Welcome to the board RubyJules...... I am pretty flat and have been for years... It can be a rough balance for sure

I think a big thing is working with your doctor to find a good med regime and developing other coping skills... gratitude, journaling, therapy, meditation , exercise etc... All of these things can help us cope

This is a good place to come... I'm glad that you've found us.... Big hug... xo

I’ve read about the ups and downs of bipolar disorder. Medication is an issue, staying on it, coming off it. Finding a happy medium seems elusive. I wonder if you are expecting too much from yourself?

Welcome to the board, Ruby. I'm working on mindfulness to help me with my changing moods. I have a DBT manual that discusses mindfulness and other strategies. I think I need to reread the book again and work more actively at mindfulness on a daily basis to stay centred and grounded. Maybe it would help you as well?

Hi and Welcome Ruby....despite the same dx, we all have different symptoms, levels of challenges and different medications to keep a balance between the highs and lows.
By working with your dr, and it's important to work with dr...not playing around with your meds yourself...that will promote the high/low/depression/roller coaster ride none of us want to experience. Finding balance in your own life aside of medications, eating, sleeping, exercise and social are huge factors of balance as well.
Being kind and gentle with yourself at this time of year, giving yourself extra time and self care for the busy days.

Welcome Ruby :) It's a hard road to travel those ups/downs/balance. The best route is to work with your provider...not messing with medications on your own...been there done that!
Finding balance in your life, eating, sleeping, exercise.
Being gentle with yourself, giving yourself extra time to avoid anxiety, self care etc.
Best To You!

hi, I'm puzzled by you talking about increasing and lowering medication - generally you remain on a set dose for years. It's definately known that lowering or stopping medication can trigger mania in of itself, and a mania which then won't get back under control even when you restart or increase your medication.

Classic bipolar the cycles run for several months..typically I have two cycles a year but they can run almost back to back (in which case I needed to increase my medication and stay on the higher dose.). I tend to feel that while I might not show symptoms the bipolar is still slowly rising for months before it actually shows up. Messing around with my dose will have an impact and bring forward or delay that onset. This is for my main mood stabilizer.

The only thing I only take sometimes are anti-psychotics which I will use if things start to get seriously out of hand.

What meds are you on?

HI all, Thank you for your supportive comments. I really appreciate the help.

Right now I don't have a psychiatrist so that's why I've come here for help. My parents have taken control of my meds and they adjust them according to my moods day by day, week by week. Now I see that that's the problem right there. I think the suggestions to try gratitude, journaling, and mindfulness can really help (if anything just to help me handle my parents.) Eating, sleeping, and eating right are things I strive to do as I battle the fight with my meds. I am currently on a lot of medication (I think): 1800mg Lithium. 200mg Lamotrogine, 10mg Zyprexa.

Thanks again for all your help!

I would discuss with your parents that unless they have a medical degree that you should be working with a psychiatrist.....

What's going on with your meds may well be holding you back from stability sweetie... xo

Definately changing your meds on a daily basis is going to cause problems.

Lithium takes a while to build up, unlike many meds it only works when you get the sweet spot, too little and it does nothing, too much and you get organ failure.

Usually the max dose for lithium is 1200mg - please don't tell me your parents decided to increase the dosage beyond what was prescribed. The first thing to go is your kidneys and that damage can happen really quickly which is why when you are under proper medical treatment they increase your lithium dose slowly and check your kidney function and lithium levels each time.

You need to take back control over your medications. Clearly your parents aren't capable.

Not being dramatic but what you have described could have major health implications.

Hello. I find that getting enough sleep is crucial to managing this illness. I tend to lean more towards depression and that is hard to fight off as I have so many triggers.

I ditto what everyone else said. Your parents have no business messing around with your meds and changing doses. That is extremely dangerous. How old are you? My parents keep my meds in a safe for my safety but I het what I need as I need it and they never change or withhold my medication

I talked with my parents about my meds and all of your suggestions. They claim that staying on a steady dose of meds for an extended period of time as opposed to switching all of the time was not in the bipolar literature that they read. Even my psychiatrist had me switching at one point. But I know from my experience over the last two years that the switching made me cycle rapidly and I don't want to go through that anymore.

Thank you again for all of your help. Your support means a lot as I go through this difficult situation.

Yes a psychiatrist will switch you if the meds they are trying aren't working. They may decide to increase a dose. They may add a medication. Or they may try something different.

But that is only to achieve initial stability. Once achieved they leave it alone until something changes.

There is no reason why once they have got you on a med combo for them to change it. I've known people on one combo for 50 years.

I was on just lithium for a few months. That didn't quite work out so he added another medication. After 6 months it was clear it wasn't really working months, so he switched my main med. I've been on that now for 12 years. We increased the dosage twice in that time.

Your parents have read the wrong literature or misinterpreted it. Perhaps they were reading about anti-anxiety meds or medications for unipolar depression. Maybe it's time you do your own research, but make sure you are using a reliable source - there are many quack websites and books.

Please check that the 1800mg of lithium was what was prescribed by the doctor and never go above what is the daily amount he prescribed. Organ failure is permanent,