bipolar

anyone here have this illness besides me? i was wondering how you deal with it. of course i take psych meds but they really don't seem to help. i have extreme highs and very extreme lows and i feel like i just can't cope sometimes. i am at war with my own brain and i hate it.

I have been reading ATS for several weeks, this is the first post, so if I make a mistake - forgive me.

I also am bipolar, I have been diagnosed for about 10 years but have suffered much longer. Find a good support structure. My wife ended up getting her Masters degree in Psychology. She will cater to me when things are not going well. My parents also understand - for the most part. Other than that, no one else has been told of my condition. Yes the medicine sucks!!! I cannot state that enough. The side effects of the medicine are worse than your worst day. I have been medicated since I was diagnosed. The last six months I have not taken any medication. Wow, what I difference. The roller coaster has not been nearly as bad. I do agree with the last post - So is exercise, yard work, hunting, or any other physical activity. Yes, stay away from crowds. I don't go shopping until about 2 a.m. when no one is out. Large family events suck!! Find some were you can deal with people one on one. Your did not state how long you have been diagnosed. You will slowly learn that the doctors and Psychs, for the most part, have other agendas. You cannot tell anyone because they will judge you. Not many people understand the problems. Each person is different so your methods of coping my be different than others. If you think it will help, try it!

[edit on 30-11-2008 by asala]

I was diagnosed as a teen. Although I have my own theories as to the nature of psychological conditions that is non-mainstream, so I don't agree with the diagnosis per se.

I have not medicated for it for many years now. For a while it was Depakote (anti-convulsant, mania) and Wellbutrin (SSRI, depression).

I eat healthy, workout, and take nutrition supplements for my 'medication' now though, and have done so for years.

I will leave this very non-informative for now Did you have specific questions, or were you just looking for a general experience?

Can you share some more of your story? Also, do you know which bi-polar type you are?

[edit on 29-11-2008 by Lucid Lunacy]

i was kinda just looking for other experiences. i take lithium and zyprexa right now but i used to be on depakote.

i just feel like my extreme lows are getting more extreme and they are getting harder to deal with.

i was diagnosed as bipolar mixed with PTSD

reply to post by thing fish


No anti-depressant?...

Those are two medications for the same treatment man: the mania (and or the PTSD).

The thing with bi-polar people, is that treating mania exclusively can make the depression more pronounced.. much more.

When I was on depakote (anti-convulsant) exclusively, I was much worse off then I had been before (untreated). I was a robot...only I had just enough feelings to be able to be really depressed A really depressed robot. Then I was prescribed an anti-depressant (wellbutrin) along with the depakote, and things got much better. I later was exclusively on Wellbutrin (only treating the depression) which worked out the best for me. Although, much caution is also attributed to treating the depression exclusively, as it can then make the mania more pronounced... much more.

Anyways, I am really surprised by the meds you just listed. Two mania meds and no depression med. You're not treating your lows man...

I know someone who is bi polar and sought alternative therapies to the typical.

She went to a kiniesiologist who gave her exercises to stimulate the other side of the brain. Fascinating stuff. This relies on the notion that if you spend too much time doing one activity or thinking about one topic (using one side of the brain) the brain then has issues with the other side:

One of them was called the cross crawl exercise:
stimulating the brain

and

Brain Gym

All very interesting; my friend does this exercise everyday and has had a dramatic improvement in her symptoms.

cheers

i used to be on cymbalta, depakote, lamictal, and another that i forgot the name of. they were $200 per month and i just can't afford that anymore. so, he put me on the lithium cause giant eagle has it on their $4 program and i get samples of the zyprexa from the center where i see the doc.

i have been thinking about checking myself into the hospital again but i don't know how much good that would do me. it would be new docs changing my meds to stuff i probably can't afford.

reply to post by thing fish


You should of course consult with a doctor, but I would entertain the idea of weaning off one of those current meds and adding an anti-depressant.

I also would urge you to talk to a doctor, and if the lows are getting really bad you should think about checking yourself back in to a hospital (in my decidedly unprofessional opinion).

I totally agree with what Lucid Lunacy has said about the medications – there's no anti-depressant in what you're taking now, which could well be why the lows are getting so much worse.

You should be really upfront with your doctor about your financial issues so he or she can do his/her best to accommodate them. I think a couple of the SSRI's are now on the low-cost plans offered by places like Target and CVS ($3-$5 per month), maybe that would help.

I don't have bipolar disorder, but I do have major depressive disorder, and I know that for me it is critical to be somewhat stabilized medically after I've been through a bad spell before I can begin to focus on long-term recovery.

I don't know about bipolar disorder specifically, but I also know that studies have strongly shown that medication alone is not effective for recurring depression. If you're not seeing a therapist, I think that would be a really good idea too – someone like a clinical social worker who is trained in one of the forms of talk therapy and can also help you manage a treatment program that works.

Best wishes ++

my daughter was recently diagnosed bi polar by her psychologist but refuses to take the diagnosis seriously. She refuses to take meds.

Myself I suffer from dysthemia (long running depression) and I found that cognitive therapy was awesome for getting it under control! You basically relearn your responses to your environment and situations in life.

Combined with regular meds (I take paxil and it does help).

The mood swings are very common with Bi Polar and therapies plus the right medication make a huge difference. You just need to have patience with yourself and not beat the crap outta yourself. It takes some time to get on the right track and feel more in control and confident.

Heck i was trapped in my house for 3 years starting in early 2002 and it took a lot of practice to get past the anxieties, depression and fears.

Depression is brutal though...even on meds I still have to force myself up and at em. The greatest thing I learned about it is to ASK for help when you need it, not to be ashamed or see yourself as weak if you can't cope with a really bad bout of depression. You're only human.

Depression is also a weird one for most people to understand too. It's not really relative to how much money you have or how good looking you are or successful you seem etc etc but all of those things can definitely have impact on depression.

Being Bi Polar isn't the end of the world. Once you learn to live with it and work around it things will get a lot better and easier to manage.

Talk to your doctor about the medication and how you're feeling, make sure to mention the depression because some medications can actually amplify those feelings. Be prepared to try different things and always cut yourself some slack. You're probably pretty hard on yourself.

Your doctor should be more than willing to listen and give you more info about medications and side effects.

Best of luck and if you ever want good reading titles for dealing with depression let me know Personally I hate self help crap but I have found a couple of books that really break it down without being "flaky and fluffy".

Oh and the dysthemia is classified as depression lasting 3 years or more - mine has lasted since before 2002 when I was diagnosed. it's not fun and I can empathize totally. I have really bad bouts some times but they last a few days and then it's back to the normal depression.

i think about checking myself into the hospital damn near every day. what i don't understand is if there are anti depressants that are on these cheap plans then why don't the psych get me on one. he knows my financial situation and the deal with the insurance