My goal when I’m down is to take action all day long to make things better. It’s hard. Where will I go? What project should I do first? Will anything work out? Why are things so hard? Etc Etc
All good questions. I will go out and organize my day while I sit at a coffee shop. I will then choose a project and do it. Whether I am crying, filled with OCD thoughts or hopeless. None of it is real. Problems are real and they can be tackled and fixed. These thoughts are bipolar disorder and they need to be recognized and then ignored!
I will make a list under this post about what I accomplished today – just to show myself that I can get a lot done when I’m depressed.
Julie
Here is the list:
- Visited with my mom even though it was hard to be with people.
When I have trouble focusing, I’ve learned to ask others to make decisions for me. I’ve trained the people in my life to just go ahead with what they want to do and I will follow along. What do you want for dinner? I don’t care- you choose. What movie do you want to see? Let me know some choices and I’ll give you my choices. I let others drive, plan parties and do what they want- on the days that I’m having trouble making decisions.
On the days that I’m fine, I make my own decisions- but when the depression and ADHD are here, I say- I don’t care what I do- just help me do something!
It works. I’m also a much more relaxed person around my friends and they appreciate that.
If you read my blog below, you can tell I’ve really had trouble lately in terms of getting my work done. I always have struggles, but I use the ideas in my books and just keep going. When it’s hard for me to even sit down, then I know something is not right physically.
My friend Sherri called last night and said, “Are you ok! I just read your blog and I’m worried about you!”
Hmm.. I didn’t mean to sound that bad! But it has been pretty bad. I have many ways to figure out what is wrong when I’m having mood swings- the first is to check the triggers. I know that troublesome relationships cause me a lot of trouble- which leads to mood swings- book deadlines that are too intense can also make me quite ill, but I always keep working.
This time, nothing is going on. There are no triggers. Yes, [ Read More ]
I’m really struggling today. I swear I would do anything just to get rid of these constant mood swings. I have friends with bipolar disorder who have a lot of normal days- by normal I mean that they aren’t in some kind of mood swing. I rarely have a normal day. Today seems to be a mixture of mild depression, worry, lack of focus and a definite concern that my meds aren’t working correctly. I have a big writing project due and it feels like climbing Mt. Everest even though I only need a few more days to get it done.
Every day since I came back from a trip to Texas and Florida has been difficult. Not it a bad way- in other words I didn’t have a terrible depression when I got back- but there is always something to deal with. I just feel physically uncomfortable and can’t seem to find a [ Read More ]
I honestly think that switching to the generic Lamotrigine (Lamictal) has made me more tired. I know it has increased my other side effects. As I’ve said in a lot of other posts, it’s working exactly the same as Lamictal in terms of mood swings. Which is good! But I am not myself physically. I am sure this will end, but it’s definitely proof that generics are not the same as the original product in terms of the non active ingredients. If you look under the Lamictal category on the right, you can read some great discussions on what it was like for those of us who went from Lamictal to generic Lamotrigine!
I wonder who else has had trouble changing to a generic? I’m not even sure if trouble is the right word as the meds are working, but I do know we should get more information [ Read More ]
I was taking generic Lamictal for 4 weeks during December, but around Christmas the side effects-headache, anxiety-became too much on 50mg. I know you’re not a doctor, but in your experience do these subside over time. I’m a street musician in Portland and just getting turned on to your bi-polar crusade. Your work looks pretty amazing.
Regards,
Ted
Hi Ted,
Well, side effects are so tricky as they depend on the person. For example, I take 500mg of generic Lamictal (also called generic Lamotrigine) and have more side effects when my dose gets too low!
The normal Lamictal dose is 250mg- but that is just an average. What matters is that it works- the dose depends on the person taking the meds.
My first question would be just that- did it work? If it did, you may want to wait out the side effects if you can- if they are even moderately tolerable. [ Read More ]
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