Bipolar and ideas of how to help ourselves beyond medication

Posted by healthytoday @healthytoday, Dec 10, 2018

Bipolar, I decided no matter what, I could study it, and get to know it. From there, I added vitamins (especially B and omega3. I felt better. Also, activity and funny movies helped. There are so many things I could do besides medication. I do have the milder form of it and have seem family members with a more severe illness. Meds are a life saver at certain times, and I was put on prozac back in the 1990's for 7 years that helped me get through my teaching career. At that time I needed "the big boys" to help with the heavy lifting, but being retired I rely on life style and not on any psy. agents. What a struggle. Anyone have simple ideas that help? Oh, I did find good coffee a boost against depression, but since my heart abif no more caffeine....: (...but dark chocolate is okay. I do miss coffee. I love beautiful music really can raise my mood. Once a therapist suggested a sad movie once a week to bring on a good cry. Tears release toxins. What else can we do for ourselves?

Interested in more discussions like this? Go to the Mental Health Support Group.

tdib | @tdib | Mar 11, 2019

In reply to @karen00 "@tdib I pray you are feeling better by now. Yes, I have taken seroquel and it..." + (show)

@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

tdib | @tdib | Mar 11, 2019

In reply to @healthytoday "Have you tried CBD to relieve anxiety. You have a sad story. Hot baths and massage..." + (show)

@healthytoday no I've not tried it ,you see so many brands out there you never know which are for real and which are scams. Do you know a trustworthy brand? Because I would give it a try. Thanks

Debbra Williams, Alumna Mentor | @debbraw | Mar 11, 2019

In reply to @sdixon "I was recently was diagnosed with BP1 disorder, and am taking lithium, prozac, and trazodone. I..." + (show)

Hi @sdixon - Welcome to Connect! What a wonderful outcome you have had as you are dealing with a lot in your life. I would encourage you to check out this thread where you might find others dealing with similar issues:
https://connect.mayoclinic.org/discussion/bi-polar-issues/
Wishing you the best in your recovery!

sdixon | @sdixon | Mar 11, 2019

I was recently was diagnosed with BP1 disorder, and am taking lithium, prozac, and trazodone. I am also pretty deep into an alcohol addiction, which I'm tapering off from (it's going fairly well).

So here's the strange part. As I have been drinking less, the hand and arm shakes have been more extreme. I can't sigh things, much less hold a pen.

So one day I was having a waking dream, or just a hallucination, and I was watching my life and then a tube changed and my shakes and sweats went away. Not over weeks, days, or even hours. One second to the next. And since they went away, they have not come back.

Has anyone experienced this? I'm not a God believing kind of person, but I have no explanation for this.

Help?

Ethan McConkey, Moderator | @ethanmcconkey | Mar 11, 2019

Hi @sdixon I'd like to join @debbraw in welcoming you to connect. You may have noticed I moved this post to the discussion @debbraw mentioned. I did this so that you can connect with others who experience similar diagnoses. Simply click VIEW & REPLY in your email notification to see your post.

That is very interesting, but great outcome to your shakes. I wanted to introduce you to fellow Connect members @healthytoday and @tdib as they have experience with bipolar disorder and may be able to offer you support as you continue on with your treatment.

Back to you @sdixon, are you experience any other side effects at this time from either the medication or from tapering off of your alcohol addiction?

Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Mar 12, 2019

In reply to @tdib "@tdib, hello to everyone I'm new to connect and to this group and I'm still learning..." + (show)

@tdib

@tdib, hello to everyone I'm new to connect and to this group and I'm still learning to navigate the website. But what I wanted to discuss is bipolar disorder with major depression I've been diagnosed several years and I think I've had it my whole life but it has gotten out of my control on a few seperate occasions. I have also had fibromyalgia that has gotten alot worse the last 10 yrs. And the extreme pain has usually keep bipolar pushed to the back of my mind, the depression, well it's just always there in the way of any happiness. Recently my pc doctor suggested I see a psych doctor to see if there was anything new to help me with the depression and anxiety. I agreed to try I'm seeing the nurse practitioner who started me on latuda immediately and it was helpful getting me through the holidays better than usual, but she had been supplying me with samples because I live on cad and could not afford it's big price tag on my means $500 monthly after insurance. I went for more samples and found they no longer had them last wk , well myself and the med. Nurse had tried all the ways to get them discounted to be affordable for me with no luck since it is a new drug . Now I was out for a few days and faced with changing to something else the nurse chose seraqual er to me just to get me out of her office i believe she didnt put much thought into what would be in my best interest. I had tried seraqual in like 2006 and it made me like a zombie but she said the extended release would be so much better. But now ive only used it three times and I'm a mess ive never had depression and anxiety this bad in my life ,yesterday I cried all day with anxiety sure i was going to die ,I would get the crying under control few a few minutes the just sit and stare until the silent tears would start again there was no way to quiet my mind . My boyfriend who is my only support person lost his temper at my lack of control a couple times which made me feel I couldn't speak about what I was feeling and that also upset him . By bedtime last night we were both in tears. I took the seraqual er last night and asked that he just hold me until I was asleep because I was so afraid I was going to die or scared I wanted to die I this was the way I was going to feel I don't know . I couldn't wish for death , I just want a chance to be happy and in love with him and life again. Well I did wake up this morning , I'm thankful and find him sleeping beside me but last night I could not convince myself that this morning I would be here. I am ,I feel very hung over ,a terrible headache same as ive had since i started this med. And all my muscles and joints very stiff and painful. I feel restless inside yet I don't feel like I can get out of bed to do anything. The depression and anxiety are still very much with me but I haven't started crying. Does anyone else have experience with this drug ,will these symptoms get better, I was in far better shape before this med. Was started, I had the same problems but at least I could cope with them. I'm no longer coping and feel like everything is slipping away from me and I don't have the strength to do anything to try to help myself. I have little faith my doctors care enough to help . My boyfriend emailed the nurse yesterday nd received no reply. That the third time we have reached out to her since I be on seeing her she's never answered our calls. I know I need help but don't know where to turn for it. I'm sorry I'm rambling on. Buy your input on this would help me so. Thank you

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@tdib Hi there! I am so sorry you are experiencing feeling so horrible. I had a severe panic attack so bad last year, that I was hospitalized for three days. It was my first one, and I did not know what in the heck was going on with me. I thought I would die. Literally. After coming out of the hospital, I saw my regular dr at Mayo Clinic; and was given a sedative to use the next time I felt an attack coming on. It is called Alprazolam .25MG. Well, I had another attack come on again, and I took two of them. After several hours the symptoms backed down and I didn't go full blown attack. People have no clue what these attacks are like and that they are real until they have experienced one for themselves. My dr at Mayo explained that it is a physiological (not a mental thing, but physical) mis-wiring in the brain. That for some reason, the brain does not register oxygen and sends the body into panic mode. Perhaps you can speak to your dr about getting on a sedative to use on an As Needed basis. I have a daughter with Bi-polar II, and we are STILL trying to find a med that will help her. I am trying to get her to get a pharmacogenomic test done to see what specifically will help her. Have you ever heard of that test?

Terri Martin, Volunteer Mentor | @windwalker | Mar 12, 2019

In reply to @healthytoday "Have you tried CBD to relieve anxiety. You have a sad story. Hot baths and massage..." + (show)

@healthytoday, Funny you should mention CBD oil. My vet put my dog on it for her multiple health issues. Man! What a difference that made. My pup has congestive heart failure and arthritis. With this oil, she now sleeps through the night, which means I can too.

healthytoday | @healthytoday | Mar 28, 2019

In reply to @sdixon "I was recently was diagnosed with BP1 disorder, and am taking lithium, prozac, and trazodone. I..." + (show)

Look into writings on the mind body connection.

Lisa Lucier | @lisalucier | Apr 2, 2019

A number of you have talked about dealing with bipolar issues. It would be great to hear how you are doing. I'm sure others would benefit from your experiences.

@tdib - wondering what medication you settled on for the bipolar with major depression, once you could not take the lurasidone (Latuda) anymore?

@healthytoday - you'd talked about doing some strengthening of your brain and nerve chemistry with omega 3, B vitamins, Vit. C and blueberries, as well as using tapping. Have you found these helpful in managing symptoms from your bipolar disorder?

@oprah - how are things going with your bipolar disorder? Have you come to any conclusions about the facility you are living in?

Ginger, Volunteer Mentor | @gingerw | May 3, 2019

In reply to @luckyjoy "What meds seem to help most ? Any other modalities?" + (show)

@luckyjoy Welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect -.we're glad you found us! Please tell us a bit about your bipolar diagnosis, and what medications you may already be taking. If you read through different discussions, you may find that there are several different pathways people take to deal with depression in general. Increased physical activity, or creative activities, along with group or individual therapy, meditation, yoga, and sometimes progressing to different antidepressant medications have all been experienced by different members here. In my experience with a family member's bipolar issues, it seems that depression is a common attribute with having bipolar concerns.
Ginger