wow,I want to do a short entry today as I’ve been doing monster long entries! A newletter is coming soon with a lot of info about meds. Things are going well here finally! I am back to work like a normal person. I sure went through a terrible time,but all that matters is what happens now. I can’t look back too much as those mood swings are so scary! I always make it through. We can all make it through the bad ones!
I am glad I figured out it was a medication problem and took care of it in a few days.
If you’re new to this blog- maybe you came from the amazon.com link- you can read all about my January mood swing in the posts below!
Julie
If you are not on the newsletter list- here is a signup link. Once you sign up,you will receive an opt in [ Read More ]
This may have not been too smart business wise,but I felt it was necessary. I put everything on the card and it’s not like I was going on spending sprees- it was mostly normal stuff like groceries and dinner as well as my business stuff. But now that I have made a commitment to be 100% fiscally responsible this year (unlike some entities I can think of!),I think that going to a cash based system for small purchases makes more sense. I can actually think before I spend!
I will have to plan ahead when I go somewhere and ask myself- do I really want to spend $20 on dinner? Credit cards make it too easy to spending without evaluation the purchase. I stopped manic spending a long time ago- but the smaller stuff still gets me! My rotating business expenses as well as all of [ Read More ]
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
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This is great because Melissa has such great insight. Speeding,Shopping and Sex! I didn’t think to add the [ Read More ]
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!
Bipolar Disorder and Medication Woes:Generic Lamictal ( Lamotrigine)
This is a long newsletter as it is a long story about bipolar disoder and genetic medications!
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Have you noticed that bipolar disorder can sneak up on you in so many ways? I’m always amazed when it sneaks up on me and I get sick no matter how carefully I manage the illness. For the past few weeks,I’ve had a terrifically difficult time working. I have also been really hard on myself. I kept saying,“What is wrong with me! Why can’t I just sit down and finish this book project! It’s only about 20 hours of work and then I can get another book deal! Why am I putting off something that completely affects my future?” This went on for weeks. I just assumed I was being lazy. But I know I’m not a lazy person!
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 ]
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