@karen00 that for listening and when you find the next helpful med. Please let me know!! I was so bummed when I couldn't stay on latuda it really seems to make a difference for me even in the few months I was taking it. Take care now

I have bipolar too and it wasn’t diagnosed til around age 43, I think. The best result for medication that I have experienced is the mood stabilizer Lamictal/ lamotragine. I believe it was originally intended as an anti convulsant for epilepsy. It keeps the moods from dipping too far but it isn’t perfect.

Venalafaxine/ Effexor is a creature worth avoiding if you can help it. Once on it, you’re loathe to get off because the symptoms can be brutal.

So having meds in place at least created a buffer. After that, I picked up strategies that worked from cognitive based therapy in less than a month.

The usual self maintenance issues always apply:

Good quality sleep (I use melatonin and L-theanine, either little noise or white noise, blackout curtains and no tv, phone, computers etc 2 hours before bed, no caffeine 6-8 hours before bed.

Making sure food is nutritious

Some exercise

And diversions/hobbies

BUT, there are triggers that come regardless and identification of those is both tricky and important. Coping strategies for those are vital to defuse them like a ticking bomb or in alternate slow poison.

Non-bipolar people are severely strained in these relationships and it’s common knowledge that the mortality of bipolar/non-bipolar relationships is high.

It takes a tremendous amount of mental effort to try and stop the downward spiral even when I recognize what’s going on.

I can’t speak to fibromyalgia at all but I have to believe the added stress and unique wiring of the neurotransmitters and stress hormones in bipolar aggravate the condition.