My great uncle has bi polar and has been taking lithium for 20+ years. He’s 85 years old and is now in the early stages of Alzheimer’s. I feel like I keep reading studies on how these two diseases are connected. Am I wrong to think that bi polar is degenerative? I’m convinced it’ll be the same fate for me
Why do I even bother taking my meds if they don’t make me feel any better. All they do is sedate me and make me more tolerable for others and less annoying because i’m not in the hospital. I genuinely do not feel any better I have the intense itchiness and intense depression and agitated feeling that I have had since 12 years old but they don’t care how I’m feeling or about my quality of life. They only care that i’m less annoying and out of their hair.
I’m bipolar 1 with mixed and rapid cycling features, also autistic and OCD. I’m only on Lamictal and Gabapentin, which only helps crashing into major depressive states after going on a ride and during cycling, anxiety, bad OCD, keeps me from going too extreme and wired and just provides a nice dense cloud to hug me, but of course not enough.
Antipsychotics causes me hallucinations(mostly visual and worsens existing auditory that I get during episodes), worsens and causes mania, terrible mixed episodes, brain zaps, delirium etc etc. Even Hydroxyzine(anti histamine) which lightly blocks serotonin and dopamine like antipsychotics do, causes this too and alsoooo even Zofran(anti nausea) which blocks the 5ht3 serotonin, does as well in a less extreme way. All makes me feel as if I took a load of Adderall. I believe this is called Paradoxical Psychosis, there’s more explanations and research on it as well.
Lithium causes bad mixed episodes, can’t take Depakote due to family health history and my existing Hypermobility disorder, Trileptal caused me to have small amount of blood in urine within 4 days so Carbamazepine is pretty much off the list. Can get Klonopin whenever but not enough no matter the dose. Never ever will do ECT.
What is even left to take so I can stop going absolutely buzzerck and being slung all over the place. Anyone else the same? Any recommended medications that could have a possibility of helping? Completely at a loss.
I smoke cannabis all day everyday to help with some of my mental health issues (bpd, depression, anxiety, cptsd, mania)
I've recently started to go to the clinic for help and got prescribed lamictal and prozac to help (mental health has got worse)
Anyway I'm looking at the idea of quitting smoking just to see if it'll help me more
I've become quite dependent on it I guess cause I've smoked nonstop since I was like 13 yrs old
I guess Im just asking if anyone has had similar experiences or such and any tips
Much love 💕 and pass the positivity ✨
I am in a bad space. I wake up depressed. Things that are supposed to be basic living skills are hard to do. I called 988 and told the woman that I didn't want to be here. I don't understand because I just had my meds upped. Maybe it takes a bit for the increase to work? Either way, I feel horrible. I'm currently at my parents' house and I am scared to go back to my place. I just need help.
When hypomanic, I lay in bed with my eyes closed and I can see a dancing kaleidoscope show going through my mind and not being able to sleep. Sometimes it’s pixelated shapes made of led lights that are dancing to a beat.
And if I open my eyes, I can still see it in the dark room. Or in the moonless night sky if Im outside. Matter of fact, during the day when it’s lit, I can see parts of it only in the shadows or where ever there is an unlit dark spot like in between objects.
This makes driving at night very difficult after dark till the sun rises.
One time when I was 8, I had the same sort of thing with pirates, tv characters and such. I thought it was a nightmare and I was scared, but someone told me that people can’t see nightmares with their eyes open, so it had to be a hallucination. Idk.
I also have DID, tinnitus, low spectrum autism- so it’s never quiet in my head. I’ve also taken a bunch of lsd back in the 90’s which might of scrambled the pictures, lol.
Does anyone else experience this?
This is your sign to hang in there during an episode even if it is absolutely exhausting. I have been in so much mental pain wanting to off myself every single day. My meds got adjusted recently and I’m finally starting to feel better. I just hope it stays this way.
I worry I am slipping back into psychosis even though I’m on my meds again now. I have already been having a lot of paranoia. Maybe seeing bugs that aren’t there. I’m unsure. Now as of last night I keep hearing my name being called by different voices. A lot of them I don’t know. It’s happened a lot today. I will admit I have been under a lot of stress. Yesterday my mom told me she doesn’t care about me anymore and today I got written up at work because I customer complained about me. Saying I looked angry and threw things into bags when that’s not true. Now my anxiety is up. This is like the first time I have been written up in the 8 years I’ve worked here. They said that normally there are 3 write ups until termination but told me that even though this is my first write up I will be terminated if it happens again. I have been trying really hard to be nice and happy and bubbly these last few days even though my mood is getting worse and worse because of the stress and what’s going on. I just don’t know what to do. I feel like I need time away from work. Maybe I can figure out how to take a leave of absence from work and only do DoorDash for a while till my meds have things under control? I can’t afford the hospital again. I have gone a few times and I’m in debt because of it. I am getting concerned though because of how often I keep hearing my name. Sometimes it’s in loud environments, sometimes not. Can’t tell if this is mood related or if it’s stress related as I also have BPD and have been feeling really rejected lately. It’s just too much. I’m so tired.
I am starting to prepare my life to have kids and an important part of that to me is transitioning my medications to pregnancy safe ones before we start trying. I am worried about stability though, I'm doing well on geodon, lamotrigine and seroquel (with clonidine for nightmares) and feel like I finally found a combination that keeps me in a good place after struggling to find the right combo for years. This also includes my birth control which helps my pmdd. I still need to talk to my psych but from what I read I shouldn't take 2/3 meds while pregnant. I guess I am looking for advice on how you handled your medication management while getting pregnant and if there are any extra tips or tools you could recommend while actually pregnant because I'm worried the hormones are gonna make me insane.
I have bipolar 2, and experience constant, low grade mood issues.
The thing that feels abnormal, is how pervasive they are. I was on Latuda for six months, and it wasn't treating my psychosis properly, so I became much more bigoted and hateful, and it took a month of my actual antipsychotic to change my viewpoints back to the real me.
I recognize that everyone has different experiences, but has anyone else experienced this? Or should I talk to my doctor about if something else is going on?
I'm really scared my current med (saphris) won't stop mania and I'll have to switch to a med that causes weight gain. I've been overweight my whole life and have worked really hard to lose it and I would be crushed by having to take a med that might make me obese.
i dont know really what im gonna do. i was taken off adderall cause of mania including some psychosis and severe ptsd response on adderall. there was also some drug mixing but it was never as bad using the drugs without adderall. im clean now. im off adderall.
i used to hike and walk in the park daily, be online here more frequently to talk to people like me, used to havea friend group i engaged with (theyre gone now cause of the pyschosis anyway). i used to travel go new places get coffee, etc etc. etc, sports like skating and hiking were daily for me. i do NOTHING but bed rot several months off adderall. i just dont think its possible to survive this and i think the problem was that i got off an antipsychotic not adderall but now ill probably never ever be given adhd medication back i feel fucked. im so depressed and fatifgued cogntitive dyssfunction also. nothing helped it but addy.
im on low dose welbutrin that also will likely never ever inrease and isnt therepeutic tho its already helped immensely. i feel so stuck
i also lived in my car on addy and was happier alone but off it i dont have the energy to live alone. i feel fucked
I was in a months-long psychotic episode earlier this year, during which I became extremely politically intense and acted out of character. My friends witnessed this happening in real time, and some of them started distancing themselves from me.
I've since had the chance to talk to a few of them about what happened and mended things, but there was one friend I was very close to whom I never got the chance to explain things to. We hadn't spoken since February because I figured she wanted space. Yesterday, I finally reached out asking if we could talk, but she responded saying she'd rather not engage further.
It's heartbreaking because we were close, and I wish I'd warned her about this. To be fair, I hadn't known I had bipolar for that long before this episode.
I know having a episode doesn't negate responsibility for hurting people, but it is still something I had no control over, or even had awareness of, at the time.
So yeah, even if it's uncomfortable, it's definitely good to tell the people you're close to about the ways your symptoms can manifest. It might help them recognize what's happening if you have an episode, rather than thinking your behavior is a reflection of your character. It could save you from losing a friendship you really value.
Hi everyone, I went to my pharmacy to get my prescription today and had a rude awakening when they said that I could no longer fill my prescription because my insurance denied it. I had been getting a $0 copay through the manufacturer's coupon but learned today that they changed the rules back in June when I filled my last 90-day supply and now they will only give you the discount one time when insurance denies it.
So now they want me to pay $2000 for a 30-day supply. The patient assistance line is closed for the night, but I'm calling them first thing in the morning. This will be my first night without Caplyta in 8 months. It think I'll be fine for the night but am absolutely terrified for the 2nd night. Plus I'm pregnant and my docs were super emphatic about me not changing anything in regards to my meds through the pregnancy and I'm just feeling so scared. My doctor's office doesn't carry samples and can't get any for me.
Has anyone had success with the financial assistance program for this drug? Just looking for some reassurance as I'm in a very bad place right now worried about what's next.
I feel calmness and tranquility. My other emotions? Numb. And you?
They upped my dosage of lithium again, so I’m expecting even more weight gain. Psychiatrist suggested I try getting on a glp1. Anyone have any experiences with lithium and glp1?
Hi! So, I recently went into inpatient and left with a diagnosis of bipolar 2 and 900mg worth of lithium (300 in the morning, 600 at night). I went back to my therapist and my mental health provider, and both of them are trying to slowly get me off of it.
I’m 18 and so I don’t know much about anything, really. My mom said that she’s noticing a different with my medication, but then there’s everything else. Any thoughts?
I’m conducting an amateur study on how the mirror neuron system works in bipolar disorder, and it sparked my curiosity. I’ve often noticed that I experience 'crushes' that become particularly intense during depressive episodes. Usually, it’s nothing serious; I just see someone who sparks my platonic interest, and this can evolve into a crush, even if I’m already in a relationship.
Have you noticed anything similar in yourself? Please share your experiences.
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?
Does anyone else have to pee a bunch in the middle of the night cause of lithium? It’s so annoying I haven’t had a restful sleep in forever