Need tips to stop going hypomanic

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I have bipolar. Just come off an antipsychotic due to physical health problems, never want to take another, can’t either really, psychiatrist been saying we’re running out of options for 5 years, last option was lithium & Valporate. But I can’t take valporate cos of physical health now. Can’t put lithium up, so trying to stop going high without the extra meds, am slightly up but not hypomanic. Have PRN, also on antidepressant lowest dose but stopping that goes badly anxiety wise. Basically what can I do that’s not meds related? Sleeping is hard. Adequate meds controls it, but I don’t have adequate meds & won’t do. Only go up. I’m very hard to medicate physical health wise. Not sure how to stop going high without extra meds? Or if you can? If anyone has any ideas? Thanks

Fair enough, don’t understand what you said science wise. As a non science person I found the video interesting, I now know kind of know what a telomere is for example, well actually I don’t, but I understand how lithium affects them.

I can see how weekly classes would be regulating. I need to do something like that at home.

Has your team offered cognitive behavioural therapy for bipolar? It’s skills based and can be done individually or as part of a group

No they haven’t. How does that work? Only ever been given medication

Are you under a Cmht? I do groups and individual therapy at our Cmht specifically for people with bipolar which helps them to understand the diagnosis and ways to manage it

Thank you, sounds good. No I’m not currently. I’ve done CBT before, so was trying to work out how to translate what CBT I had to bipolar, but that was a lot of core belief stuff, thought sheets etc, so I can’t see how the two connect but I’m obviously not looking at it right

In our area, they do a mood on track course for people with bipolar and other mood disorders. It’s talks through the condition and people’s feelings , they talked specifically about medication options and it had a focus on recognising early signs and individual strategies to calm the mind and try to avoid going too high or too low. It mirrored what a physiologist did with me in hospital when I was first diagnosed.

Social.services aren't the slightest bit interested in whether a drug is classed as an antipsychotic or not. They are only interested in the severity & impact of your symptoms.
Loads of people take antipsychotics for mild depression & stress related sleep problems.

Thank you. That sounds really helpful. Does it help you still now?