2009 February « Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Hypomania: Reader Comment

I just received the following comment from Melissa. I am sure many of us understand! Hypomania is very slippery as it’s often not bad enough for us to stop it before it causes a lot of trouble. It causes trouble eventually, but it’s easy to convince yourself that things will be fine!

Hey Julie!

I’ve been dabbling in my hypomania for quite a few weeks now with increased stress being the culprit that let my balloon fill up. I always watch out for the three S’s when I’m feeling good – Speeding, Shopping and Sex. I’m currently training to walk the Eugene Half Marathon. It is motivating me to keep up on my self-care and exercise but it also seems a little grandiose I guess. Oh well, that’s my world in a nutshell.

Melissa

This is great because Melissa has such great insight. Speeding, Shopping and Sex! I didn’t think to add the [ Read More ]

Bipolar Disorder and Office Visits

Three ways to get the best from office visits:

1. Ask for the first appointment of the morning whenever possible. This guarantees that you won’t spend a half hour in the waiting room!

2. Take someone with you to ask questions if you feel too overwhelmed to ask them on your own. Whether you’re alone or with someone, it’s always a good idea to write down your specific questions before you see your HCP. I even tell people to hand the list to their HCP as it saves time.

3. Have a goal before you go. Is it to get new meds? Find a support group? Ask a specific question about bipolar disorder? Often we get to appointments and forget what we need from the HCP. I have often come out of the office and said- darn! I forgot to ask ….… and that was one of the main reasons I wanted to see him!

[ Read More ]

Bipolar Disorder and Hypomania

Lovely mania.. not!

I float a lot when I’m depressed. As my brother said, it’s like I spend all day working hard to get nothing done! My hypomania is so different. I get it all done in one day!

I love hypomania- the good, euphoric, mildly up kind. It’s the best drug in the world. The problem is that in the 30 years (OMG!) I have had hypomania, it has never stayed good for very long. Before I knew how to treat and ultimately prevent it, the mania was very destructive. It only felt good, but it wasn’t good. Right now I am feeling better than I have in a long time. I’m getting work done- my thoughts seem normal and I’m really sticking to a positive view on life despite these interesting economic times.

How do I know if this is the beginning of hypomania? That is always a question for [ Read More ]

Bipolar Disorder and crisis situations

Questions to ask yourself when you’re not doing well…

How do I get past this?

How do I get through this?

How do I stop this mood swing?

How do I learn to live with this?

Who can help me with this?

How do I make my future different from this?

What can I do right this minute to feel better?

When you’re in the middle of being ill- i.e in a mood swing that is causing you pain- or causing pain to others! it’s always a good idea to methodically ask yourself questions in order to focus your brain. I ask myself the above questions when I’m depressed and I force myself to answer them positively. If I’ve had a relationship problem that is eating away at me and affecting my sleep, I can ask myself- OK Julie, how do you get past this? It’s three in the morning. What do you need to [ Read More ]

Small business and individual finances for people with bipolar disorder

Bipolar Disorder and Business Finances

Wow, this is an interesting time in our country financially, isn’t it. And yet, as I have said before, it’s also a time for opportunity. I know that I have not been as fiscally responsible as I could have been in terms of my business. A lot of it has to do with my limited work hours due to bipolar disorder, but some of it is definitely from choices I have made.

My dear friend Lorraine Haatia is very fiscally responsible! She is a continuous improvement specialist for companies large and small. She recently published a very interesting article on how companies can cut costs during these interesting economic times. Here is the link to the article. I think it has great ideas for individuals as well!

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2009/week4/Tuesday/012007.htm

Julie

Bipolar and Lamictal (generic Lamotrigine) the Thread on My meds are working….

I just did a post called My Meds are Working- there are some fantastic comments under the post. I have learned a lot from readers.

Here are the facts on generic Lamictal (Lamotrigine). There can be problems with the generic formula. This does not mean it won’t work for you- it does for many people. It does mean that you will need to monitor your moods once you switch. It’s a gradual change if the meds are not working- it seems to be around five weeks.

I really want to stress that generics are good things in many ways- costs, availability, etc. But as people with bipolar disorder, we have to take charge of our own health care. If you use my Health Cards treatment system, it’s a good idea to read your normal card while you take the generics.

Doctors can prescribe ‘brand’ Lamictal if the generics don’t work for you. I can’t believe [ Read More ]