Conditions and symptoms
What Is Mania? Why Medicine Labels Warn About It
Mania · say it: MAY-nee-uhAlso written: manic, manic symptoms
Short answer
Mania is a period of abnormally high or irritable mood with lots of energy, little need for sleep and racing thoughts, lasting days or longer.
What it means
Mania is a state of abnormally high, excited or irritable mood with much more energy than usual. People may sleep very little without feeling tired, talk fast, have racing thoughts, feel unusually important, and take risks with money, driving or relationships. It is a feature of bipolar I disorder. Severe mania, especially with confusion or risky behaviour, needs urgent medical help.
Medicine labels mention mania because some medicines can trigger it, especially antidepressants in people with bipolar disorder, and also corticosteroids and some other drugs. Labels ask you or your family to report signs such as greatly increased energy, very little sleep or reckless behaviour. Mood stabilizer and antipsychotic labels list mania as something they treat.
Hypomania is a milder form that does not seriously disrupt daily life or need hospital care. Ordinary happiness or excitement is not mania.
Where you may see it
- Antidepressant leaflets under 'Activation of mania or hypomania'
- Corticosteroid leaflets under mood changes
- 'Indications' sections of mood stabilizer and antipsychotic labels
📄 How it looks on a report
Activation of mania/hypomania has been reported in a small proportion of patients with mood disorders treated with antidepressants.
🙅 What it does not mean
- Mania does not just mean being very happy or busy.
- It does not mean a person is 'crazy' or dangerous.
- A label warning about mania does not mean it will happen to you.
🎯 Check yourself
Which of these is the right meaning of “Mania”?
🗒️ Questions to ask your doctor
💊 Medicines whose labels mention “Mania”
Plain-English explanations of each medicine, from its official FDA label.
- Amitriptyline
An antidepressant of the tricyclic type
- Aripiprazole
an atypical antipsychotic medicine
- Bupropion Hydrochloride
an aminoketone antidepressant, a type of medicine used to treat depression
- Citalopram
a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant medicine
- Divalproex Sodium
An anti-epileptic (anti-seizure) drug of the valproate type. The label also uses it to treat manic episodes of bipolar disorder and to prevent migraine headaches.
- Duloxetine
A serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) type of antidepressant medicine
- Escitalopram
a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant
- Fluoxetine
a selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI), a type of antidepressant medicine
- Gabapentin
An antiepileptic (seizure) medicine. The label also describes it as a treatment for nerve pain after shingles.
- Lamotrigine
An anti-epileptic (seizure) medicine and mood stabilizer. The label describes it as an anti-epileptic drug of the phenyltriazine class that is chemically unrelated to other anti-epileptic drugs.
🔗 Read more from trusted sources
- “Mania” on MedlinePlus ↗
US National Library of Medicine
Seeing this word on your own report? Get every line of it explained, free.
Explain my report🧩 Related words
🔎 Look up another word
More words: conditions and symptoms
General information about a medical word, not advice about your own results. Ask the clinician who ordered the test what it means for you.