I once watched a reality show on becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader when I was at the gym. I had a political interview show on my IPOD,but this was far more intriguing ! First of all,it was a pretty weak premise for a show –as watching cheerleader tryouts probably brings back a lot of bad memories for those of us who were not fond of high school! But there was something very interesting on the show.
The women had to climb up a really high pole and jump off onto a trapeze bar. Yes,that was one of the tasks. There was one candidate who was very scared of heights. She cried the whole way up the pole. But I had to admire her. She got up there,stood up and jumped off. It was pretty safe as she [ Read More ]
Here is a question about the antipsychotic Seroquel and weight gain.
Hi Julie,
I have been on Seroquel for over 5 years now. I have Bipolar with psychosis. I am tired of the weight gain fight. Seroquel has been very affective in controlling the psychosis which I have frequently. Is there anything that can replace the Seroquel in controlling the psychosis without the weight gain?
Stinker
Hi There Stinker,
Here is a short answer to your question:
Maybe.
Everyone responds differently to antipsychotics. Most gain wait on them,but some don’t. It’s very,very well documented for example that Zyprexa has an average 20 lb weight gain. Seroquel,Risperdal,and the other atypical antipsychotics are known for weight gain around the stomach. This leads to a complication called Metabolic Syndrome- I wrote quite a great article on this last year for www.healthyplace.com if you want to read more about it. Just type in Julie Fast [ Read More ]
Writing through anxietyAnxiety comes in many forms- but there is one thing they all have in common. Physical symptoms. These symptoms include breathing problems,uncomfortable waves of fear,restlessness and in some,paralysis! Anxiety is complicated because it can be seen as a person’s inability to deal with life- when in reality it’s a well documented and treatable illness. I’ve often sat down to write a book and felt such waves of anxiety I felt there was no way I could go on. I can usually write through them- on really tough days I walk around. Then there really are some days where I just give up and write more later. When I had my own radio show- I loved being live,but the anxiety was so bad a few days before the show I felt like I was going crazy. I’ve never experienced anything like it. When you listen to the shows,I bet [ Read More ]
Here is an interesting list- the FDA (federal drug administration) has to ok a drug for use with bipolar disorder before a drug company can advertise that the drug can be used for bipolar disorder. Here is a list of the approved drugs with their initiation dates. I will write more on this topic in the next few days:
Every once in a while,I will try something new and think- oh,that’s such a great idea! It will be fun and will help my business. So,I started a FACEBOOK account. Well,if you read this blog a lot,I am sure you know where this is going. Fun for others can turn into a bit of an obsession for me. It’s not that I was obsessed with Facebook- it’s that my brain found it stressful. I am sure you know what I mean. It was an experiment that I am glad I tried. It IS good for business to get myself out there so that I can connect with readers. and it IS a good idea to keep up to date with my writing friends and their projects.
In theory.
I want to stay well- especially when it comes to internet use. [ Read More ]
Here is a letter from V. about her son and Invega- also previosly known as extended release Risperdal.
Julie,
My son has been treated for bi-polar with a mix of medications which includes Invega. This is a newer version of risperdal which is supposed to have fewer side effects. I think my son is suffering from reduced cognitive functioning,like he is in a fog. It is hard to tell because he definitely had a real drop in IQ testing (about 20 points) which the doctors thought were due to his anxiety and depression at the time of the testing,but I think it might be the meds too.
He seems “dumber”than ever and complains about it. He used to be very sharp,although he had other emotional problems which are better controlled now. Do you have any experience with invega or has anyone heard of this? He also seems to have significantly thinning [ Read More ]
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I once watched a reality show on becoming a Dallas Cowboys Cheerleader when I was at the gym. I had a political interview show on my IPOD,but this was far more intriguing ! First of all,it was a pretty weak premise for a show –as watching cheerleader tryouts probably brings back a lot of bad memories for those of us who were not fond of high school! But there was something very interesting on the show. 
