u/Sure_Appointment_155

My insomnia is probably my worst symptom and has been going on for over a year now. I’ve tried olanzapine, seroquel, mirtazipine, temazepam, doxylamine and melatonin. None of these have given me a good sleep and just make me feel horrible the next day.

I’m on wellbutrin, lithium and titrating lamotrigine so I don’t know if any of these could be worsening the insomnia but I can’t recover from this depression without sleep.

Are there any other meds that worked for you?

I’m wondering how depression manifests in others. I’ve seen a recent post about ‘things to do for a dopamine hit in depression’ but for me it feels impossible to feel dopamine and questioning if the severity of my depression is normal.

I have not felt a single moment of pleasure, joy or happiness as these feelings seem to literally be impossible at the moment. It’s strange I feel numb emotionally yet I still feel extremely dreadful. I haven’t laughed or found anything funny, it’s like this part of my brain has shut down. My brain feels covered by the thickest fog, unable to concentrate as my mind seems to drift off into negative memories making it hard to focus on simple things to pass time like watching tv. My memory is horrible, for example I can’t seem to remember what is going on in a tv series, except I can remember negative memories. It makes me feel like I’ll never be able to use my brain for study or work ever again. Simple daily tasks feel impossible. I’m not suicidal but it feels like my life is over and I’ll never recover from this. I feel like all I know now is depression and mania, I’ve forgotten what being between these states feels like or if it is possible.

9 months into this depression and it’s the first one since being diagnosed. Been trying medications the entire time and going to therapy but I’ve had absolutely no relief.

I am extremely lucky to have a great support network which I know many don’t have and I’d be on the streets or dead without it. Props to anyone that doesn’t have such luck. I really don’t want to but am likely going to admit myself in a mental health rehab as advised by my psychiatrist. After trying so many things I’m losing faith that anything is going to work for me at this point.

To other people going through depression I really hope things get better for you, all I know is it is a terribly tough place to be in and the only advice I can give is to keep trying.

8 months into quite severe depression after my “first” manic episode that got me diagnosed and my sleep has been poor and very inconsistent the entire time, which I truly believe is why the depression is lasting so long.

I have tried a bunch of different medications for this and am stuck as it feels as though I can’t sleep without them however I cannot wake up at a reasonable time because of them, worsening my circadian rhythm.

I really struggle with sleep hygiene because of how bad the depression is leading me to spend lots of time in bed, be inactive and don’t know what to do in the 2 hours before sleep without using screens. My brain is so foggy that I do not have the attention span and memory to read. I have been able to get up mostly at the same time each day and try to get some sun.

I feel as though I never have this natural tiredness I remember feeling once upon a time and never wake up feeling refreshed. I swear if it weren’t for this I would be stable.

Is anyone able to stay stable on a sub-therapeutic level of lithium and still be protected from mania?

My level is at 0.8 and been on it for quite a while now but am not enjoying the side effects. I can’t sleep through the night without waking up thirsty and skulling heaps of water (sometimes twice) and then waking up dehydrated still. The disturbed sleep and starting the day dehydrated is getting to me. I also drink at least 3L throughout the day too.

Also got acne on my back and shoulders now. Hand tremors too.

Wondering if it decreasing my dose would help with these side effects.

Does anyone else suffer from insomnia in every mood state?

I feel like I haven’t had a good restful sleep for 9 months and have been depressed the whole time after my first manic episode that got me diagnosed.

I have tried a bunch of meds, none of which have been able to get me that good restful sleep I remember having prior to all this. I also don’t seem to get any sleep drive despite knowing I’m tired which feels torturous.

I honestly believe if I was able to sleep well I would be out of this depression. I don’t how to fix this and it’s killing me.

Often see people talking about hypersomnia during depression and honestly I wish that was the case for me. I cannot seem to get restful sleep during depression and am unable to nap despite feeling tired and groggy all day. No sleep meds seem to help very much.

I am about 7 months out of a manic episode that got me diagnosed and have been in a really deep depression. I am still in the process of finding the right medication regime and have been trialling different medications during this time. My sleep has been awful the entire time and I’m struggling to get into a good pattern (can’t sleep - need meds; can’t wake up because of meds). The poor sleep and depression makes it really hard for my brain to function and feel completely stupid and also can’t find the energy for things like exercise despite knowing for sure that it will help. I see a peer support worker, psychologist weekly and a psychiatrist.

I am left wondering if mood episodes end naturally?

Do I just need to keep trying to find the right medication?

Or do I just need to push through the depression and start doing more activity despite it feeling impossible?

Any advice is welcome and appreciated.

I was diagnosed at the end of last year in the midst of a manic episode and have since been in a deep depression. Still haven’t settled on a medication regime as all of which I’ve tried have not been able to lift me out of depression but also wonder if the medications I’m on hinder that at the same time. It’s been 8 months of feeling so horrible and pretty much completely disabled with depression and I’m just wondering if this is as good as it gets. Feeling like this is my forever state and if so there’s absolutely no reason to keep living.

Looking to buy some stands to eliminate feedback as my monitors are sitting on my desk along with my turntables. There’s not enough vibration to cause needle skips but when resting a needle on a record that is not playing I can see feedback coming through my mixer. Was looking at buying IsoAcoustics Isolation stands that would be placed on my desk still, however am wondering whether it would be better to buy floor stands and if so any suggestions?

Looking for advice on this, Cheers.

Looking to buy some stands to eliminate feedback as my monitors are sitting on my decks along with my turntables. There’s not enough vibration to cause needle skips but when resting a needle on a record that is not playing I can see feedback coming through my mixer. Was looking at buying IsoAcoustics Isolation stands that would be placed on my desk still, however am wondering whether it would be better to buy floor stands.

Looking for advice on this, Cheers.

I’ve recently been downloading some older tracks and have noticed that rekordbox isn’t analysing the BPM correctly. Is there a way to find the songs BPM without manually tapping the tempo? Are there more accurate programs than rekordbox?

Has anyone taken Wellbutrin that lead to mania. I’m 5 weeks into Wellbutrin and I think it’s triggered a mix episode. I’m tired but extremely wired at the same time whilst still feeling depressed. My sleep has been so bad this past week and have been taking extra seroquel. I at least assume it’s a mixed episode.

Thinking of trying lamictal for my bipolar depression but worried of these side effects.

Hi please do not judge me for asking this question. My friend group certainly like a bender and it sucks hearing them talk about it and not being able to join in on the fun. I honestly don’t mind the sobriety aspect but an all nighter once in a while would be fun.

Is a fun night out into the AM a 100% no go or would the very occasional sober bender be ok?

Please don’t be harsh and judgemental like I’ve seen on other posts, I am 25 and recently diagnosed and am already missing my old life.

Please tell me this anxiety will go away. Chest feels so tight, I’m pretty much bed ridden. Such a shame because I’ve had anxiety like this in the past but it’s been so long since I’ve felt it like this. Only on 150mg SR

Hi all, have been taking 150mg SR for 4 weeks now and it’s definitely been an up and down experience so far. First few weeks I didn’t notice any changes. 3.5 weeks in I felt good, almost too good, I had energy, motivation and felt like my depression was ending. Then that slowly dwindled away after about 4-5 days and since have been extremely fatigued and now have this anxious feeling in my heart.

It’s such a shame I thought it was the drug for me last week, now I’m unsure.

I’m going to continue to ride it out for another couple of weeks. Did it take more than 4 weeks for others for the drug to settle?

Diagnosed with BD1 at the end of last year and crashed into a depression in January. The depression has been so bad the entire time that I’ve pretty much been bed ridden outside of appointments and a few catch ups with friends throughout the year. I’ve tried a bunch of different antidepressants none have seemed to work so far. This is starting to seem like my permanent state, I would’ve thought by now even without medication I would be out of it by now. It is absolutely relentless and I don’t know how much longer I can go on like this.

Just under 4 weeks in and I’m soo fatigued. Sleeping 13 hours, eating and then going back to bed.

3.5 weeks into taking 150sr and had a short spurt of feeling really good for about 4 days at the 2.5 week mark.

Since that spurt I’ve dipped a fair bit and am feeling really tired and not as good.

Should I wait longer or should I try and up the dose?

So about 2.5 weeks into taking zyban 150sr I overnight went from really depressed to feeling really good - had energy and mood was much better, I was actually questioning whether I was going manic. This lasted a couple days and has slowly tapered off and now at about 3.5 weeks feel not as down mood wise but very tired and apathetic. Do you think it can still get better from here or should I see my psychiatrist?