The Bipolar Support Thread

[BippityBoppity87]

Hi everyone Just thought I'd start a shiny new thread for anyone who is suffering from bipolar disorder.

Hope everyone is ok!

Morning. I actually fell asleep before 3 am last night .

How are you this morning?

I wear a pendant with my meds written down inside it but that's because I have epilepsy & if I'm unconscious they need to know what meds I take.

I’m supposed to carry a Lithium Alert Card but I never have. When I used to race a lot I always left the medical bit blank or wrote N/A, even marathons in hotter countries 😳

Me too @FissionChips The aripiprazole has really helped with that. Before I was lucky if he had about 2/3 hours sleep.

That's interesting. Are they discreet? I don't want to wear one if it has on it big capital letters BIPOLAR on it.

I have a card from when I was taking lithium but otherwise don't have any info.

I've called my psychiatrist again today. He's based at my local medical centre twice per week so I could have gone down today and waited to see him but I don't know if that's a bit forward and I should just wait till he calls.

He's also at the medical centre on Thursday

If you're suffering, there probably wouldn't have been much harm going down. How long have you been waiting for them to call now?

Just since Friday. I thought if I haven't heard back by Thursday I could go down at 8:30am and wait in him coming in. I used to be able to do it with my last doctor but I'm unsure how this one feels about it.

He phoned I have an appointment this Thursday at 2pm!

That's good! @DiaryofWimpyMumm Glad you've got it sorted

How is everyone this evening? I'm feeling absolutely raging and I have no idea why.

I'm in bed watching television. Feeling okay still quite anxious for no apparent reason.

I'm pleased I've finished the day with an appointment though.

I hope your mood shifts soon. It's hard when they are so unpredictable

Are you on a mood stabiliser bippity?

I’m in my house clothes watching Star Trek, good times!

Nah, not on a mood stabiliser. It was mentioned on the Facebook page that I probably should be on one. But I have no idea if I'll be offered one or not.

I don't even know what to say when I have my next appoinment. Just that I've been feeling very up and down, but more irritable than usual? Will that warrant a mood stabiliser?

I was told last year that it sounded like a mixed episode I was experiencing. I thought the exact same thing to be honest. I was depressed, but I was very impulsive at the same time. still am, hence why I don't have any money but it was more towards self harm, drinking and OD's back then.

I finished work at 8pm and my mood did fluctuate a lot. Mainly from being happy and jokey to being really really annoyed, but I don't know if it was just because I was at work and people were starting to piss me off.

That sounds strange to me, especially as you are on sertraline. I think you should question it at your next appointment. I’ve never known anyone with bipolar in RL who wasn’t given a mood stabiliser.
I’m on lamotrigine and I love it. Very rarely get any shift in my moods, still do but not as bad or as frequent. I sort of feel emotionally dulled a little but it’s much preferable to before, it’s quite nice to experience stability.

I was offered lamotrigine, but he settled on aripiprazole. I did find it odd that I wasn't taken off sertraline as well or least the dose lowered. But like i said before he said if he was going by text book and he used the phrase 'text book' he would take me off it. But who knows!

I have a list of things I'm going to ask at my next appointment.

I'm convinced I have ADHD, but it could just be part of the bipolar, as I know they can be quite similar. How I've managed to break 4 kettles in a month! Because I'm an idiot and don't pay attention to what I'm doing. I can't concentrate on one thing.

I have to fill out a mood diary as well. Do you have to do that all the time? Or just in the early stages of diagnoses?

This is it here. No idea what the second was is all about.

I’ve never done a mood chart in my life. I had one appointment with psychiatrist for 1 hour (in which I was diagnosed), and two further 20 mins appointments about three months apart. Then I was discharged.
Don’t be afraid of telling them you don’t think it’s working and would like to explore other options, if that’s what you wish.

I'm hoping to be discharged soon. My therapist says it will be a while yet 😕 and I still have to have monthly gp med reviews. This has been 7 months now. Therapy sessions, I think I've had about 8 or 9 so far.

I just wish there was a magic wand that gives you the right meds and everyone to leave me alone.

You don’t sound ready for discharge at all, it’ll happen though.

What type of therapy do you have? I’ve never had any.

It's just CBT. My therapist said the same. I think I just get a bit angry and agitated sometimes and think, again. I have to go through this every week/month. I don't know when I'll be 100% stable, I'm much better than I was though. I'm getting there.

I forgot to take my aripiprazole last night, because I'm an idiot. Feeling a bit sick today, I'm assuming because I missed a dose. Will it make much difference? I'm not going to double dose or anything like that, I'll just take it as usual tonight.

I've missed mine s couple of times and had no ill effect. I just take my normal dose the next day. I can't sleep without olanzapine so if I'm lying awake I know I've forgotten it.