30
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity;Seizures?, posted by susan C on July 6, 2001, at 14:13:08
Dear Susan, Noa, Mitch,
Perhaps men and women could benefit from topically applied progesterone. in seizure disorders.Topical progesterone is being pushed by several websites for prostate disease in men. However, I recall reading somewhere that it could cause depression.
Anyone have any thoughts? See:
http://mall-without-walls.com/w-i-n/2epile~1.htm
Good weekend to you all,
mocdoc
Posted by susan C on July 6, 2001, at 16:31:31
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity;Seizures?, posted by mocdoc on July 6, 2001, at 14:27:30
Hi, Yes, I have talked to some friends (female) who had the opposite results (they got depressed) from progesterone. In my latest adventure into hormone-land (menopause) is that it is a RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN the hormones, not the amount of one or the other, that makes the difference. I am still trying to understand it and the closest I have come, is as usual, it is trial and error and everyone is different. 'sigh'
Dear Susan, Noa, Mitch,
> Perhaps men and women could benefit from topically applied progesterone. in seizure disorders.Topical progesterone is being pushed by several websites for prostate disease in men. However, I recall reading somewhere that it could cause depression.
> Anyone have any thoughts? See:
> http://mall-without-walls.com/w-i-n/2epile~1.htm
> Good weekend to you all,
> mocdoc
Posted by Else on July 6, 2001, at 20:03:36
In reply to Re: Mary Hart » Else, posted by medlib on July 5, 2001, at 20:38:37
> Hi Else--
>
> I remember that brouhaha; my son (who has epilepsy) cracked, "And here we thought that only pregnant women needed to avoid ET." (due to increased susceptibility to nausea) He added that her "relentless cheerleader tone" was obviously the trigger.
>
> Well wishes---medlibI would have thought the tackiness of her make-up and clothes would be to blame though, not her voice.
Posted by Mitch on July 6, 2001, at 22:41:44
In reply to Re: Mary Hart, posted by Else on July 6, 2001, at 20:03:36
Else, et al,
I realize the "receptor" and "kindling" theory regarding seizures/bipolar is the new big deal. When are we going to get some *real* clinical evidence to support it?
Mitch
> > Hi Else--
> >
> > I remember that brouhaha; my son (who has epilepsy) cracked, "And here we thought that only pregnant women needed to avoid ET." (due to increased susceptibility to nausea) He added that her "relentless cheerleader tone" was obviously the trigger.
> >
> > Well wishes---medlib
>
> I would have thought the tackiness of her make-up and clothes would be to blame though, not her voice.
Posted by Else on July 7, 2001, at 14:44:56
In reply to Re: Mary Hartman: Mary Hartman: )) » Else, posted by Mitch on July 6, 2001, at 22:41:44
> Else, et al,
>
> I realize the "receptor" and "kindling" theory regarding seizures/bipolar is the new big deal. When are we going to get some *real* clinical evidence to support it?
>
> Mitch
>
> > > Hi Else--
> > >
> > > I remember that brouhaha; my son (who has epilepsy) cracked, "And here we thought that only pregnant women needed to avoid ET." (due to increased susceptibility to nausea) He added that her "relentless cheerleader tone" was obviously the trigger.
> > >
> > > Well wishes---medlib
> >
> > I would have thought the tackiness of her make-up and clothes would be to blame though, not her voice.Sorry Mitch, I don't know much about epilepsy. Perhaps the others can be more enlightenning.
Posted by Zo on July 7, 2001, at 16:25:30
In reply to Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity, posted by mocdoc on July 5, 2001, at 13:53:58
I have TLE. . .and can tell you that taste and smell "hallucinations" are common forms of temporal lobe seizure. . . .as is photosensitivity, I mean, common to TLE tho an uncommon form of it. .. .
And that Bipolar and TLE have a tremendous overlap, both depend on something called Kindling to set off the electrial storm in the brain, which is why anticonvulsant meds help with Bipolar and vice versa. . .Things like Neurontin kill two birds with one stone.
Fascinating thread!
Zo
Posted by Zo on July 7, 2001, at 16:33:36
In reply to Re: Mary Hartman: Mary Hartman: )) » Else, posted by Mitch on July 6, 2001, at 22:41:44
> I realize the "receptor" and "kindling" theory regarding seizures/bipolar is the new big deal. When are we going to get some *real* clinical evidence to support it?
>
> MitchYour experience can fully support it if you go on Neurontin or similar anticonvulsant and a number of symptoms drop out and the dx becomes clear, as happened to me.
Re: your post abt. numbness. . .sorry, Mitch, but you've got some kind of seizure disorder going. I forget all the dx's, which is compex, which is partial etc (sorry, can barely keep track of my own dxs) but look at any of the big epilepsy sites. . . that passing numbness is a definite yes. If you remain fully aware and conscious is important dxing which kind.
Don't despair! You're on the right track!
Zo
Posted by Zo on July 7, 2001, at 20:46:42
In reply to Re: Bipolar and Light/color Sensitivity;Seizures? » Noa, posted by Mitch on July 6, 2001, at 9:51:55
came across this ref:
Simple partial: No change in consciousness occurs. Patients may experience weakness, numbness, and unusual smells or tastes. Twitching of the muscles or limbs, turning the head to the side, paralysis, visual changes, or vertigo may occur. When motor symptoms spread slowly from one part of the body to another, this "epileptic march" has been termed jacksonian epilepsy (first described by Hughlings Jackson).
Posted by mocdoc on July 7, 2001, at 21:36:48
In reply to Re: Mary Hartman: Mary Hartman: )) » Mitch, posted by Zo on July 7, 2001, at 16:33:36
Dear Mitch,
You may be interested in the following site on TLE which includes after appropriate clicking on 2 links, an interesting questionaire:
http://www.pni.org/neuropsychiatry/seizures/ptls.html
I myself,based on this questionaire, am certainly suspect!
Take care,
mocdoc
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