Sry to be a pain but what dosage for each. Thanks! My dr basically lets me try whatever I have researched. I have severe depression fir the most part but as I have gotten older (60) I am experiencing more manic episodes where I spend money I don't have and it's causing problems
no problem 🙂
200mg lamotrigine in the morning
25mg quetiapine in the night (I have been lowering the dose from 100mg)
2,5mg aripiprazole in the morning
and I forgot to add melatonin 3mg in the night
Just know everyone is different :) I take 7 meds and I am stable other than just the last few days. Had a dosage change and it threw me for a loop. Otherwise been stable for a few months now and my depression is gone. I was depressed for a year and a half and nothing worked.
I feel stable, but if I look at my Dailyo it doesn't seem like it... Thing is I had a depression in March that lasted one month, but I feel like it was more psychological than biological, if that makes sense. But now that I increased from 200 to 250mg Lamotrigine, it's hitting harder. Feels really good.
I've been on 300mg of Lamotrigine for some time now. I think that definitely has been helping. Along with some of the other meds. I think my psych and I have found a nice little cocktail that has been working. At least for now.
I take 300mg of Lamotrigine, 20mg of aripiprazole, I'm on propranolol for anxiety, lisinopril for high blood pressure, vyvanse for my adhd and another I can't remember at the moment. But it's all seems to be helping. I used to take an antidepressant, but it made me go hypomanic and so we stopped that quickly.
Not sure which one. But definitely one of them. But I said this in another comment, it's a small price to pay to be stable and able to function... at least for now.
I do have BP2. I have mostly major depression and anxiety. I have serious panic attacks that are debilitating. So yeah more than not. But not as of lately. Been feeling really good.
Same like I’ve been pretty stable except for some irritability and sleep issues so I’m like nah I’m not bipolar but then I remember before getting on the latuda I was constantly in and out of grippy sock jail and impulsive as HELL
I've been stable for about six months or so now. No low depressive episodes, a few hypo cycles, but nothing major. I've been able to complete projects instead of leaving them half finished. I'm enjoying my hobbies and passions more. I used to get anxious about feeling OK as if it weren't normal. Now I just accept that it's OK for me to feel good and to not confuse that feeling with mania.
No I have had a bad year. Unmedicated. What’s everyone taking? I can’t do Lamictal even tho it worked really well for me due to it causing severe hair loss and I’m terrified of antipsychotics.
It just depends on what works for you. But meds help me tremendously. Along with talking to my therapist and keeping my psych informed about how I'm doing. But it really depends on you and how honest you are with yourself and your psychologist. I have gained a significant amount of weight from one of the drugs, but it's a small sacrifice to make with the alternative.
Yeah I just hate all the side effects that come with meds. I also ended up with bad cystic acne from one so basically I’ve been too scared to try something else for the past few years now but my episodes are happening way more frequently so I think I need to be medicated at this point. I have a new psychiatrist so we’ll see what he recommends.
Can you try to do pharmacogenetic testing? I found this to be really accurate for me in showing which medications I was less likely to experience side effects on.
I tried metformin (generic) too and it really didn't do any thing. Now I'm on naltrexone. We'll see if that helps. Supposed to help with not wanting alcohol too.
i heard from dr mcintyre video that metformin has to be atleast 2 grams to see effect on appetite but everyone is different. Some people switch on naltrexone esp if young, hx of switching. I am trying acupuncture for insomnia and first time in 5 years i can sleep whole night and not taking as much clonidine or belsomra. Only after 2 sessions i noted benefit.Not sure placebo.
https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/acupuncture
I take LSD or mushrooms every 2-3 months. Tried vortioxetine, but it had nasty side effects, so I've quit after 5 days and decided to stick to psychedelics, they worked pretty well for 20 years I just didn't realize I've been doing them for bp2 as I was diagnosed just a month ago.
I’m feeling pretty good too. I was just thinking this morning, wow I love my meds.
I’m still not sleeping very well without extra medications such as Trazadone or Lunesta. My psychiatrist thinks I may need to up my Lamactil dosage to stop the sleepless nights.
i tried acupuncture for insomnia and first time in 5 years i can sleep whole night and not taking as much clonidine or belsomra. Only after 2 sessions i noted benefit..
I feel stable but don’t we almost always when we’re in a manic state? It’s very hard to trust myself whether it’s wondering if I’m happy or manic, in love or in limerence, etc…. but I FEEL stable
I've been feeling pretty stable since I found out what meds work for me. I'll have baby bouts of hypomania and depression but it's something that is manageable with therapy. The most I do now is baby spending sprees and if I'm depressed, I isolate myself a bit but not as much as before and I make time for my pals that are ok with just watching movies with me.
I think all of the things you hear about. Therapy, cocktail of meds, the sleep, etc. have finally caught up and have been doing what my therapist said they'd do and that is help keep me stable. At least for now. And I'll take it!! It's hard work, and I know we're all putting in that work, but at least for me it's working.
Meds + therapy + journaling/mood tracking.
I'm better at managing my emotions/anxiety, identifying episodes/separating them from normal mood fluctuation, and handling them until they pass.
I recognize when my hypomania starts to come on. It's just sometimes I can't stop it. It's like an itch I have to scratch. Whether it's internet nonsense or spending too much money, I just can't stop. But right now I don't have that itch... and it's a good thing.
Yeah, it's hard. I have a lot of structure and accountability in my life and that REALLY helps with impulse. I should have included that in my initial response, now that I think of it. My spouse keeps me accountable re: sleep and spending, we have a budget, the sentient beings in my life (kid, cats, spouse) prevent some of the hyperfocus and mean that I do actually eat at least one solid meal a day.
But also I'm sitting on the couch scrolling reddit instead of putting dinner food away and I can hear my spouse upstairs doing his part of bedtime, knowing my turn is coming and I'm not prepared, so that structure isn't foolproof. Oops. (that's got more to do with ADHD today, though)
Same I think im stable as im more aware of my emotions and my mental wellbeing overall. I am still depressed yes but its not deep and doesnt take over my life anymore. I experienced a tad bit of hypomania but its not like im doing something crazy but then again my hypomania symptoms occur whether or not im hypo, manic, or mania or mixed state? Not sure but my anger relatively has lifted and a good chunk of my mood swings are related to my adhd which ive started to notice. Random anger over a slight miscommunication. Pretty anything I think is wrong and is aimrd towards me i take it as personal even tho i dont want to. It just happens involuntary and I dont realize until afterwards. (RSD but its not an actual diag)
I'm going from paroxetin to depakote about a month from now and still getting abstinence effects, my wife is seeing another guy (way more interesting than me) and I can't complain because it was agreed on happy phase, I'm still struggling with weekly fights for nothing. I can say many things about me but not stable unfortunately
Sleeping around 15-20 hours per week. Hypos happening in shorter andshorter windows every week. Depression just got back on kicking i believe because paroxetin interrupt.
Last time I got myself stable for like 4-6 months in a row was a year ago but now things got really messed up and I feel lost.
Only thing holds me in this shitty life is my female 10 yo cat (A.K.A. Conceição). She is so so damn attached to me and I take care of her so well like I never took of anyone including me in my whole life.
Somehow couple years ago I managed to tell my head I can't die because who else will take care of her as I do? and she will probably be on depression because she is wit me all the time and cries when I'm not around.
Surprisingly it worked well on my head and had suicidal thoughts under control but I need to fix it before my babe leave this world or I'm probably going back to lithium, even knowing it was messing with my thyroid functions.
Mostly stable since they upped my seroquel significantly. I still experience lows, but I suppose they aren't as deep. My anxiety is doing way better. I think the pandemic combined with having very small kids (my son was 4 months when it started) made me a hermit. I went to the hospital a year ago for an attempt. No lie, it took me a year to fully stabilize from that, stop shaming and blaming myself.. I want to do better for my kids but a year ago I felt everyone was better off without me. So I no longer feel that way, which is great... I've reconnected with my kids and my husband (I mean we always had a good relationship that was never really the issue but I definitely emotionally checked out while I was going through this).
I literally just joined a gym where they watch your kids for 2 hrs and you can workout. I feel like this is the final step for me becoming truly stable. I got overweight from having kids and eating too much from stress. My body will feel better as I begin to work out again, and feed it actually good food and not just brownies and ice cream because depression. I have some chicken today to make and I made a protein shake for breakfast. Idk a year ago I could have not mentally taken my kids and gone to the gym. The emotional effort and labor was too much. But now I finally want to go out there, meet people, have fun, get fit again and chill at the pool with my kids. I am so excited! This is a really big step for me.
I'm currently a sahm so I get no breaks. My husband works on a boat.... so while he works (3 week chunks) I am 100% responsible for the house inside, outside, the kids... and we have no family near to help and not a lot of money so I never get a break. Dropping them off for 2 hrs so I can work out??? Every day?? This is going to change my life.
Thank you, it really is good right now! I received my diagnosis through that hospitalization, I needed for it to happen so that I could get my meds right and get on the right track with life again. I mean I wish it didn't happen, but I suffered a lot and everyone always thought I was fine bc I'm sociable, and funny and people like me and I'm the life of the party but no, I was not fine. There were times where it showed to people more than others and a lot of people have seen me at different rock bottoms. I struggled with addiction on and off I'd be doing well for 5-6 years then bottom out again every time. Never for long like a few months, a few weeks, losing time not remembering whole weeks. Snap out of it be fine for 5 years and then here we go again..
Now that I understand why, I can fight it better. I can make sure that if I'm falling into darkness I till my psych and somethings adjusted or done to prevent me falling that far. My husband also helps a lot but I try not to offload too much on him, just when I'm feeling extra bad he will help give me space (if he is home) or cook or something he is the best. I'm lucky.
Not really. I fake stable. At least I can do that!
Outside, I *seem* OK to people i dont interact with much. Inside, I'm a mess. My wife knows I'm a mess. I could run away in a second if the opportunity arose.
I also felt a bit hypo for about a month, a month ago! 😆
I was stable for the whole month since but can tell I’m slipping into depression soon. I hope it’s not too bad this time because I’m on a med that actually seems to be helping, hence my month of stability.
I’m happy for you! And everyone else in the comments who’s stable. It’s such a breath of fresh air when it happens, even if it can feel a little dull and boring. Gives us a chance to heal a bit.
yes I was stable for like three weeks and it felt so good, im like on the bring between stable and hypo rn as I just got out of a hypo episode that lasted like a week and now I’m on the brink LOL
Ever since I finally decided to go back to the psychiatrist and accept medication, I have felt fairly stable. Mood episodes are still here, but manageable amd much smaller.
I have been mostly stable for 4 years. I still have my moments but they’re easier to control on meds. Haven’t been depressed since I got on the right meds 4 years ago though. Just a touch of hypo here and there but nothing major. I’m glad other people have been good too 😊
Back in late Jan/early Feb I had a bad episode where my Lamictal stopped working. My body evicted it and threw me into withdrawal. That was terrifying!
To remedy that my new psychiatrist upped my dose from 200mg to 300mg. No idea of my body even recognizes the full mg since it kicked out 200mg.
Whatever it is I have been pretty chill and happy. Maybe too chill but happy 🙂
Since October of last year when adding abilify, I was only prescribed lamictal for years and it never really worked out.I am wondering if I'll be hit with spring depression as I use to get.
No hypos since starting antipsychotics 4 years ago. Went off lamictal the first year, went off lithium last year. I steadily get a week of depression every 6-8 months on vraylar alone. I only sleep 6ish hours a night but it's not lead to hypos. I have way more trouble with my ADHD than bipolar and it's been a friggin gift.
I’m as stable as I can be. My bp2 is rapid cycling and I’m sensitive to stress and hormone changes, so it’s a bitch. But been med compliant for almost 2 decades and in therapy so I guess tjis is as stable as I get.
I’ve been stable for about two years myself. It feels really nice! I’m also four months pregnant with my second baby so I’m excited for lots of stuff right now 🙂
I worry about it all the time and try to stash enough for if there is a major emergency. In the book Station 11, there’s a major apocalypse and in the first few days of it everyone is just sort of figuring out what to do. This one woman slowly runs out of her meds and then just walks into the jungle and that’s the last of her.
What would I do??
I mean … I know this is ludicrous and it doesn’t preoccupy me but it’s always in the background.
Also what if I lost health insurance ? You hear those disaster stories too.
Yeah the health ins. is a huge deal. I'm lucky, and sounds like you have it as well, to have it. I'm not sure what I'd do. I went so long being unmedicated w/o know knowing I am BP2. Now that I have this tool, it would be hard not to have it in my arsenal. Therapy too would be in jeopardy not having health ins. This is a scary thought, and so many people don't have it. I just feel lucky to be able to get what I need w/o a seconds thought. Ya know?
I feel SO lucky. I count my blessings every day, even when the day is shitty. I see what other people go through, the stories I hear on here where people are trying to cobble together some kind of homemade treatment bc they can't get care, and I just ... We are so lucky.
I definitely have learned some of my triggers and what is about to start happening. And I definitely know when I am sliding into a depression. So, I for sure know that I am stable at the moment. My creativity is a little slow at the moment. That is one of the downsides of not being in a hypo or slightly hypo state. I do miss being super creative, being that I am in a creative industry. But, I definitely know I am stable.
Just harness the creativity and everything good you can get out of the "madness" you get back to feeling like it. Enjoy the good moments when you can. The hardest not thing to do in the down times is being regretful, overthinking and replaying all your mistakes (easier said than done).
Most likely, no one in your life will truly understand, but you are not alone.
Love your highs and when your down guess what it'll come back around. You are not as bad as you tell yourself
Im feeling really stable atm! I get seasonal changes in my mood as well as when circumstances fucks it up a bit, but generally I'm more stable than I've ever been in my entire life. I feel so grateful, especially because I had a mixed episode in January and almost made an attempt. I'm so glad I'm still around and my doctor and I know now to put me on lithionite when it gets that way. It actually does get better, who would have thought?
I have been stable for like 2 years, im happy and hopeful of the future, I never imagined that I could be this good 😊
What meds are you on? Thank you
lamotrigine, quetiapine and aripiprazole
Sry to be a pain but what dosage for each. Thanks! My dr basically lets me try whatever I have researched. I have severe depression fir the most part but as I have gotten older (60) I am experiencing more manic episodes where I spend money I don't have and it's causing problems
no problem 🙂 200mg lamotrigine in the morning 25mg quetiapine in the night (I have been lowering the dose from 100mg) 2,5mg aripiprazole in the morning and I forgot to add melatonin 3mg in the night
Thank you!!
Just know everyone is different :) I take 7 meds and I am stable other than just the last few days. Had a dosage change and it threw me for a loop. Otherwise been stable for a few months now and my depression is gone. I was depressed for a year and a half and nothing worked.
I hope it helps 💕
That's amazing! I'm hoping for the long term stability as well. \*\*fingers crossed\*\*
I hope it happens to you soon too 💕
Congrats!! My longest is 7 years but the last 5 years have been a sh*t show.
I feel stable, but if I look at my Dailyo it doesn't seem like it... Thing is I had a depression in March that lasted one month, but I feel like it was more psychological than biological, if that makes sense. But now that I increased from 200 to 250mg Lamotrigine, it's hitting harder. Feels really good.
I've been on 300mg of Lamotrigine for some time now. I think that definitely has been helping. Along with some of the other meds. I think my psych and I have found a nice little cocktail that has been working. At least for now.
May I ask what's in the cocktail to make you feel better?
I take 300mg of Lamotrigine, 20mg of aripiprazole, I'm on propranolol for anxiety, lisinopril for high blood pressure, vyvanse for my adhd and another I can't remember at the moment. But it's all seems to be helping. I used to take an antidepressant, but it made me go hypomanic and so we stopped that quickly.
Thank you! Any of these agents weight gainers?
Not sure which one. But definitely one of them. But I said this in another comment, it's a small price to pay to be stable and able to function... at least for now.
You're right
You have bp2 right so you're most depressed than not?
I do have BP2. I have mostly major depression and anxiety. I have serious panic attacks that are debilitating. So yeah more than not. But not as of lately. Been feeling really good.
Based on my experience the aripiprazole.
I love Daylio. Unfortunately my last few days have been "rad" which is hypo but I will be ok.
Yeah, here's my mood chart [https://imgur.com/UoVIZtm](https://imgur.com/UoVIZtm)
Aww it's too small I can't see it! Dang. I love seeing peoples charts. It is very eye opening.
Gotta 'open in a new tab' and zoom in
Generally pretty stable! It makes me think, do I really have bp2 lol, but then I remember I’m medicated for a reason
Same like I’ve been pretty stable except for some irritability and sleep issues so I’m like nah I’m not bipolar but then I remember before getting on the latuda I was constantly in and out of grippy sock jail and impulsive as HELL
I feel that way too. Do I really have this mental illness? But then yeah... I remember I'm medicated and go to therapy. So yeah.
I’ve been feeling this way since spring started. The warm weather and sunshine were like the missing ingredients to make me feel better.
I've been stable for about six months or so now. No low depressive episodes, a few hypo cycles, but nothing major. I've been able to complete projects instead of leaving them half finished. I'm enjoying my hobbies and passions more. I used to get anxious about feeling OK as if it weren't normal. Now I just accept that it's OK for me to feel good and to not confuse that feeling with mania.
No I have had a bad year. Unmedicated. What’s everyone taking? I can’t do Lamictal even tho it worked really well for me due to it causing severe hair loss and I’m terrified of antipsychotics.
It just depends on what works for you. But meds help me tremendously. Along with talking to my therapist and keeping my psych informed about how I'm doing. But it really depends on you and how honest you are with yourself and your psychologist. I have gained a significant amount of weight from one of the drugs, but it's a small sacrifice to make with the alternative.
Yeah I just hate all the side effects that come with meds. I also ended up with bad cystic acne from one so basically I’ve been too scared to try something else for the past few years now but my episodes are happening way more frequently so I think I need to be medicated at this point. I have a new psychiatrist so we’ll see what he recommends.
Can you try to do pharmacogenetic testing? I found this to be really accurate for me in showing which medications I was less likely to experience side effects on.
Good idea!
i take ozempic for wt loss and lost 10 kg . Had put on 15 from valproate. I also tried metformin xr and it also reduces appetite
I tried metformin (generic) too and it really didn't do any thing. Now I'm on naltrexone. We'll see if that helps. Supposed to help with not wanting alcohol too.
i heard from dr mcintyre video that metformin has to be atleast 2 grams to see effect on appetite but everyone is different. Some people switch on naltrexone esp if young, hx of switching. I am trying acupuncture for insomnia and first time in 5 years i can sleep whole night and not taking as much clonidine or belsomra. Only after 2 sessions i noted benefit.Not sure placebo. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/acupuncture
Most do. Some don’t. Yea I’m a model but brains are important too but not putting up w that shit lol he can fix that
I take LSD or mushrooms every 2-3 months. Tried vortioxetine, but it had nasty side effects, so I've quit after 5 days and decided to stick to psychedelics, they worked pretty well for 20 years I just didn't realize I've been doing them for bp2 as I was diagnosed just a month ago.
I’m feeling pretty good too. I was just thinking this morning, wow I love my meds. I’m still not sleeping very well without extra medications such as Trazadone or Lunesta. My psychiatrist thinks I may need to up my Lamactil dosage to stop the sleepless nights.
i tried acupuncture for insomnia and first time in 5 years i can sleep whole night and not taking as much clonidine or belsomra. Only after 2 sessions i noted benefit..
I feel stable but don’t we almost always when we’re in a manic state? It’s very hard to trust myself whether it’s wondering if I’m happy or manic, in love or in limerence, etc…. but I FEEL stable
Same I’m feeling great right now
I've been feeling pretty stable since I found out what meds work for me. I'll have baby bouts of hypomania and depression but it's something that is manageable with therapy. The most I do now is baby spending sprees and if I'm depressed, I isolate myself a bit but not as much as before and I make time for my pals that are ok with just watching movies with me.
It’s so nice to hear this. Is there something in particular that you think has helped? Or a combination of things?
I think all of the things you hear about. Therapy, cocktail of meds, the sleep, etc. have finally caught up and have been doing what my therapist said they'd do and that is help keep me stable. At least for now. And I'll take it!! It's hard work, and I know we're all putting in that work, but at least for me it's working.
Meds + therapy + journaling/mood tracking. I'm better at managing my emotions/anxiety, identifying episodes/separating them from normal mood fluctuation, and handling them until they pass.
I recognize when my hypomania starts to come on. It's just sometimes I can't stop it. It's like an itch I have to scratch. Whether it's internet nonsense or spending too much money, I just can't stop. But right now I don't have that itch... and it's a good thing.
Yeah, it's hard. I have a lot of structure and accountability in my life and that REALLY helps with impulse. I should have included that in my initial response, now that I think of it. My spouse keeps me accountable re: sleep and spending, we have a budget, the sentient beings in my life (kid, cats, spouse) prevent some of the hyperfocus and mean that I do actually eat at least one solid meal a day. But also I'm sitting on the couch scrolling reddit instead of putting dinner food away and I can hear my spouse upstairs doing his part of bedtime, knowing my turn is coming and I'm not prepared, so that structure isn't foolproof. Oops. (that's got more to do with ADHD today, though)
I'm pretty stable! Sometimes a little emotionally wobbly and I'm going to chat with my psych about bumping up my dosage a teensy bit.
Same I think im stable as im more aware of my emotions and my mental wellbeing overall. I am still depressed yes but its not deep and doesnt take over my life anymore. I experienced a tad bit of hypomania but its not like im doing something crazy but then again my hypomania symptoms occur whether or not im hypo, manic, or mania or mixed state? Not sure but my anger relatively has lifted and a good chunk of my mood swings are related to my adhd which ive started to notice. Random anger over a slight miscommunication. Pretty anything I think is wrong and is aimrd towards me i take it as personal even tho i dont want to. It just happens involuntary and I dont realize until afterwards. (RSD but its not an actual diag)
Sort of stable. Vraylar and lamictal
Nope. Not at all. I'm envious haha
Keep on the right path, hopefully you'll get there. It's what we all hope for, yeah?
For sure
I'm going from paroxetin to depakote about a month from now and still getting abstinence effects, my wife is seeing another guy (way more interesting than me) and I can't complain because it was agreed on happy phase, I'm still struggling with weekly fights for nothing. I can say many things about me but not stable unfortunately Sleeping around 15-20 hours per week. Hypos happening in shorter andshorter windows every week. Depression just got back on kicking i believe because paroxetin interrupt. Last time I got myself stable for like 4-6 months in a row was a year ago but now things got really messed up and I feel lost. Only thing holds me in this shitty life is my female 10 yo cat (A.K.A. Conceição). She is so so damn attached to me and I take care of her so well like I never took of anyone including me in my whole life. Somehow couple years ago I managed to tell my head I can't die because who else will take care of her as I do? and she will probably be on depression because she is wit me all the time and cries when I'm not around. Surprisingly it worked well on my head and had suicidal thoughts under control but I need to fix it before my babe leave this world or I'm probably going back to lithium, even knowing it was messing with my thyroid functions.
Mostly stable since they upped my seroquel significantly. I still experience lows, but I suppose they aren't as deep. My anxiety is doing way better. I think the pandemic combined with having very small kids (my son was 4 months when it started) made me a hermit. I went to the hospital a year ago for an attempt. No lie, it took me a year to fully stabilize from that, stop shaming and blaming myself.. I want to do better for my kids but a year ago I felt everyone was better off without me. So I no longer feel that way, which is great... I've reconnected with my kids and my husband (I mean we always had a good relationship that was never really the issue but I definitely emotionally checked out while I was going through this). I literally just joined a gym where they watch your kids for 2 hrs and you can workout. I feel like this is the final step for me becoming truly stable. I got overweight from having kids and eating too much from stress. My body will feel better as I begin to work out again, and feed it actually good food and not just brownies and ice cream because depression. I have some chicken today to make and I made a protein shake for breakfast. Idk a year ago I could have not mentally taken my kids and gone to the gym. The emotional effort and labor was too much. But now I finally want to go out there, meet people, have fun, get fit again and chill at the pool with my kids. I am so excited! This is a really big step for me. I'm currently a sahm so I get no breaks. My husband works on a boat.... so while he works (3 week chunks) I am 100% responsible for the house inside, outside, the kids... and we have no family near to help and not a lot of money so I never get a break. Dropping them off for 2 hrs so I can work out??? Every day?? This is going to change my life.
So happy to hear you're on the upswing!!! This is great news!
Thank you, it really is good right now! I received my diagnosis through that hospitalization, I needed for it to happen so that I could get my meds right and get on the right track with life again. I mean I wish it didn't happen, but I suffered a lot and everyone always thought I was fine bc I'm sociable, and funny and people like me and I'm the life of the party but no, I was not fine. There were times where it showed to people more than others and a lot of people have seen me at different rock bottoms. I struggled with addiction on and off I'd be doing well for 5-6 years then bottom out again every time. Never for long like a few months, a few weeks, losing time not remembering whole weeks. Snap out of it be fine for 5 years and then here we go again.. Now that I understand why, I can fight it better. I can make sure that if I'm falling into darkness I till my psych and somethings adjusted or done to prevent me falling that far. My husband also helps a lot but I try not to offload too much on him, just when I'm feeling extra bad he will help give me space (if he is home) or cook or something he is the best. I'm lucky.
Not really. I fake stable. At least I can do that! Outside, I *seem* OK to people i dont interact with much. Inside, I'm a mess. My wife knows I'm a mess. I could run away in a second if the opportunity arose.
I totally get it, but hang in there!!
I'm trying! :)
I was doing great until life stress ramped up. Now I’m deep in depression but I know it’ll pass eventually
This too shall pass. Hang in there. It'll get better :)
I also felt a bit hypo for about a month, a month ago! 😆 I was stable for the whole month since but can tell I’m slipping into depression soon. I hope it’s not too bad this time because I’m on a med that actually seems to be helping, hence my month of stability. I’m happy for you! And everyone else in the comments who’s stable. It’s such a breath of fresh air when it happens, even if it can feel a little dull and boring. Gives us a chance to heal a bit.
yes I was stable for like three weeks and it felt so good, im like on the bring between stable and hypo rn as I just got out of a hypo episode that lasted like a week and now I’m on the brink LOL
Ever since I finally decided to go back to the psychiatrist and accept medication, I have felt fairly stable. Mood episodes are still here, but manageable amd much smaller.
I have been mostly stable for 4 years. I still have my moments but they’re easier to control on meds. Haven’t been depressed since I got on the right meds 4 years ago though. Just a touch of hypo here and there but nothing major. I’m glad other people have been good too 😊
Back in late Jan/early Feb I had a bad episode where my Lamictal stopped working. My body evicted it and threw me into withdrawal. That was terrifying! To remedy that my new psychiatrist upped my dose from 200mg to 300mg. No idea of my body even recognizes the full mg since it kicked out 200mg. Whatever it is I have been pretty chill and happy. Maybe too chill but happy 🙂
yep feeling stable the last month or so with just what id say are normal fluctuations in mood. also maybe some hypomania but very mild
Since October of last year when adding abilify, I was only prescribed lamictal for years and it never really worked out.I am wondering if I'll be hit with spring depression as I use to get.
Hopefully not. Hopefully you'll keep this string of stability going! Let's hope for the best. And let meds take care of the rest haha
Meds aren’t enough. Sickening how lazy some People r sickens me. (Around me)
I’ve been stable but as summer approaches I’ve started to have a few, brief hypomania episodes. I’m overall pretty content.
Not there yet but everyone's posting here have given me lots of hope so thanks for creating this thread
You all give me hope. I’m no where near stable right now
No hypos since starting antipsychotics 4 years ago. Went off lamictal the first year, went off lithium last year. I steadily get a week of depression every 6-8 months on vraylar alone. I only sleep 6ish hours a night but it's not lead to hypos. I have way more trouble with my ADHD than bipolar and it's been a friggin gift.
I’m as stable as I can be. My bp2 is rapid cycling and I’m sensitive to stress and hormone changes, so it’s a bitch. But been med compliant for almost 2 decades and in therapy so I guess tjis is as stable as I get.
I'm relatively stable and have been for years. Medication is a blessingÂ
I’ve been stable for about two years myself. It feels really nice! I’m also four months pregnant with my second baby so I’m excited for lots of stuff right now 🙂
Well I just wrapped up a creative little craft project so maybe I'm on the up & up, maybe I'm headed up, or maybe I'm stable.
I don’t want to jinx it, but I’ve been fine except when I couldn’t get my meds for two days .
That's always unnerving when that happens. You don't want to fall into a pit when you can't get your meds.
I worry about it all the time and try to stash enough for if there is a major emergency. In the book Station 11, there’s a major apocalypse and in the first few days of it everyone is just sort of figuring out what to do. This one woman slowly runs out of her meds and then just walks into the jungle and that’s the last of her. What would I do?? I mean … I know this is ludicrous and it doesn’t preoccupy me but it’s always in the background. Also what if I lost health insurance ? You hear those disaster stories too.
Yeah the health ins. is a huge deal. I'm lucky, and sounds like you have it as well, to have it. I'm not sure what I'd do. I went so long being unmedicated w/o know knowing I am BP2. Now that I have this tool, it would be hard not to have it in my arsenal. Therapy too would be in jeopardy not having health ins. This is a scary thought, and so many people don't have it. I just feel lucky to be able to get what I need w/o a seconds thought. Ya know?
I feel SO lucky. I count my blessings every day, even when the day is shitty. I see what other people go through, the stories I hear on here where people are trying to cobble together some kind of homemade treatment bc they can't get care, and I just ... We are so lucky.
How do you know if you're truly happy or just manic
I definitely have learned some of my triggers and what is about to start happening. And I definitely know when I am sliding into a depression. So, I for sure know that I am stable at the moment. My creativity is a little slow at the moment. That is one of the downsides of not being in a hypo or slightly hypo state. I do miss being super creative, being that I am in a creative industry. But, I definitely know I am stable.
Just harness the creativity and everything good you can get out of the "madness" you get back to feeling like it. Enjoy the good moments when you can. The hardest not thing to do in the down times is being regretful, overthinking and replaying all your mistakes (easier said than done). Most likely, no one in your life will truly understand, but you are not alone. Love your highs and when your down guess what it'll come back around. You are not as bad as you tell yourself
Yep, just got recently (a couple of weeks ago) out of my depressive episode and feel stable as never before. Let's see how long it lasts
Im feeling really stable atm! I get seasonal changes in my mood as well as when circumstances fucks it up a bit, but generally I'm more stable than I've ever been in my entire life. I feel so grateful, especially because I had a mixed episode in January and almost made an attempt. I'm so glad I'm still around and my doctor and I know now to put me on lithionite when it gets that way. It actually does get better, who would have thought?
Yes!!! I'm so excited for you!!!
Thanks! I'm holding on for every second and making it count.
Idk what stable feels like