Insurance Tips for people with bipolar disorder…..

Insurance can really be difficult for many of us with bipolar disorder.  Some states have parity laws- which means those of us with a mental illness have to have access to insurance. Other states have not passed this law. I’m lucky that Oregon has this program. I buy insurance from the Oregon Medical Insurance Pool. After I was turned down by EVERYONE because I have bipolar disorder,I was eligible for this program. And here is what’s funny. I RARELY go to the doctor for bipolar disorder. I treat myself and see my doctor for a meds checkup.  But I do have to admit that I have more physical problems than most due to this illness.

My insurance is $375 a month. Very expensive. But it’s good insurance.

Does your state have parity? You can check with your NAMI or DSBA branches. Visit www.nami.org and http://www.dbsalliance.org

Oregon also has state insurance- but they [ Read More ]





Bipolar vs. Normal

Today is a good day!

I’m always so thankful to have a normal day. Normal for me means that I get up and just get on with my day. Oh,and that I’m able to sleep 7-8 hours without sleep meds! I did have to take a small amount of meds in the early morning,but it’s wasn’t bad.

I am working today like a normal person. I don’t feel completely overwhelmed. My to do list is the same as always- it just seems manageable on days like today.

When good days happen,I try to do as much work as possible. It’s so different than being manic as I’m not scattered.

Why does bipolar disorder make it so hard for us to work! It’s too bad that having a few normal days in a row is like manna from heaven for me. But I’ll take what I can get!

julie





Thanks for the reader comments

Hi all,I just want to say thanks for the comments. I read all of them. I keep telling myself I will put a comment of my own on each one!   Here are some answers to your questions:

- True Hope,a supplement company that advertises they can help bipolar disorder was investigated by the Canadian government regarding their claims regarding mental illness. You can read more about it if you ‘Google True Hope Canada Investigation.’

-  I agree that exercise is a tremendous help with bipolar disorder. I love yoga myself. I have found that I have a lot of trouble with injuries when I’m depressed,so I’m working on that. As of now,I have finally healed a bad shoulder and am getting back into yoga. It’s never too late! Getting injured while depressed or manic is more common than you may think!  I have tried someone called ecstatic dance. It is interesting! [ Read More ]





Bipolar Brain shut down…

When I get overwhelmed I can actually feel my brain shut down.  It just seems to stop. I can intellectually know what I have to do. I can even write it on a list,but when it feels like too much,my engine stops running.  You’ve probably experienced this!

I am taking care of this in the following ways:

- I have a coach who sits with me to make sure I do my work in a timely manner. Yes,this may sound odd to many,but without this,I can spin in circles all day.

- When I’m depressed,I set up appointments to meet friends in the afternoon and then go there early and do my work. If I am going to Starbucks at three and I get there at one with my computer,  I will work.

- I meet a friend and we work together on our computers. 

I write about all [ Read More ]





Bipolar Medications Tip from Reader

Jennifer left the following suggestion on one of my ‘I missed my Lamictal!”posts. It’s such a good one,I put it here!

“What I do so I don’t miss my meds is my pill box has an alarm on it and goes off when I need to take my meds just in case I forget. I’ve never missed a dose in years. Hope this helps in some small way.”

“Reaching out to help one person at a time-Jennifer”

** Thanks to Jennifer! I am going to do this. I have also thought of setting an alarm on my Blackberry –but it only lets me do one at a time. Please leave your comments if you have any other ideas!

Julie





Posted on September 17th,2008 | Category:Medications

Bipolar Question from Dr. Jay Carter

Hi Julie,

Is there any supplements or herbal remedies that you would recommend for bipolar stuff,other than the

omega 3?

Any particular diet that is beneficial?

Jay

 (Dr. Jay Carter is a psychologist with an emphasis on bipolar disorder.)

**

Hi Jay!

St. John’s Wort can cause Mania.

Sam E is for mild depression.

Some people swear by the molecular stuff such as Taurine,etc. The serotonin mimic 5-HTP  is just like an

anti depressant as it can cause mania.

There are some supplements such as TruHope out of Canada that made a lot of claims and then got busted.

Some herbs can help sleep such as kava kava,valerian.

Calms Forte homeopathic works for some.

To be honest,I’ve found that most of the sleep stuff is for milder problems.  I use Ativan as I don’t have any

addiction problems- those with addiction worries to Ativan,Klonopin or Valium can use Benedryl.

I [ Read More ]





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