Stop the ride........I want to get off.

[Cashregister]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Anyway, sick of taking about my problems, and my medications choices, and what I should or should not take - I have it, I take the meds, I also have some issues with booze (specially after the last couple of months - give me strength) which is why i'm here right now Feel like a drink!

Cashy
x

[MyHeartIsDrenchedInWine]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Cashregister;240217 wrote: My Heart - may well be cyclothymic or bipolar, one of the sure signs is going manic on an anti depressant - that's why I can't take them anymore. Then again, may have just been the Zoloft and you may be very sensitive! Very sensitive indeed!! Can have nedication induced mania that is not like mine, a part of my brain wiring!

That sounds like mania to me - specially the sex bit - my hubby misses that when i'm just plain old hypomanic Poor guy! Mania can be a hoot for a while until you start to buy property and get onto the share market!

I should mention I was drinking unbelievable quantities of alcohol at the time, probably due to the mania brought on by the Zoloft....trying to bring myself down but just making myself wilder. It was at this point we added Xanax and stopped the Zoloft. I might try a mood stabilizer after the holidays, I have never tried one. Lithium has been such a miracle for my husband. Thanks for your input Cashy!

[HopefulNow]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

All,

I've come VERY late to this party, checked in on the last page, and picked up on the fact that much, if not all of it, is a discussion of bipolar, right?

I'm not bipolar. But I've many friends who are. Some still with us. Some, sadly, who are no longer with us. So I've got a health curiosity about this struggle.

If you HAD to pick the one THING that defines this disorder that's common among its sufferers (I HATE the word "sufferers", but am unsure as to what other word to use here), what would it be? The swings? The unpredictability? The highs? The lows?

I don't mean to pry, I really don't. But as someone who loves...and has loved... people who grapple with this, I'm trying to better understand what they deal with, and maybe as a result, get a better handle on how try to help (emphasis on TRY).

Thanks in advance.

-HopefulNow

[MyHeartIsDrenchedInWine]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

One Thing? No need for sleep

I could go on, but you asked for ONE thing : )

[beatle]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

well, I was diagnosed bipolar mostly on the basis of my reactions to antidepressants. I don't normally have very high swings. Mostly I have depression. Sometimes I emerge from it very positive, with lots of energy for a short period of time, but not exactly manic. Definitely not manic. But every SSRI I ever tried made me manic. Yes, that means no sleep (Not no NEED for sleep, just no ability to sleep), pacing, pacing, unable to focus, crazy, crawling up the walls, even hallucinating. This is not any fun for me at all. (Never tried the sex bit, though ;-)

[Guest]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Interesting topic. I hardly knew anything at all of bipolar until I came to M.W.O. and certainly didn`t know that a high percentage of people with bipolar abuse alcohol.

It does make me wonder about here in UK though. Many people consult their doc here for depression periodically, maybe for years (like myself). I can`t really say, but maybe the reason many never seem to beat the depression is that it`s not being accurately diagnosed........there are all different types of depression........just don`t think patients always get the appropriate treatment. I really don`t want to lose faith in my doc, but nor do I want to have to try a succession of meds that make me "weird" until I find the right one. Trying situation.

Starlight Impress x

[Cashregister]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

One thing to define bipolar - a contradiction in terms!! Can't be done
Some people have mixed states, some rapid cycle, some are depressed most of the time (bipolar type 2) with one or two hypomanic (mania light!) episodes, and maybe a couple of mania's thrown in for good measure. Then there are those of us who are either on an agitated high or off with the fairies (I have had 2 major depressive episodes - very bad - and anti-depressants were great then but can't take 'em now - like Beatle go off like a rocket) though off like a rocket's never far from the surface, specially if I don't take my meds

So up, down, angry, sad, agitated, aggravated, pure angry etc. No wonder drinking can become a wee problem....

One word - hell. Then next word is hope

[beatle]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Yes, it is very trying Star. That's why I gave up on meds after about 6 or more tries. Unfortunately, each time an attempt failed, I inevitably returned to self medication (old Al) which at least allowed me to function (I could not even go to work, or cook a meal even, on the SSRIs).

But I am not suggesting you do that. Leave Al alone, by all means. If you can stand it, keep trying, but maybe try something other than SSRIs, as discussed on this thread. One idea is Tegretol (a very benign medicine, non addictive, actually prescribed for epilepsy, but it also is a mood leveller, and is widely prescribed for that even though it is not specifically approved for that use.) cashy uses it. I've used Tegretol too and I think it has a good effect in helping you to keep contol on your moods. Also, it doesn't have any major side effects. And as I've said, lithium oratate has helped me quite a bit. especially in a "pinch"-

Don't give up Star. Just trying is making progress.

[Cashregister]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Also hopeful, if you want to learn more please go to this site - it's absolutely brilliant:

McMan's Depression and Bipolar Web - Your depression and bipolar disorder source

And if you want to learn even more buy his book - it has great sections for people living or loving or being friends of people with bipolar.

Cheers and sorry about the rant - it's just such as weird and scary thing to have, but it does have it's up sides. I am not being flippant, have almost not been here myself, but am learning to live with it now.

Cashy

[Cashregister]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Tegretol is now approved as a medication for bipolar in Oz - don't know about UK?

See http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcmed.nsf/pages/nvctgror/$File/nvctgror.pdf


Cashy

[Cashregister]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Oh and i'll stop now cause I have had a high day - which is turning into a very very high night and it's time to take the clonking out meds before I trun into Mrs Hyde...think the meds are not enuf yet - back to the P-doc for some topping up

Cash
x

[Accountable for Me]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

My doctor's have always prescribed me SSRI's for depression which ultimately set me into a manic state. I could of been defined as crazy, honestly.

In the summer my doctor suggested I was bipolar because of my moods and the reactions from being on SSRI's.

He prescribed me Epival - which is used mainly for epilepsy, but is effective for people with a tendancy to abuse alcohol due to mania. I have been on these since the beginning of August, and although, I do have a rough day once in a while, my moods have stabilized.

I, was a lot like many on this board. I got so tired of trying a new drug everytime I went to the doctors. BUT, I am also very GLAD I did try as now I have found something that is working.

I say don't give up the fight. It may be so worth it in the long run. Be strong, and know you are worthy of feeling like a normal, functioning human being!

[beatle]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

I believe epival is similar to tegretol (and valporic acid). They are all anti-convulsants, used by epileptics, but it has been found that they are also mood stabilisers, and therefore are being applied to bipolar.

As I understand, these meds do not affect the brain the same way as most anti-deps and benzos-- they are much more benign, non-addictive and easy on the body. I have consulted naturapaths about this and they look on these drugs fairly well. All my sources are very positive about these as being helpful for bipolar with less side effects than many other meds.

[Accountable for Me]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

Exactly the feedback I have received from doctor's and research, Beatle. I LOVED the part about them being non-addictive and less evasive on the body. I haven't had any side effects on Epival.

[maggiemoo]

Stop the ride........I want to get off.

my daughter in law is bipolar. Actually, she has a borderline personality disorder which is a form of bipolar but the manic and depressed moods last hours to a day or two and come on very suddenly. The rage and screaming she exhibits is something I can't describe because it is something I have never seen or heard before. I was there last week. I was in bed reading and heard this ranting and raving and it went on and on. I knew that my granddaughter wouldn't be sleeping so I went up to her room and she immediately sat up and started crying and said she was so afraid so I told her to come get in bed with me. We both finally went to sleep. My son who was sleep deprived because he is a pediatrian and was on call on week and had only a few hour of sleep all week also went to sleep but woke about five a.m. and she was in the garage with the car running and asleep. His life has been like this for 12 years. Her rage has been directed at me several times. The last time it was because I was thirty minutes late getting to their house....five hour drive, mind you. She left.....I started drinking and by the time she came back my rage equaled hers, no, my rage surpassed hers and I decided my children don't yell at me, my husband doesn't yell at me and by damn, she isn't going to yell at me either so I think she is a bit afraid of me now so she doesn't. However, during the fight with my son and her, her lies that she told him came out because I made her tell the truth in front of him. was that mean? maybe but we all need to take responsibility for our actions. he blamed me for what happened. My ex was bipolar and is in a nursing home because whether medicated or not, he sees the bugs on the walls and hears the voices, his bipolar became schizo as well. Our son has him in a nursing home near him. now his wife has similar problems and I just wonder why. I don't know why I'm writing all this. I guess because it just happened last week and I'm very upset. My husband says I need to let it go but it's just hard. I understand illness but I can't understand not getting help and hurting others. She is killing my son and making my granddaughters nervous wrecks. Am I suppose to be sympathetic? I want to be but I'm afraid I feel more for my son and my granddaughters and I guess that makes me feel guilty. Geez......maybe I'mthe one that's nuts. maybe we are all just nuts. lol