Bi Polar - to medicate or not?

[Baddaughterinlaw]

I know I am bi polar and am aware that I am on a huge low. Feeling too paranoid to go to the doctor as she thinks I am mad anyway. Feel like I am in a dark tunnel which I can't get out of. Not particularly rational at the moment and suspect I am hell to live with. Really really don't know what to do but I know I need to do something. I just want to run away and make it all stop, does anyone else know what to do?

are you on medication at the moment?

No I am not, I try to manage without but the black clouds are getting worse and rational thought is patchy so I fear that I need something and it needs to work bloody fast

See another GP and get some advice.

Don't make jokes about being mad, I find that people don't take you seriously when you do. You are ill.

I can't manage without my AD's.

Agree you need to talk to your GP (or another more sympathetic GP). Depending on the system your local area runs I'd even try and go to an out of hours service today (ours is often easier to get an appointment with than the GP).
Do you have help at home?

Please do go to the doctor and take meds. if you need them. If you are bi-polar your brain chemistry is out of kilter. I have had some very sad experiences with friends who didn't take this seriously enough early enough.

If you were 'ill' elsewhere in your body you'd go, wouldn't you?

have you been on medication for your bipolar before?

is there another GP in the practice who might be more sympathetic to you?

ADs can be very very helpful in lifting the dark feeling, so that you can see what to do next

In the meantime try and eat foods with serotonin in them.

also exercise can help some people.

There is nowhere to go today.
I don't joke about being mad, this isn't funny.
I am not sure I can hold it together well enough to see a doctor. Would it be odd to write it all down so she can read how I am feeling

I do use exsercise but have out of desperation totally over done it and have hurt myself. What food has serotonin in?

I think writing it down is a good ideal I also stumble over seeing a dr. Also, if youa re bipolar you really should hae your meds overseen by a specialist - not just a gp. If you really can't get out of the house - could you ring a nurse at the surgery and talk to them?

I have so far avoided the bi-polar meds as they scare me. I have never reached the stage of being unaware and totally out of control.
Have had AD's but they don't seem to make a difference. Is anyone else taking something stronger?

Ads are not always appropriate for treating bipolar - they don't deal with changes in mood so well. If your mood changes frequently then you need a mood stabliser of which there are many. Not so much stronger as different. Sometimes they are combined with ADs. I really think you should be referred to someone with more experience than a gp if you really think you are bipolar.

For God's sake. You are ILL. Exercise and eating bits of chicken and lettuce will not help you in the same way that it would people with other kinds of depression.

You need medical attention! Do it for your children.

My GP thinks I have a form of bi-polar and has agreed I need the tablets for another couple of years. I hated it, but to be honest being without them scared me so much, because of how I was, that I am fine taking them.

NAB are you taking the mood stabiliser - if so which one and how do you find it?

I am Citalopram. TBH I thought it was an AD. I find it helps me big time.

Do you find Citalopram affects your sex drive. I heard that it has bromide in it and it is a common side affect, that really wouldn't help as DH feels rejected now!

TBH I haven't noticed. We are so permanently knackered that it isn't a daily occurance anyway.

hello,My si is bi-polar i have written about this before,She does take medication but im not sure what it is she takes now as her meds have been changed quite often.You must go to your doctor who will sort out which meds you need to take ,Do not feel ashamed to go .you have an illness and cannot help how you feel.you will come out of this low you have at the moment but whilst you are going through it,i know it feels like it will never improve/ go away.It will, but it takes time and you will need a lot of support as well as the correct meds.good luck.

ps some of the meds actually make your sex drive go through the roof.

When she is on a normal phase how does she feel about being bi-polar. Mine scares me as I worry as to whether decisions I make in life are entirely rational

she also has been very scared as indeed i have been scared for her.It is an awful illness to cope with and your supporters need to be informed about the illness and give you as much support as they can.i have to go out now but if you would like to email me ,i can discuss it further.
lingord dot eaton at ntlworld dot com

I do apologise for sounding fierce in my last post. A family member and a friend have both had bi-polar and it has been catastrophic for the former in particular.

I have gone and got medication, hopefully, it will kick in quickly