r/bipolar2

Anyone have opinions on Latuda? Weird side effects? Issues? I’ve been on a 20mg dosage for about 6 weeks and feel amazing. My only issue is I’ve not had a menstrual cycle since I started it…

I was referred to the mental health team by the GP and recives this letter, ive broken it down with AI for the main points. What am I to do now? Do I just wait or speak to ths GP again (who doesnt listen to me at all lol).

I’ve just been discharged from my local Referral & Assessment Team with the following plan:

Clinical Plan for Bedlam:

* Discharged: Case closed by initial Referral & Assessment Team.

* Secondary Referral: Passed to the Primary Care Mental Health Team for further assessment.

* Therapy Recommended: Development of a psychological formulation for trauma-informed therapy to address adverse childhood and adult experiences.

* Social Prescription: Link Worker suggested to provide routine and community integration during occupational absence.

* Medication Paused: Prioritising psychological interventions over further medication trials due to documented adverse reactions to three antidepressants.

*Mental health practitioner to liase with bedlams GP for treatment options if indicated by the Neighbourhood Mental health team.

* Primary Care: GP remains the primary point of contact for monitoring.

Has anyone else had something like this?

The guy in Assessment told me he would refer me to primary as they have a backdoor to secondary. If I was referred to secondary I would be knocked back because im functional, he said this way I wont be back at square one?

I feel so deeply frustrated about the lack of studies on bipolar II. My doctor is adding lithium to my meds, and something she keeps saying is "it's the gold standard", "it's the first line treatment". For bipolar I, yes, it is. It's shown to be highly effective at managing acute mania in BD1. There is, however, a dearth of evidence that it is at all effective for BD2. People's personal experiences with the med vary, of course, and many say good things. But that's not the point to me. The point to me is that I am being given a cocktail of pharmaceuticals, none of which are scientifically proven to help me at all.

The perception of bipolar II as a less severe subtype of another disorder ticks me off so bad. (Note: I am in no way minimizing the immense challenge of living with BD1. I am simply expressing my anguish at the illness I battle with on a daily basis not being awarded an appropriate degree of scientific interest within the medical research field.) There is no guarantee that what works for BD1 will work for BD2.

I'm so utterly tired of depression. I want help so desperately but I can't seem to find anything at all that is tailored to the depressive phase in BD2. I'm currently on lamotrigine, lithium, and gabapentin as needed. I'm also taking an omega 3 supplement, for what it's worth. I just want to have energy and focus. I hate falling asleep in the middle of the day. I hate not being able to think. And that's my NORMAL. That's not just a bad day; I feel like this NEARLY ALL THE TIME. I tell my doctor, but then she just gives me yet another med that has drowsiness as a side effect.

All that literature that says having bipolar damages our brains, that it gets worse over time... how on earth am I supposed to have hope at all. I'm 26 and tired, and desperate, and losing hope fast.

So I have bipolar 2 and also suffer from extreme anxiety. I had suspicions when I was pregnant but didnt have any hypo situations till they were 2 and 4. Fastforward Im diagnosed and on meds since then but its been a constant struggle with depriessive episodes and everything that comes with bipolar. Sometimes I feel like im messing them up. And they are kids. They notice everything you know. Like I just dont know... how being this way doesnt mess them up. Like im supposed to be their rock and im definitely not sturdy... how do I navigate my mood swings and being a good parent? Sorry I rambled.

does anyone else feel like they just dont get it or like youre the only person who does get it?

I have a hard time making friends because I often come across as not weird but like very different

Hey yall, I was diagnosed with bipolar type 2 this year, and I’m attempting to navigate my dating life. What is it like dating someone with bipolar type 2 disorder, or if you have bipolar type 2 disorder, what is it like for you? My biggest concern probably is when I’m hypomanic, I begin to see “potentials” (I use that word loosely), as the “one for me”, and also, it brings such an rush to my body that this is a new connection, I want all in vs when I come out of it, and I’m stable I’ll look at them and be like “Nah..what was I thinking?” You know? I hope I make sense. So yeah, any advice on how to navigate this dating scene?

It’s commonly spoken about that not enough sleep can trigger hypomania, but I haven’t been able to find information on how much it takes for it to happen.

For those who have recognised what sort of sleep routine disruptions are enough to trigger mood destabilisation or mood episodes in themselves, how much does it take?

Does it require several days in a row of not enough sleep? Weeks?
How little sleep are we talking? Is 6 hours a night considered low enough to destabilise mood?

I’m asking because I’ve started a new relationship which is amazing but it’s influenced me to get a lot less sleep than I usually get — often only 5-6 hours on weekends and occasional weeknights, but I’ll be able to get my usual 7.5-8 hours on other nights.

The thing is that when work stress is added onto this lower amount of sleep, I don’t handle it very well. I end up becoming very overwhelmed, and this can turn into extreme agitation and sometimes rage, where I can’t shake the feeling, and it’s having a negative impact on my relationship. I can become vindictive and mean, where harmless texts feel like an attack, and I will start arguments. Even after we’ll have a rational conversation and work through it, the intense anger remains.

If I can manage to get enough rest it helps and it usually only lasts for a day or two, but I’m struggling to work out my limits, or what boundaries I need to set.

Any insight others can shed is much appreciated 🙏

I am looking for a therapist and there are none in my area that specialize in bipolar. There are a few that have it listed but not under their main specialities. I struggled in therapy for 2 years before my bipolar diagnosis. It helped a bit with processing trauma but I did not realize that my severe depression was coming from bipolar disorder, so the work I did largely had no impact on my mood.

I want to be able to find someone who can help me recognize my symptoms, work through the shame after episodes, work on recognizing abnormal thought patterns, and someone who can recognize that my symptoms don’t all come from trauma. Has anyone had trouble with this as well? I have co occurring ADHD and it’s easier to find someone who specializes in ADHD but I haven’t found anyone who does both.

I hope it's okay that I posting this, but I felt like sharing here.

I was just driving back from swimming laps tonight, and it dawned on me that I got past the end of July without having a hypomanic episode like I do every year around that time. I'm so used to doing everything I can to keep from falling apart every summer. For, like, the first year in a decade, nothing of that sort happened.

I have a good, stable job. I kinda of hate it day in and day out, but it pays well, great benefits, and I get to work from home with my cats. I have a solid group of friends who know me and love me and listen to me even if I call them crying.

Things have evened out with my family. My mom's more chilled out a bit as she's gotten older. We dont have huge blow ups with her screaming at me while I'm crying and then go weeks without speaking anymore.

I have a lot to look forward to this month and make the most of summer before it ends. A lot of fun stuff in fall, too. I'm going to turn 30 at the end of February.

I'm actually happy. It doesnt feel wrong, but it's just not something I'm used to being for so long. Anyway, thanks for reading 🙂

Today my husband of many years called me to tell me he had a moment of clarity after a very serious and debilitating mixed episode that began while he was down with a case of flu last week. He is calling our insurance’s mental health program and also asked me to give him the numbers for the mental health centers in the town where he works (he’s there during the week). He and I have suspected Bipolar 2 for some time! Thankfully he is very pro medication, pro therapy. What kinds of questions should he be asking his providers? How do we manage to maintain a decent relationship while he’s getting his dx and meds sorted? I have a NAMI class I’ll be attending next month, but it’s been so awful and stressful. When we got married he’d been diagnosed with GAD and depression and was on Zoloft for years. Looking back we both see the ups and downs. The last few years those ups and downs have been cycling rapidly, often for no discernible reason. we never thought of BP2 until he brought it up a couple months ago. I’m scared, but grateful he’s not resistant and is eager to treat the illness.

I've been pretty stable or the last 5 years with only very minimal episodes without medication. Part of my strategy is being super careful about sleep (among other lifestyle things). Anytime my sleep gets messed up, I get messed up. Which isn't that hard to do most of the time.

But, I've started an Outdoor Education job. Which is my dream! But I've had too many courses where I'm getting less than 6 hours of sleep because our crew's needs come above our own. I went into my first hypomanic episode and subsequent crash for the first time in a long time. There is also just no way to avoid having my sleep get messed up on this job so I won't return next season.

I was a front office manager for a hotel and was almost AGM but again had to quit because I couldn't cover the night shifts if someone called out because it would de stabilize me.

Its so frustrating that I can't do what others can. Has anyone ever had any success with figuring out accommodations in the workplace to support you?

I had a violent bipolar rage episode in front of my partner. I’ve never had one before. I left and afterwards he never checked in on me. After a few days I reached out to him to apologize and ask for support in seeking treatment for the ongoing mixed state (which I’m doing. All good. Don’t worry). He says he won’t talk to me for at least a week.

While I respect his need for space, I also think that his abandonment of me in the middle of a crisis might be a reason to end the relationship. (That is, if he doesn’t leave me). We’ve been together about a year and a half and he is my primary support person.

I would love to hear what my bipolar friends who understand what this is like have to say about it.

Clarification: I was only violent to myself and my phone. Crying, screaming, throwing things.

Not looking for advice so much as support.

I’ve had a bumpy ride with medications. Settling on Zoloft and navigating symptoms felt huge and exhausting. A while ago, a psychiatrist diagnosed me with bpd2 (updating my prior major depressive disorder diagnosis) but never prescribed a mood stabilizer. Her reasoning was that I had extreme lows but never really hit highs.

After a lapse in care, I’m back on Zoloft and thinking I need to try a mood stabilizer like lamictal too. My current therapist agrees.

I’m, frankly, terrified to start another grueling medication process and looking for hope. Success stories and commiseration welcomed alike.

Heya, been diagnosed with bipolar for four years and am FINALLY REALLY ACTUALLY LEGITIMATELY stable lol. Past experience has taught me what my new emotional normal is and I've had some moments where I thought I was stable and definitely wasn't, but we chill now.

Anyway, now that I've got a clear head and stable emotions, I've had a lot of time to think and I'm pretty sure I'm non binary. I'm unsure if this is a part of bipolar-ness or legitimate (or if that even matters) and was wanting to know if there are any other non-cis people in this group? How did you figure it out, and did it ever conflict or get worse around bipolar?

I have been relatively stable for the last few months. Fully medicated, seeing therapist every other week, psychiatrist once a month.

I barely cry anymore. I’ve been more productive.

I forgot to take my meds a few days in a row a week or 2 ago and I got a slight tinge of what I used to feel like.

Obviously it’s terrible and there is a reason I got help, but it takes so much effort to be stable. It sounds so irrational to say, but I so desperately wish to go back and just lie on my ass all day crying.

I am seriously considering throwing out all my meds it’s just all so dumb what is the point

After 2 years of fighting with the onset of depression, which was then diagnosed as bipolar2, I found the mix of meds that makes me able to feel and live life: 150mg Zoloft and 650mg lithium. These meds have made a world of difference for me, but the lithium seems to be causing hypothyroidism, despite taking levothyroxine (thyroid hormone) in higher and higher amounts. It’s looking like I’m going to need to stop the lithium and switch to something else, but it’s a bad time to do this because of my next college semester starting in a week. Any med suggestions? Anything would be appreciated

- a 20 year old nursing student living with bipolar 2 and/or depression

This is really just a rant, and maybe a pity party even. But does this really ever get better?! Recently diagnosed with BP2, also ADHD, OCD, anxiety, depression. I recently had a hypomanic episode and have gone through 2 jobs. Now I just feel like the world is crashing down on me and it will never get better. I am so depressed, yet so fucking agitated. I feel like I could crawl out of my own skin most days.

Please tell me there are fully functioning adults out there with BP2! I am so desperate for some relief and normalcy.