Mental Health Bipolar Disorder Mega Thread

[paranoid android]

Since there is a mega thread on many other mental disorders in TDS and due to the fact that it seems that many people suffer from it here on the dark side i thought it was time to create a mega thread about all things bipolar. The main purpose of this thread is to not only provide information and support to people suffering from bipolar disorder but also to give people a place to talk about this illness, how it has affected their lives wheather they suffer from it or know someone that does and to get helpful links on the subject . I will also provide links to websites that contain info about bipolar, how it is treated and exactly what this sometimes misunderstood disease is.

Here is a list on links that might be helpful:

• NIMH
• Chealth
• Pubmed Health
• A link with a list of all the common and not so commonly used meds to treat bipolar disorder Bipolar (Manic-Depressive) Disorder
• CounselingResource.com

The above has lotsa links to various bipolar related issues such as meds and stuff.

Quote:
Below are descriptions of psychotic and emotional disorders written and edited by Sushii, and panic in paradise.

This information has only been posted to share and debate in the interest of harm reduction, not as actual professional medical care, treatment, or advice. Please suggest any corrections or information that may need to be added.

• Descriptions of Psychotic and Emotional Disorders

Many thanks to my fellow mods especially OD and PIP for helping me sort this out.

 

[mgmt&mdma]

hmm i heard tyrosine helps alleviate manic-depression symptoms so i went out and bought some today, i hope it helps. I've got my first appointment with a psychologist monday, hopefully he/she puts me on something that helps

i havent hung outside of school with anyone in 6 weeks cuz if something sets me off then i go into one of my valleys, and that leads to friggin anxiety and yeaaa.

 

[paranoid android]

hmm i heard tyrosine helps alleviate manic-depression symptoms so i went out and bought some today, i hope it helps. I've got my first appointment with a psychologist monday, hopefully he/she puts me on something that helps

i havent hung outside of school with anyone in 6 weeks cuz if something sets me off then i go into one of my valleys, and that leads to friggin anxiety and yeaaa.

I have taken l-tyrosine to help give me abit of energy during a depressive state. I take lamictal, wellbutrin, clonazepam and when i need them zyprexa and risperdal. It most likely mixed with the wellbutrin because after maybe a week of taking the l-tyrosine i got so manic that i was taking zyprexa zydis while i was on risperdal. So ya becareful with it.

I have found lamotrigine to be a reallly good mood stabilizer with no real side effects. The only complaint i hae about it is that it's sometimes not strong enough to help real bad mania. So then i have to take a anti-psychotic. But lately ive been good and havent needed a anti-psychotic.

That is just my experience by the way. Everyone is different.

 

[mgmt&mdma]

i would battle with 'intrusive thoughts' and chain thinking, manic bOOms and then depressive abandon.

a minor example for me is that, a single word sometimes would get stuck and repeat in my head for daaaays.
extremely aggravating, i dint know how aggravating until i didnt have to try and not control or think about it.

this is EXACTLY what im having problems with. i think next time i get my allowance ill go get some, its otc right?

but i mean honestly i cant take this shit anymore, idk if i have to wait longer but i took 1000mg of the tyrosine yesterday and another 1g this morning and i feel like its made me more edgey. bleh, does being bi-polar mean you should have social anxiety too?

 

[bluemickeys4life]

That Seroquel XR is a fucking beast on the wallet...insane.

 

[crystalserenity]

*bump* for now

 

[mgmt&mdma]

That Seroquel XR is a fucking beast on the wallet...insane.

^well does it work for you?

 

[mgmt&mdma]

paranoid android-

i read a post by you saying that you take a shitton of diff meds (cant remember em all) did ur therapist or whoever prescribe those all at once? or did u try each individually?

cuz ive got my first psychologist apointment tomorrow and have NO idea what to expect, or what (if) ill be prescribed for

 

[embers_fading]

That Seroquel XR is a fucking beast on the wallet...insane.

Oh, yeah. I've been there! I finally managed to get SSI to fully subsidize all of my medications, Seroquel included, so I don't have to pay more than a few bucks for all of my prescriptions to get refilled. The Seroquel XR works so well for me.

The following advice only applies to people living in the USA who have bipolar disorder: If you are bipolar and have a long case history you should probably go to a few free consultations with disability lawyers. In my experience, the disability lawyers, if they feel you have a good case, will only take a percentage (cut) of what the State awards you in benefits, so you don't have to have anything to pay up front at all. This may differ from one disability lawyer to another.

I would not recommend going to the Social Security office to try to get benefits on your own. I have known people who have done this and they were denied the first time or two. The process is also quite slow; you could end up waiting 6 to 12 months after you file your request to find out that you have been denied. Definitely hook up with a disability lawyer.

There is no way that I would be able to pay for my prescriptions without the help from SSI. If you need those prescriptions to function properly in society then you should hopefully be able to get SSI/SSD and have them pay for them. I remember my Seroquel XR costing over $400 for one month's prescription!

paranoid android-

i read a post by you saying that you take a shitton of diff meds (cant remember em all) did ur therapist or whoever prescribe those all at once? or did u try each individually?

cuz ive got my first psychologist apointment tomorrow and have NO idea what to expect, or what (if) ill be prescribed for

Psychologists cannot prescribe medications. They can provide psychotherapy and they can diagnose you, but that is the extent of their powers, really. Chances are, if you receive a diagnosis when you see this psychologist, you may be referred to a psychiatrist who can prescribe you medications. Expect to be asked a lot of questions. Please answer them truthfully to get the most accurate diagnosis and treatment. When you do start seeing a psychiatrist you will want to make sure that you sign a release allowing the psychiatrist to speak to/exchange information with your psychologist. You will also need to file such a release with your psychologist.

 

[mgmt&mdma]

^^alright thanks. maybe im seeing a psychiatrist, ill ask my mom later.

should i tell them that ive used ecstasy before? im afraid if i tell them that part then they'll tell me theres nothing they can do. or theyll tell my parents which will = mega fucked

 

[theartofwar]

thoughts on lamictal ? Side affects esp physical ? I responded right poorly to lithium, depakote and seroquel =[.. Worried about trying anything at this point , more worried about not. Can't deal with these swings any fucking more gonna lose my head.

 

[panic in paradise]

what st you live in...?

oh~N/M

 

[greenberryhaze]

I'm well into the depths of a 6 mo. long depressive episode, not my worst, but the longest one ever. I am really resenting my meds right now, it feels like they've turned my BP into unipolar depression.

I'll be visiting a new psych doctor on thursday. My old one took a leave of absence, and I'm dreading having to regurgitate my whole story all over again. I'm fairly certain he'll be adding an antidepressant into the mix, which I've been less than enthusiastic about, having tried a number with no positive effects. I'd really like to try something that isn't a reuptake inhibitor and isn't seroquel. Has anyone here had any luck with something like this, mirtazapine perhaps?

Meds right now are 300mg lamotrigine and 2000 - 4000mg gabapentin, which I modulate depending on how much pain I'm in.

Oh, and I totally get things stuck in my head forever, like people are talking about. For the last 2 weeks, all I can hear in my head is the same few measures of Mozart's requiem, "Dies ire! Dies Illa! ...", over and over again. Seriously my life is nowhere near melodramatic enough to be set to this music...

 

[paranoid android]

thoughts on lamictal ? Side affects esp physical ? I responded right poorly to lithium, depakote and seroquel =[.. Worried about trying anything at this point , more worried about not. Can't deal with these swings any fucking more gonna lose my head.

i take lamictal everyday and i don't get any side effects from it. It's probably the only med i take that doesent give me any side effects so atleast thats one . It does not have a rep at all for causing weight gain or anything and you don't even have to get blood tests done like you do with valproate and lithium.

 

[bluemickeys4life]

^well does it work for you?

It does, most definitely, so far. Saw shrink today due to a severe allergic reaction to the Wellbutrin I was taking. I was so hypomanic that I left with a script for Xanax.

So, currently taking 600mg. Seroquel XR, with a possibility of another pharmaceutical added when we chew the fat once more on the 12th of April. Oh, and 1mg Xanax twice daily.

 

[greenberryhaze]

It does not have a rep at all for causing weight gain or anything and you don't even have to get blood tests done like you do with valproate and lithium.

I caused weight gain and hair loss for me initially, but these effects seemed to subside after a few months.

 

[mgmt&mdma]

^if they tell you that, exploit their ''market'' find another dr, seeing 2-3 is very very wise. 'compounded' lithium isnt available OTC.

you have CBC's done to check if you in the 'theraputic' dose range, and how your body digests and process's it. consuming too much Sodium can cause it to be used up quicker, causing possible ' lithium-toxicity ', this is serious.
but, while adjusting i did experience, only as a slur-ish tipsy way. i called my prescribers clinic and talk to a nurse a couple minutes on two occasions, allowing them some grasp of the extent.
taking NSAID's is not smart, or rather as the manufacturers do claim ' contra-indicative '. i am very sensitive to medications and what i put in my body period,. and have been taking Naproxin Sodium for a fuking tooth-ache... but, im pushing it, fairly foolishly.
~

i feel certain everyone who knows, would agree that bi-polar manic cycles are unique to each others.

personally i will go all out studying a subject, or developing a goal... thinking about it, there isnt anything i do that i consider a hobby, but i excel, obtain and retain what i learn- i could go on about a topic like its been a goal for years...:-\ but it hasnt, and i know it is ?wrong?
THEN, that happens, it turns black.

it was done wrong-
by maybe not being viewed right..?


***********
i had to share i felt to help create basis for my point, which im very curious to see how anyone feels about in their lives with BpD.
that is, as i was stretching out a bit a go,,, i suddenly thought:-x with the knowledge of duality in oneself, that maybe im running so hard into these subjects, to try and hurry in an attempt to recreate myself; a near frenzy of seeking self-escape.
i had to then consider, i dont have anyone to prove anything too,,, but, our own ego does want its feed, and does translate your state-of-being. so not being comfortable in your own skin, can be plenty reason to help push someone into a panic felt as a bit of euphoria, that is then sustained and heightened further by ignoring what is eating you up, and now consuming of your environment.

our own flaws are something we, anyone needs to get over, or dealt with accordingly, maybe just accepted to release. im not suggesting to forget the meds, but to, not forget yourself, and to, while ''adjusted'' in a more sound state, to analyze yourself, think about your reactions to environmental, current life situation, your internal dialog and what gets it to where you feel a nearing loss of control, or settling of re-attainment in the thought process...

also, going and going manic and luv loving it, is famously a ' high ', something people will knowingly or not, stop taking their medication or tapper back to recapture...
then, the fall,,, the devastation and weighted-blanket just looming.

it sounds very Hormonal, or like a physiological reaction, causing rapid synapses firing, and either an abundance of the goodies like endorphins, dopamine, serotonin etc. or them being stripped and, something else being switched into over-drive because of this current lack- in the mind of needed bio-chems.
... and now ive seen it being parallel drawn and notably coincidental on occasion with maybe a bacteria, or a viral infection; this is also noted as well with Alzheimer disease.

takes breath//

hmm well i see the subject the same way, just not as in-depth haha, but thanks so much for the help the psychologist said she thinks its manic-depression that i have, and that ill be getting some psychiatric quiz next time i go in.

 

[paranoid android]

I caused weight gain and hair loss for me initially, but these effects seemed to subside after a few months.

Hmm i can't say i got any side effects from it at any dose really so i guess im lucky. It's considered weight neutral i know that especially compared to say sodium valproate. And is generally alot easier to take unless your one of the unlucky ones to get hit with the bad side effects.

Thankfully i lucked out and never got any side effects and it helps stabilize my mood alot.

 

[greenberryhaze]

So I was prescribed duloxetine on for depression at my appointment on thursday. Friday night I started feeling manic and, since my office was closed, I decided to see who was on call at the hospital. It happened to be the lead psychiatrist from my office, so I had them page him, thinking he might prescribe me a new med or recommend trying this one for a couple more days.

First page I never got a callback, second time he called in 5 min. Here is a transcript of the 8 sec conversation:

Him: Psychiatrist.

Me: Hi, is this so and so?

Him: Yes.

Me: I recently started taking Cymbalta and I feel like I might be getting a little manic. I was...

Him: Don't take it. Click.

This was before 10PM. How pissed should I be?

 

[mgmt&mdma]

So I was prescribed duloxetine on for depression at my appointment on thursday. Friday night I started feeling manic and, since my office was closed, I decided to see who was on call at the hospital. It happened to be the lead psychiatrist from my office, so I had them page him, thinking he might prescribe me a new med or recommend trying this one for a couple more days.

First page I never got a callback, second time he called in 5 min. Here is a transcript of the 8 sec conversation:

Him: Psychiatrist.

Me: Hi, is this so and so?

Him: Yes.

Me: I recently started taking Cymbalta and I feel like I might be getting a little manic. I was...

Him: Don't take it. Click.

This was before 10PM. How pissed should I be?

thefuck?

id be sooo pissed if i was you. thats so rude...

or maybe he was busy?