Hello, PolarPixie, and welcome to the forum.

Suggestions already given are excellent ideas, I think. I'd like to add to that if I may.

For some reason, we bipolar folks tend to build histamine levels and to have (for
many of us) high acidity of the tissues and fluids. (This has nothing to do with
the ph of the system; that is controlled by the brain and varies only a minuscule
degree from a set point.)

All medications leave an acid residue (or ash) which the kidneys must remove from our systems. When we take meds once every 24 hours, the kidneys have a bit more difficulty in the management of acidity, so the following things might help to keep the fluids and tissues at a slightly more alkaline level:

1. When you feel irritated or angy (signals of buildup of acdiity) try squeezing 2 lemons into 8 oz of water and drink it; if you aren't better in 4 hours, repeat the process. That should give you some relief. While the lemon tastes very acidic--it
is a citric acid--it is digested as one of the most alkaline foods we can eat. Its
benefits are strong for helping with alkaline states. It works for some of us and
we use it occasionally when feeling tone is a bit upset.

2. If you are sensitive to caffeine, you should remove it from your diet completely.
That would include, coffee, tea, chocolate (both of which contain theobromine, a close cousin to caffeine) and anything else containing it such as sodas. Sodas
not only contain caffeine, but also aspartame, an artificial sweetener (if you use diet drinks) which is highly acidic for the system and even thought to be poisonous by
some writers.

3. Alcohol is a depressant; you should avoid that because it lowers feeling tone after digestion. My psychiatrist has said that it makes bipolar illness worse.

4. Try to cut back on your sugar intake; it causes highs and lows reminiscent of
bipolar illness.

5. Avoid use of grains that contain gluten (if you are sensitive to it). Wheat, especially, is being recognized now as having detrimental effects on the health of
people who are sensitive to it. Please see Dr. David Williams' book Wheat Belly.

6. Avoid excessive use of milk and milk products, including cheese, cream, yogurt,
sour cream, etc.

7. Reduce your intake of beef, pork, organ meats, etc. to 4 times a week instead
of 6 or 7 times a week.

8. Have a fresh salad every day.

9. Add a fatty acid to your diet by way of capsule, such as Omega 3 fatty acids.
I prefer Nordic Omega 3's , but there are many other brands available. Research now has proven that the fatty acids are helpful in bipolar treatment.

10. Exercise within reasonable limits. (Exercise produces acid)

11. Try to control stress as much as possible. (Stress is a strong acid creator).

Be gentle with yourself. Try one or two things and then increase your work on it
as you begin to feel better. I've found that it has enabled me to reduce the meds
and dosages for better feeling tone. Of course, we should never change meds without approval from our psychiatrists.