I was diagnosed bipolar 1 and quite a few doctors mis-diagnosed me over the years. I can remember a manic episode 17 years ago when I was 31 and I'm sure it went back farther.

I want at all surprised by the diagnosis. But I didn't know what bipolar 1 was though. I thought manic depressive disorder. They gave me lithium.

About 2 months ago I was so lost and in despair that I went online to look for answers. When I needed at least a nurse practitioner for medicine a therapist for life, and have to ensure that I'm drug and alcohol free just to maintain a center it blew me a way. It also put me in a different kind of bipolar funk. I scarcely see the point in trying to improve my circumstances. For what?

But I'm unemployed for the first time in my life. It's been 5 months and I need to start looking. I recently got approved for Medicare and I'm on the 4th of many more. But im still waiting to even try so I can work on therapy and more importantly my meds. I currently take lithium and last night I started seroquel. But in that 4 or 5 medications are average looking at this forum alone. It's not that I want to down a bunch of pills but I also think that the intensity of the disease in me is high. For instance I'm not in a mood stabilizer and I probably need it. I want to try and get a good regimen before I start working again.

So any advice? Though I know out journey are all unique but isms there a better way of starting the cocktail of daily pills? Should I add Inca latuda or abilify? Did any of you have more meds in the lineup when you started?

All of the symptoms of bipolar 1 are present in me to a great degree and I want to be aggressive in the medicine side I have therapy linked up and will be trying to get sober here pretty quick.

I'm currently taking 600mg of lithium and 200mg of seroquel daily.