~ Just poppin’ in to say hello to my new friends here in bipolar land ~ Welcome to my world ~ Won’t you come on in ~ If you figure out how to get out - let me know! ~
~ Hi, Minty! ~ hugs to you and everyone ~ Happy V-Day! ~
So I have a question, I am unable to work due to the doctors trying to get my meds right. Had another allergic reaction and was swithched to Lythium, Neuronten, zanax, and a med. for tremors, cant recall the name at this time…Has anyone had a just great reaction to some kind of meds. where they can still function in the “normal world”? Let me know~
Hello everyone! I have been on the IBD forum here in careplace land for some time, but I am pretty new to the bipolar forum, as well as some others. I hope you all are feeling okay today. If not - hug. I hope to get to know all of you a lot better.
Katie
P.S. Today SUCKS!!! (well for me anyway)
Thank You bp8me - I am. I talked to another member here in careplace and that did the trick. He can always make me smile:)
Katie
hey, everyone ,just wanted to say ,hi, and to say that i was just diagnosed as bipolar this week and my nurse and doc said that mine was severe, right now all im on is seroquell , but it will be changeing shortly, but im a little worried because im a rapid cycler, and i think im bipolar 1, which is the hardest to treat, any advice or help would be greatly appreciated,guys and girls…thanks
~ Hey Sctt… Welcome to my world! I’m bipolar II and was diagnosed last year after years and years of being treated for anxiety and depression. Go figure?! Once I left the VA doctors and got a real psych doc, my new pdoc correctly diagnosed me and put me on the right meds. It seems to be working but it takes a while. For a few months I was severely cycling and not liking it.
I was on Seroquel first (VA doc) but my new pdoc took me off it b/c of the side effects associated with it (weight gain for one). I was put on Lamictal for BP while being weaned off Zoloft and Seroquel and remained on Xanax for anxiety. Then my pdoc added Wellbutrin XL for depression and Ambien for insomnia. I was getting only 2-3 hours of sleep and going and going … wired … for days at a time and then would C R A S H and burn. Very down! He then added Prozac to the drug cocktail and things have been stable for the last month or so. Life is tolerable at the moment. I’m getting more sleep at least and have been getting out more.
Lamictal has been very effective for a lot of people with BP. It’s actually an anti-seizure medication but is now approved for treatment of BP. I was in an online research group for Lamictal late last year, and it seemed to be working for just about all of us. I can’t think of anybody saying it didn’t work. You have to start out on a low dosage and titer up b/c of a rash you can get. I didn’t. I’m now on 300mg… started at 25mg. Good luck and let us know what’s going on. ~ hugs ~
okay… i’m only on a ad n a mood stabilizer… are all of you on multiple meds? cuz so far i haven’t found anything to make me feel remotely “normal” i’m on carbamazapine (tegretol) but only taking half of what i’m supposed to because i was so dizzy i could’nt stand. i’m also on zoloft, but they won’t put it up to a theraputic level before they figure out the stabilizer because they don’t want me going manic.arg!
Hi Scott!
Welcome to the bipolar world! I don’t have bipolar but my son who is still at home does. I have a few methods of dealing with him that i could let you know about, if you like. Take care of yourself, that’s the first thing you have to do. Good luck!
~nyteyes ~
Has your pdoc ever mentioned Lamictal (for bipolar)? It has helped me and many people that I’ve met online. You may want to inquire about it. I’m on two anti-depressants, which help a LOT - it just takes time to get your meds leveled out. Hang in there! ~ doc knows best ~ hugs ~
i am VERY wary of doctors. since i have no insurance, my docs are hit and miss. i had a nurse-practitioner for a while. i kept telling her i needed to up my a.d., instead she upped my stabilizer (depakote at the time) and tried to wean me off of my a.d. (i had also informed her that i had to switch to a new birth control at the same time) i had terrible side effects from that high of a dose of the depakote, and i crashed HARD from no a.d. my fiance wouldn’t leave me alone for three days he was so worried about an attempt. i have had doctors yell at me, send me home when i told them i was suicidal (i did, indeed, try that time,) and generally screw with my entire therapy. i feel like the proverbial guinea pig.
Hey everybody…I just joined this group yesterday or maybe very early this morning…not sure which.Just thought i’d say hello.
I’ve found that when I don’t do what the pdoc has asked me to do with my meds, like taking them; and go to therapy once a month, I don’t do so well. I start getting depressed all over again.
So, Mick this opinion is for you; get back on your meds, and stay on them. Get back to seeing a pdoc, and be honest with them, as it is easy for us to cover up a bad day when talking to the pdoc.
Robsmom, I remember you from when I used to be in cp. It’s been a while since I have said any thing in here, b/c I didn’t like it when they changed the format. Anyway, it’s nice to know someone in here, or at least someone I remember from before.
I’m new to this CarePlace. Was on it years ago, and had many friends that I talked to then. But any way, some of you said you were on Seroquel, well, that med was not good to me at all, to say the least.
But my pdoc has got me on 3000 mgs of vitamin D for depression; 3000 units of Omega 3 (fish oil)and Respiridal and Amitryptiline, 10 mg. I truly believe in the fish oil and vitamin D. When they done a blood test, I was completely out of Vitamin D,and that causes depression, bipolar or not. I am bipolar, have been for many years, that is with a diagnosis. I know now I was bipolar as a teen; always fought depression, tried suicide several times; and thought I was invincible when manic.
Thankfully, I seem to have leveled out, so I feel pretty good. My sleep habits is questionable, however, now I choose to stay awake, not bkz I’m manic. But if I don’t watch myself, by staying up too late on this computer, I can easily become manic, even with meds.
But I’m not working now, and that has been a blessing. The manics are almost a zero; and I also have Fibromyalgia, and the symptoms of that has also lessened; however, there are days that is hard for me to get out of bed. But happily, I’m managing.
anybody got any tips on how to keep going?
I am not in therapy and I am not on meds...having a bad couple of days and i'm feeling a bit down..
anything would be helpful
Well hello everyone. Another several weeks have passed, and not much has changed. But you know like they say, “if you don’t change it, nothing changes.” I kind of like that motto, since I get stuck quite easily into ONE routine, and don’t want it to change for any reason!
But my bipolar is still about the same; except sleep has been a little eradicate for some reason. WEnt through a real emotional up/down for a while, and I think that is why my sleep got crazy again. (my husb. got VERY sick, couldn’t breathe, so I’d lay awake listening for him)any way he’s all better now. Still sick, he won’t ever be back to where he was, but he’s better. Any way, I think that might be why my sleep has gotte interrupted.
Going to see my pdoc tomorrow morning; do you know how much I want to cancel? Not because of him, just because I hate going to a doctor of any degree. But will tough it out and go; saw my therapist today, didn’t talk too much about any thing important. She decided I live my life through my kids.(they are ALL ADULTS now with families all their own) I’m not sure her opinion was “right on” but I’ll go with it for now, until I think it might be something else. lol
Any way, I pray you all have a good day/night tomorrow/night, as I do know how difficult that can be for those of us with bipolar. I also have fibromyalgia so I hurt a lot! But I don’t want to take pain medication unless I absolutely have to. Some days I do take a lot of Aleve, but none of it is good for me; any way, I’m not taking it now; hoping to be able to sleep tonight.
Hi...I'm new here but not to BP (and I yet to be diagosed as i have compliated history that gets in way....complicated, compound grief with a bit of PTSD....as i have self-diagnosed...docs think I'll just get over this ....the usual...pat the back and shove you out the $$/minute!) But my daughter is and has same reaction to health services. She has educated me so much doing research when she is "OK". I am RN with "too many" years of education and experience...serously...I am starting over. Meds...I AM 100% skeptical ...and too many of those with the priviledge to prescribe do so willy nilly because they read some blurb from the Pharma company. In my professional capacity I have had to say the big NO to MDs many times.....with my personal health...I will try anything but prescription meds ie:Vits,aminos,herbs, aromatherapy,yoga,isolation (yup)) until they prove not enough. Prozac...yuck...It gave me the jumping willies and I stopped (gradually...I even split and filled my own capsules)..my "holistic" MD....she gets angry. Me...I pretend to keep taking it....just to keep her from dissing me off. Put a smile on my face...and said....I think I need to find another "helper". Me ? 37 years a nurse !
Learning from others who are on the same journey is invaluable. And the support essential. Thank all for being here and so open and sharing.