LittleKris84

Close Gay Men's Challenges

I've been out to my family and friends since I was 14, I'm now 25 and things are better than I had expected it to be. There have been some tough times, but I've grown from them. Now I'm just looking for gay friends, because it's hard to find them.

Close Bipolar Disorder

I was diagnosed with Bipolar Disorder when I was 14 I'm 25 now. I've gone through a few relapses one recently where I went manic and lost a lot of friends in the process. Had several trips to the hospital. But, now I'm back on my meds and have been stable for over a year. It's been a chaotic rollercoaster that's finally begun to simmer down into "normality" and I'm so thankful to my family and friends who have stuck by my side.

Treatments

Abilify Working / Worked

Abilify really worked wonders, I was on it for two years and was able to hold a job during that time. I didn't have any side effects. I stopped taking it thinking I would be better without meds and ended up going through a terrible manic phase. I'll be starting back on it within a few months because I convinced my new doctor to put me back on it.

Ativan Somewhat Helpful

This helped with my anxiety attacks. It helped prevent them, but I ended up getting somewhat addicted to them. I would take 2mg in the morning before school and another 2mg at night to sleep. I felt like I couldn't make it through the day at school if I didn't have it to mellow me out. And I had a hard time sleeping without taking it.

Depakote Not Working

Depakote did not work for me at all, it caused me to gain lots of weight.

Geodon Not Working

I took this, but I had some weird side effects where I felt sick and nauseous. Kind of like a "fish tank" feeling it's hard to describe.

Group Therapy Working / Worked

This worked for me. I went to a few different group therapies and now I'm not in any because I've become more self-reliant.

Haldol Working / Worked

I'm on this now, the injection form. I think it's helping because I haven't experienced any mania for a long time since I've been on it.

Lithium Not Working

I'm not so sure I like Lithium. I've been on it for a while now, but since I've been on it I've gained a lot of weight and it's also sparked a possibility of me having hyperthyroidism because my nurse noticed my thyroid numbers being high when she checked my bloodwork.

Risperdal Not Working

I was on Risperdal a few years ago. But, it didn't seem to help at all so I was taken off of it.

Seroquel Somewhat Helpful

I was on a high dosage of Seroquel because I was very manic. It helped to slow that down. But I'm not taking it anymore because we lowered the dosage so much that my doctor just took me off of it.

Topamax Not Working

Topamax seemed to help with my symptoms, but while I was on it I started to develop itchy skin and it was terrible! I would feel itchy all over and would constantly be scratching. Once I got off of it I wasn't itchy anymore

Zyprexa Not Working

I was also on Zyprexa, but that was a long time ago and it didn't work. I don't remember why though.

Music Working / Worked

this always helps me get into better moods or to relax or to get out of a bad mood.

Sleep Working / Worked

staying on a regular sleep schedule has been vital to keeping me stable.