I had bulimia diagnosed before bipolar but never had a problem “eating what I want” (probably because of compensation). I was also in my early 20’s (F). Since my hospitalization (for hypomania) 5 months ago I’ve gained about 10lbs. While getting stable I didn’t have an issue with eating but I saw 138/140 on the scale recently and lost it. Went straight back into excessive walking, daily cardio, weight lifting, created a whole diet, using laxatives and suppositories every other day. And I still end up over eating most days. Not a disgusting amount but enough to make me extremely guilty.

Idk if it’s because I’m turning 28, because of the Seroquel, because I’m finally a normal happy and stable, (it’s been a week of stability), or because my eating habits are still that of a 18yr old girl. I’m doing everything else right. Weight training 4 days a week, eating healthy, getting cardio / 10k steps in, drinking enough water and taking supplements. No idea why tf I gained this weight out of no where.

I need to get Metformin. But I have a new psych and he doesn’t want to change anything until he gets to know me. I feel stuck and if I gain any more weight I might actually do dumb shit. No I’m not vain, I’m looking at life through the lends of body dysmorphia.

Just venting. Support/advice would be nice🥺

Hi all! I'm starting Lithium on Tuesday, 300mg once a day before bed, then twice a day after a week. What are people's stories for this medication? My clinic will be doing labs on me to monitor my body's response and avoid lithium toxicity. My psych and I really want something that works. I feel like I am treatment resistant at this point lmao.

For some history, I began taking medication January 2024, and my psych and I have been targeting symptoms more than diagnoses because of occasionally urgent episodes, so I have taken...

Wellbutrin SR at many doses, last 150mg, usually once a day which did not do anything; twice a day triggered mania.

Abilify, I think 5 mg twice a day. I think I took this with the Wellbutrin. I might have been stable for a bit but I remember just feeling so unhappy or apathetic all the time after a while.

Auvelity, which caused inability to orgasm (despite being super similar to Wellbutrin lol which did not cause this)

Vraylar. No memory of this one. Very forgettable but it was a while ago.

Pristiq. Probably triggered mania but I don't remember.

Prozac. No idea why we stopped this one but my suspicion is it didn't do anything. Many such cases

Seroquel. Put me to sleep like you wouldn't believe, but the weight gain after like a month made me feel dysmorphic in a way I am still trying to recover from. I think it was like 10% of my body mass

Lamictal. We were going slow to monitor for signs of rash and we didn't even get in the goal treatment range because it worsened my suicidality.

Back on Wellbutrin as a placeholder, but twice a day caused mania as mentioned, so now I'm starting Lithium.

Wish me luck lol.

I've been on zoloft for over 3 years and just completely went off of it (with my psych). When I got on it I wasn't diagnosed with bp yet and prior to that I tried 3 different ssris that just made my depression worse. The only reason I stayed on Zoloft was because it got rid of my suicidal ideation, but otherwise made me pretty numb. I just really didn't want to go through a big medication change again because I felt like I wouldn't be able to handle it.

Now I am diagnosed, have a new psych, and am on lamictal and wellbutrin. I felt really stable for a while and the goal I had with my psych was to get off the zoloft eventually, since I have been doing well on my new meds and have been doing consistent therapy.

I am now 1 week into no zoloft (I have been weening of for a good year) and I am really depressed. I still am not suicidal for whatever reason, but I am struggling with every other depression symptom I usually have. I really really don't want to be on another ssri, they have always made me feel so horrible and coming off of them has always been the darkest time of my life.

I am not making things easier by using weed to cope with my negative thoughts and emotions. My therapy feels inconsequential and It feels like I am stuck. I don't know what to do.

Hi everyone,

Do people with bipolar II generally need to stay on an antipsychotic long-term, or can some eventually do well on lamotrigine alone once it's at a therapeutic dose?

If you've been on lamotrigine:

Were you able to stop your antipsychotic eventually?

Right now I'm taking:

Escitalopram 10 mg

Lamotrigine 25 mg (currently titrating to 200 mg)

Concerta 36 mg

My psychiatrist is considering brexpiprazole (Rexulti) 0.5 mg.

On 2 mg abilify helps in Irritability but activating.

I'm just hoping to hear some real-world experiences from people who have been through this.

Thanks!

I had a bit of a depressive episode the last 2 weeks, and I noticed that I was very hypersexual. I’m really ashamed of this but I’m gonna say it anyways.
I was masturbating 2-3 times a day and a lot of my hours went to trying to find strangers to sext with etc. in a very desperate way. Like idk it’s just so fucked when I think about it and I’m ashamed.

I don’t know why I did this. Just 2 days ago I suddenly felt like ”oh shit, life might actually be worth living you know?” and the heavy blanket of depression was finally lifted.

Honestly in hindsight kind of sounds like a mixed episode but at the same time I might’ve done it for other reasons, I don’t know. 🤷‍♂️

If you’ve experienced something similar, please share, would love to read. Thanks <3

Forced my self to go on multiple walks, do some writing, make some phone calls/texts, and book a trip, but just trudging along.

Otherwise passing the time in bed with lights off and eyes open or closed in silence.

This sucks.

Olá, eu não irei expor meu nome por motivos óbvios e afim de me preservar, mas gostaria de esclarecer algumas coisas. Sou mulher cis de 28 anos e desde muito cedo (desde os 8 ou 9 anos mais ou menos) lido com sintomas ansiosos e depressivos, o que me levou a ser diagnosticada com transtorno misto de ansiedade e depressão. Eu tenho problemas de automutilação, ideação suicida, explosões emocionais, irritabilidade, tudo me atinge em cheio.... A uns três anos, em 2023, tive um episódio depressivo bem grave. O psiquiatra me receitou venlafaxina de 75 mg e me tornou suicida. Eu cismei que tinha que me matar pra ter paz finalmente, o que levou à suspensão imediata do remedio e precisei de sedação durante o episodio de crise para evitar que eu fizesse besteira. Me recuperei depois disso, sem remedios porque ficaram com medo, mas sempre estou lidando com muita ansiedade, me automutilando, estressada, explodindo e perdendo amizades por isso.... Também não estou suportando ir pra festas ou lugares lotados e com musica alta. Até que esse ano de 2026, por motivos familiares, eu voltei a entrar em crise, novamente querendo morrer e muito nervosa, agitada, sem dormir, e voltei a tentar outro antidepressivo, dessa vez a sertralina de 50 mg, mas com alguns dias de uso eu fiquei agitada, sem dormir por 3 dias, com muita taquicardia (coração chegou a 120 batimentos por minuto), muita sudorese, agitação, pensamentos negativos, uma irritabilidade nas alturas (tanto que eu surtei durante o jogo do Brasil contra Japão porque comemoraram ao meu lado e o barulho dos gritos e apitos me fez surtar, além de que mordi todo o interior da minha bochecha). Dia 1 de julho tive uma intercorrência e precisei ir para a emergência psiquiatra, onde me sedaram. A psiquiatra de plantão acredita que eu possa ter borderline ou bipolaridade, afinal eu sempre pioro com antidepressivo. Gostaria de uma ajuda sobre o que vocês imaginam que seja. Tenho retorno com a psiquiatra dia 18 de julho e a minha psicologa está acompanhando dia a dia (estou fazendo um diário do humor). O que me intriga é que eu não sou compulsiva por compras e nem tenho hipersexualização. Tenho uma amiga bipolar tipo 2 que ela compra tudo na hipomania, mas eu não tenho nada disso. Apenas deprimo e depois fico melhorzinha, mas com comportamentos "normais". Quem entende de bipolaridade/borderline, vocês acreditam que eu possa ter algum desses? estou desesperada querendo entender isso, porque é horrivel ficar tomando antidepressivos e não me dar bem com nenhum deles.

I can’t believe my lamotrigine betrayed me. I recently upped my dosage of lamotrigine from 150mg to 200mg. I’ve been taking it for a month, and I ran out for two days, and my medicine comes in the mail, so it took longer to get her (same 2 days).

What’s so funny is that my doctor warned me about missing a couple days (she said 3-4 days) and how I could develop a rash or Stevens-Johnson syndrome, and I was thinking to myself, “that’s never gonna happen to me because I only missed two days.” Guess who woke up with a rash on their back.

She’s (yes, I refer to my lamotrigine as ‘She’) been with me for 3 years now and I can’t believe this has happened.

I’m currently at work and I’m going to urgent care after work (i leave in 3hrs). Right now it isn’t TOO bad, it’s tolerable, and it’s kind of easy to not scratch it (I tend to not scratch rashes or mosquito bites, I just wait until it goes away). Also, it doesn’t burn, I asked my mom to check it and she says she doesn’t see any redness or bumps. But I’m still going to urgent care nonetheless.

I told my friend that I developed a rash, I didn’t really specify that it was my medication and she said she gets a rash too from being in the sun, wearing sunscreen or being in the water. We went to the beach yesterday to tan, and it was my first time too so I’m not really sure, but once again, I’d rather be safe than sorry.

But I can’t believe my lamotrigine betrayed me like this. She was my ride or die.

Trying to keep positive and hoping it’s nothing, but I know once I inform my doctor, she’ll switch me to something else </3.

hi, i have bipolar 1 and right now i don't use any type of drugs or substances. but in music festivals/raves it's usually part of the experience and all my friends are normalising/doing it. they have conditions like adhd, depression, but none have bipolar so i don't know if i'll experience it the same or worst than them. does anyone have experience with going to raves and dropping as someone with bipolar.

After taking lithium for about 6 months, i had a depressive episode. Choosing between taking more lithium (living in the toilet) and trying lamotrigine, i decided to try the second out. My question is, if any of you take only antipsychotics and lamotrigine as a stabilizer? I want to proceed with small doses of Quatiapine/Seroquel and Olanzapine and go to 200 mg L.
Am i enough save against hypomania, which i didn’t have for 4 years. I would like to hear about your experience, i would be thankful for every comment on this topic.

So I’m just trying to figure out if this is normal and something I should just accept and manage rather than try to find solutions for (I pretty much have anyway but it’d be nice to hear it from someone else). Does anyone else feel like this:

Even when I’m stable I’m so fucking tired all the time. I don’t know if it’s mental or physical but it feels like mental exhaustion. Everything feels like an effort, and is hard to do. I’m not worryingly sad, I’m not breaking, I can keep going. My K10 assessments come up better than they have in over a decade. But I need more rest than other people do, and I can’t really do anything other than my routine without getting exhausted mentally. Just my 30 hours of work and four main housework tasks are enough to leave me feeling like I’m dragging my body through water for a significant portion of my day, while everyone else is walking on dry land.

I had TMS a few weeks ago and it almost sent my hypo but I caught it and stopped it. But while I was doing it I felt this amazing confirmation that all of my failings weren’t my fault. Because for once I could change the cat litter at the end of the day and not feel like I was dragging myself through it. I could look down at the floor, see something that needed to be picked up, and not have to work out if I had the capacity to bend down and do it.

I don’t know if it’s the bipolar, the ADHD they diagnosed me with (not even sure about that diagnosis), being in my 30s, living with a partner as an introvert, or just what life is like for everyone else.

So does anyone else feel like this?

Hi there,

The subreddit says loved ones are welcome and I thought the perspective of another person with bipolar 2 would be best here. My husband and I have been together since we've been 16 years old (currently both will be 38 soon), we have been married for 14 years and have a 9 year old son.

My husband is normally kind, patient, and well mannered. He's normally wonderful with children, and he's a cat lover. He's held down a steady job his whole adult life, and has a BSc and an MBA, among other certifications for work. He was valedictorian at Graduation, the President of the athletic committee, an excellent athlete... he was on the honour roll and got scholarships... He was a go getter... all of the psychiatrists he's seen said that they are surprised he was able to do any of that given his diagnoses.

To summarize a VERY long story, my husband (37M) was diagnosed with major depressive disorder after a suicide attempt in 2023. That psychiatrist missed a few diagnoses, and it turns out that my husband has bipolar 2, major depressive disorder, PTSD (childhood trauma - alcoholic and physically abusive Father), and borderline personality disorder (all of these diagnosed by a different psychiatrist and confirmed by another).

My husband said he's struggled his whole life, which started in puberty. He had a ROUGH time in his early 20's... I found out 10 years after all of this happened, but he was doing cocaine and had a suicide attempt at the time as well. No one, including his family, knew about any of it. He quit the cocaine by himself, and he's currently not drinking alcohol or doing any other drugs at all. I am responsible for our finances because he's unable to, not because he's irresponsible, but because he literally can't. I would know if he was buying drugs. He's been on STD and now LTD from work.

2022 to late 2025 he had what I've explained as his "angry phase", where my patient, well mannered, and kind husband turned into a man I didn't know. He would yell, scream, punch walls, he shoved me a few times, broke things, threw things, erratic driving, etc. He would yell at me if I asked him to slow down or he would speed up to scare me more, or tail gate the person in front of us. He was hateful and I spent those years very scared. No matter how many times I told him to seek help, he wouldn't.

In fall 2025, he finally broke. He was becoming paranoid, and accusing me of making his life harder and saying that me, and all of our family were out to get him. It was terrifying. He shaved his head as well. I brought him to the hospital against his will the next day. Then he was diagnosed with all of the illnesses I mentioned earlier...

Present day... he's been prescribed soooo many medications and nothing seems to be working that well, or if it is it's VERY slow. He's had his medications changed a few times. He's currently taking Duloxetine 60mg once a day, Vraylar I think 1.5mg once a day, Lorazepam 1mg in the morning, Clonazepam 0.25mg three times a day, and a sleeping medication (not Trazadone) that's slipping my mind right now that he takes at night. He also has Ketamine treatment twice a week, which is monitored at the pharmacy. He's been on the ketamine for 3 months now, and was just prescribed 3 more months.

Since mid December, he's been crying constantly... like, sobbing uncontrollably, and having panic attacks that the benzodiazepines hardly touch. His anxiety is through the roof, and he gets stuck in these awful cycles about work, which make him spiral and make his anxiety worse. He says he still wants to die every day, but he's only staying here for me and our son. He never had anxiety before all of this. It's developed since the medications started.

He's not functioning, he's either crying or sleeping... he sometimes sleeps 15 hours a day. I know the benzodiazpines cause drowsiness... but it seems excessive to me. What kind of life is he living? It breaks my heart to see him suffering like this. He used to exercise everyday and now I bring him out for walks when it's sunny outside, which he struggles with.

Is this normal until he's completely stabilized? Do I just wait longer for the medication to work? He sees his Psychiatrist on the 20th, and I've brought up these concerns several times and the doctor says it takes time and we need to be patient, but come on???? Am I being unreasonable here? I Googled medication side effects and it says Vraylar can cause anxiety...

I have a disability and have been unable to work for almost 6 years now, which I'm sure caused a lot of pressure on my husband. I spoke about this with him several times before all of this happened and he always assured me that he was fine. I have disability benefits, and we've never overly struggled financially, we've always been comfortable. I've had lots of surgeries and procedures, and am currently being tested for Huntington's disease... found family members with it, and saw a genetic counselor who says my risk is 1 in 8 and I'm waiting to see the Geneticist in the fall.

I don't know who he is anymore. I want him to stop hurting... he is so sad all the time, and I don't know what to do.

It's like he's snapped or broken, and I'm afraid that for his sake, he'll never be the same again. I keep reassuring him that he will find his new normal and that we'll go from there and that he's not disappointing anyone... Can someone please help me?? What can I do!?

Thank you to anyone who reads. It's very much appreciated!

**11:00pm - I'm heading to bed and I'll reply to anyone in the morning. I appreciate the replies that I've gotten so far! It's been very helpful. I have some decisions to make.

Hi there - I know there are a million other posts about this but just looking to have my experience validated. I’ve been on Latuda for a week now (also using trazodone and Xanax as PRN). I had a glass of wine last night at dinner and I felt like I was ON ONE. Like could have been messy drunk if I wasn’t at a dinner table. It wasn’t the same drunk feeling I was used to. Has anyone else experienced this? I’ve never done coke, but I truly was like is this what it feels like? I feel like I may just give up alcohol if that’s what it is because this could be dangerous.

Let's have some light-hearted fun!

Real titles, remixes, or entirely made-up ones all work.

I'll go first - The Polar Express

The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

Pan’s Labyrinth

I have take Lamotrigine for a long time, and recently an antidepressant which has generally worked well. Depression and lows are fairly well controlled, however I still have episodes of hypomania which are good at first but then usually turn to irritability, short temper, overwhelm and/or fatigue. While Lamotrigine has made it much better, I also have fluctuating episodes of social anxiety which can be borderline social paranoia when bad. But then it can go away all the same and it’s manageable again.

I’ve tried different antipsychotics and practically every single one has been awful for me, so I’d rather avoid them. I have also tried lithium orotate as a supplement but didn’t find it helpful.

So My question is to control these highs and irritability, would prescribed lithium (perhaps a smaller dose) be worth a try to take the edge off? Or Is it generally too strong for type 2?

I will Appreciate people sharing their experience, good and bad, side effects, and any health complications from it.

Thanks

I had an on and off relationship with my ex. She has something... I think it is bpd but she has been going to shrinks since she was a kid and she had a pretty traumatic childhood.

Obviously I have bipolar 2. I am medicated but it was a sad and long journey to come this far. I have tried to help her. Look after her, talk to her, take care of her. She is a mess. In all ways. Her room is a mess, she keeps getting drunk and using substances. She goes out comes back hammered and I have to pick after her. She also hurt herself before. She refuses to see a shrink, therapist or go to AA meetings. I tried everything.

I am really tired. I broke down and looked into my past. I have always dated people like this because I thought they understood my mental issues but I always end up becoming their therapist and caretaker.

Nobody wants to listen to me. Nobody wants to help me. Nobody wants to take care of me.

So I will do that. I will love myself till I die.

I was diagnosed with depression 2 weeks ago because I've been dealing with the symptoms for a month before that. A week after taking SNRI, I started feeling better but in a way that I had a surge of physical energy first, but I still felt depressed. 2 days after I felt energized, mental clarity finally came with it, but I eventually ended up feeling mentally scattered.

I told the doctor on my second visit that I remember myself being depressed and mentally weak, but I also remember myself being mentally resilient, optimistic and confident in a way that I was productive and felt I could do anything. That's when the suspicion of bipolar started. They then prescribed me Lamictal (25mg)for a week and made me stop taking. SNRI. My 3rd visit, I was simply told to keep taking it and observe myself. This time, the doctor said if I "get better" then that means I'm bipolar. But when I asked what exactly does "getting better mean" (because if it's for depression then I'm definitely more functional and energetic now but that started after taking SNRI for a week, before I started lamictal). I was simply told to just observe myself and not make judgements by myself. I was a little confused to that answer. I'm don't know if I'm being too paranoid but I don't really trust this doctor. (the doctor I see is different each visit. The clinic seems to be on a rotation system)

To those who are diagnosed with bipolar i/ii, how did your diagnosis go? What did you or your doctor do to confirm it? Is simply forcing this medicine on me really a solid method of diagnosis? I find it a little weird. They never tried to ask me more about my past or even my family history--this is something my therapist noted when I told her about the bipolar suspicion. She was wondering why they didn't ask me more.

I live in Japan, btw.