melissa... I can't speak to the med increase, as that is not what my psych did when I took on graveyard shifts. (She had increased it prior to then w/o knowing the upcoming shift change, so that's a different situation.)
But as to the shift work? Yes. Mood charts from that time? Not pretty. All over the place zig-zagging (down, down, down, up, up, up to neutral, occasionally spiking with a manic-y). (And still, even with it in black and white, I refused to see it for quite some time(!))Sounds like you keep a mood chart. It's amazing it hasn't affected your moods more. BUT. Where you talk about the wildly varying sleep patterns, not enough/restless sleep, split sleep etc - that was what finally got to me. Even aside from any mood things, my mind and body were a mess. Asked to get switched to days, (which was accomodated), simply saying that it was messing too much with my head and body - which often happens for people w/o BP too, so it seemed like a good generalized reason (undisclosed at work, so...). It took awhile to get back up to as many hours as I was getting on the graveyard shift, but it was worth it. Also took awhile for mind and body to adjust even after the change, but did (which was a good thing because all hell broke loose in life a short while later).
Ok, blah blah blah. Long and short, yes, IMO, it would be a very good idea to look for something else. And to switch to days even if they would not provide enough hours. Why? Because at least that would put you in a better position to look for another job with day shift (otherwise, you'd likely find youself on the go both day and night, putting your internal clock all topsy-turvy trying to accomplish the change). Especially if you find that the current sleep patterns make you spacey, as you want to be sharp while looking for a job, yes? Do you have a consistent schedule or does it change from week to week? Epecially if it is consistent, one thing to consider is looking for something else which at least helps recoup your shortage of needed hours.
Keep us posted, ok?
