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Anyone with Bipolar spectrum disorders?

Posted by hopalongnm3 @hopalongnm3, Jan 14, 2021

Anyone with Bipolar spectrum disorders? 1,2 or 3 or rapid cycling? How are you managing medication SE, continuing meds for years?
I’m worried about my kidneys. I want to go off the meds but the anxiety is fierce. How do others deal with this?
I am 69 and was first diagnosed 2 years ago. I am off all psych meds but Lithium now. The withdrawal from Ativan was really rough.
Anxiety around sleep continues to plague though and sometimes just waking seems to trigger it
What do you all do for the anxiety?.
Don’t tell me about mindfulness meditation- that seems to be the standard reply. Meditation is impossible for me when anxious. Maybe there is just no way out of this. It gets exhausting and I think about dying (no ideation though) being easier than another day of this, then I have a few good days and love life again
What do you do about the social phobias?

Thanks everyone.

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brandysparks | @brandysparks | Aug 27, 2024
In reply to @thelmathomas76 "So sad! I cry with you! As a parent we provided for them when they were..." + (show)
Profile picture for thelmathomas76 @thelmathomas76

So sad! I cry with you! As a parent we provided for them when they were little! 18+ years! now why cant they provide for them when we are in need! I have 4 grown children, they all have families and homes of their own and live away from me, I am a widow and have no one near. I had a stroke 19 months ago and am struggling with asphasia, I dont go out much because I might have an anxiety attack. Medications I have tried all backfire on me. I understand the depression, stress, and being alone and no one to turn to.

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@thelmathomas76 - so glad you are here, and I hope this forum can provide at least some emotional support, as well as an outlet to download challenges.

I'm not experienced in this, but I wonder if there are any social workers available through either your insurance, or local organizations that could visit, maybe provide some additional insight into other resources, and maybe even help you reach out to them?

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bewildered | @bewildered | Mar 8, 2025
In reply to @pheebz "Have you thought about talking to someone, anyone I mean. Somebody new that you meet online..." + (show)
Profile picture for pheebz @pheebz

Have you thought about talking to someone, anyone I mean. Somebody new that you meet online in some way? I know it sounds stupid but think about it for a min. For myself when I'm manic I get so bored when the sun goes down and my house is quiet. I used to sit in my room and go down a self potty rabbit hole that led to some very disturbing and sometimes violent mornings. So I found a chat site one night. I honestly don't know how I came up on it because I was researching different ways to kill myself, but it was on my screen asking for personal info and I thought hmmm I can be anybody here. I don't have to be my sad pathetic broken self. I can be amazing! Hmmm this could be fun or at least entertaining long enough for the sun to come up. It has changed my world and there is always someone to chat with. You can add me to your chat options if you would like. I enjoy getting to know people and like having people to know. I do meditate as well but I agree it's not always the answer. Hope your having a better night.

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Chat sites might be helpful - which chat sites would be good ones to start with?

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mamimac | @mamimac | May 2, 2025

For anxiety, I take hydroxyzine as needed. Take when first starting an anxiety attack. Don't wait until it's a full blown attack. Turn on calming music. I prefer guitar music with no lyrics. The words stress me out. I do adult coloring or I make potholders on a loom. Something to keep me busy.

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txnldy26yahoo | @txnldy26yahoo | Jun 6, 2025
In reply to @tooleyb "Please see my reply to @hopalongnm3, above. For anxiety, I have been given clonazapine, which I..." + (show)
Profile picture for tooleyb @tooleyb

Please see my reply to @hopalongnm3, above. For anxiety, I have been given clonazapine, which I only take when it’s extreme.

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Clonzapin(Klonopin) is one of the worst anxiety meds. It causes memory loss problems. I had been taking it a good 15-20 years. Now my short term memory is so bad that I will literally forget what I was told, saying or thinking within a matter of seconds. From what information I know about, there’s no way to correct the memory deficit. Now my long term memory is having issues. Still in the process of testing to figure out if I have high-grade stenosis of the anterior and posterior motion related artifact.

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txnldy26yahoo | @txnldy26yahoo | Jun 6, 2025
In reply to @mamimac "For anxiety, I take hydroxyzine as needed. Take when first starting an anxiety attack. Don't wait..." + (show)
Profile picture for mamimac @mamimac

For anxiety, I take hydroxyzine as needed. Take when first starting an anxiety attack. Don't wait until it's a full blown attack. Turn on calming music. I prefer guitar music with no lyrics. The words stress me out. I do adult coloring or I make potholders on a loom. Something to keep me busy.

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I also take hydroxyzine but it doesn’t help with my anxiety. What dosage are you taking?

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txnldy26yahoo | @txnldy26yahoo | Jun 6, 2025
In reply to @bewildered "Chat sites might be helpful - which chat sites would be good ones to start with?" + (show)
Profile picture for bewildered @bewildered

Chat sites might be helpful - which chat sites would be good ones to start with?

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Talking online with people was bad for me as I was scammed out of a lot of money. Talking online I opened up about what I was going through thinking I finally met someone going through the same as me and I was just made to feel so much worse. Since then I have trust issues with with men. Because of this, I know I will never meet someone again. That in and of itself is super depressing thinking/knowing that you’ll be alone for the rest of your life without some one who can be counted on. So I have a wonderful fur baby named Buddie. I would be lost without out him. Him I know I can trust and will always be with me as long as God lets him.

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