Bipolar Disorder Support Group
Bipolar disorder is not just a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders marked by periods of abnormally high energy and euphoria, often accompanied by bouts of clinical depression. This is the place to talk about your experience with bipolar disorder, learn from others' experiences, and find support.
Hi!
I’m new here. I’ve had a little look (read) around, and you seem like good people, so I thought I’d introduce myself.
I’m an Aussie, 41 year old Mum of 2, wife, and work in Communications. I was diagnosed Bipolar II in early 2015. It came as a complete shock at first, then I started to connect the dots. My grandmother suffered from Bipolar (Manic Depression in those days) and had some full on manic episodes and treatment including EST. Thankfully I've never had a full on manic episode, but I have certainly found myself being loud and inappropriate at very unfortunate times (like funerals), displaying very reckless behaviour and making bad choices, and my classic “high behaviour” is spending money I don’t have (currently have $15,000 in credit card bills to pay off - that’s not going well). My deep depressions make up for my lack of mania, unfortunately.
I’m on a cocktail of meds. I have always said I would never be one of those mental health patients that took themselves off their meds, but the fact that I have gained 40kg and my tight spiral curly hair is now limp and straight makes me question staying on them.
Morning: lithium, lamotrogine, fluoxotine, thyroxine.
Night: lithium, lamotrogine, ziprisidone.
I also take olanzopine when anxiety hits, but I try not to take it. Also, temazepam to sleep.
Then there are a plethera of vitamins and supplements (I also have Coeliacs disease and diverticular disease - yay for me).
Anyway, I’d love to hear other people’s experiences with changes in hair texture or managing weight loss despite the meds, or give me hope that I might be able to reduce my meds.
I’m really, really good at pretending. I can still turn up to work and function in my job even when things are really bad. There is an expectation, by those who know about my bipolar, that I will continue to be fine because it is very, very rare that I reach crisis point, but when I do it’s huge. So I can be spiraling but know that I’m still expected to be at work, ferry kids to ballet, piano, basketball and soccer, cook dinner, do my uni assignments, get groceries and do the washing, and because I don’t want to let anyone down I just keep pretending it’s all ok. But so often it’s not. I’ve only ever been hospitalized once and it was decided that my suicidal thoughts were due to a drug reaction and that meant when I presented to the GP again a few months later with suicidal thoughts he dismissed it because I was “off that drug now”! So, I just pushed through it again (which I guess is not a bad thing) and tried not to cause a fuss. Early this year I locked myself in the bathroom and, for the first time, cut myself and, again, carried on, pushed through, made no fuss.
Anyway, that’s a little about me. Please tell me there is hope I will again see my curly hair and my waistline!!
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Hey All...I hope that you have a lovely, peaceful beginning of your weekI have a bunch of chores that need doing but may put them off til tomorrow and just hang out with my landlord/roomie todayWhat about you?...Anything special going on?Have a great day and take good care of you!!..Xo
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Once again I've had a fever today. I'm not going to the hospital because that's a huge waste of time but I did schedule a dr appointment for Wednesday afternoon.
I'm pretty clueless on the med therapy biz, but I wanted to welcome you aboard. Hope you find your curly hair and waistline soon.
It sounds like your meds aren't working that great. Maybe you can discuss this with your psychiatrist(you should be seeing one, if not) and make some adjustments in your meds.
Welcome to the group.
So BiPolar is treated differently in different Countries. A couple of things popped out at me, 1. you used the word "GP" does that mean you are not under the care of a Psychiatrist? 2. You're on a combination of meds, that is unusual for BiPolar II, several meds used as "mood stabilizers" an anti-depressant and an Anti-Psychotic that you're using PRN for anxiety....Anti-Psychotics aren't meant to be used PRN and they're not for anxiety. You're actually taking a Benzo, or anxiety med, Temazepam, for sleep.
If you're only seeing a GP who's not trained as a Mental Health Specialist, i.e. a Psychiatrist, they tend to over-medicate and not spend as much time fine tuning the cocktail to actually meet the needs of the BiPolar symptoms, generally they just don't have the knowledge to do so.
Your Celiac disease also provides a challenge as drugs and supplements can contain Gluten, depending on the manufacturer, so you have to check every label of every drug you take to make sure your body will absorb it properly. FYI levothyroxine tends to have gluten in it.
Biotin is a supplement that strengthens hair, I've taken it through 29 years of BiPolar meds and cancer treatments, it does help.
Lithium can work very well at stabilizing BiPolar depression, It can cause weight gain, but doesn't for everyone. it has to be monitored with blood draws regularly. It also has to be regulated in the body through the day as it is a "salt" not a chemical, that may be a problem for you, due to the Celiac's. So you may not be getting the benefit from it.
Anti-Psychotic's pretty much always cause weight gain and you have 2.
You don't mention a Therapist, and that's the other important component of treating BiPolar. Do you see a Therapist?
Take care,
Kat
I will talk to him about my options. I know he would like me to come off most of my meds, but I think it was a matter of treating me with whatever he could try (there have been many mixes and other meds trialed over the last 3 1/2 years). So I’m hoping we can start removing some meds now.
I should also say that I actually feel reasonably ok at the moment. A little low, irritable and introverted, but nothing to be concerned about
I also am a (part time) working mom of 2, and have massive credit card debt. I'm bipolar 1, but I get what you mean when you say you dont make a fuss and push yourself through, still meeting your daily "requirements". I find myself doing the same thing. I have great support from my family and my mother in law is a godsend when it comes to helping with the kids when I'm feeling especially bad. I recently started a new med and am feeling better (i tend to go more mixed state than depressed) but I am still kind of low, irritable and introverted at the moment too. My last med caused me to gain like 20lbs in 8 months and it's very bad for my self esteem. Weight may seem like a petty thing to some, but I know many of us suffer from distorted self worth and low self esteem just exacerbates it. Unfortunately sometimes you have to trade crappy side effects for a reasonable amount of stability and weight gain is just one of those side effects. Overall though, if your meds arent working for you keep trying. I've been on an endless parade of drugs since my diagnosis and we're still tweaking them. I go to the pdoc every 2 weeks. It all gets so tiresome and overwhelming. I hope you find solutions to your hair changes and weight gain. I think you'll find helpful support here while you sort things out.