[looking4polaris]

Does anyone find that vitamins or exercise elevate their mood too much? Whenever I take vitamins (just a boring multi-vitamin) it really revs me up. Also, I try to exercise regularly to help combat the medication side effects, but I always get overly energetic afterward. Even if I exercise in the very early AM and just walk, I will still be in "energizer bunny" mode at 10 PM.

I really don't want to give up good habits, but I know it's also unhealthy to let the mania get out of control. Will I ever get a handle on this darn disorder. Does everything have to be so either/or, so black and white...

[la doctora]

I take vitamins daily and have noticed an increase in energy but not really in mood. When I excercise in the morning it tends to wake me up instead of feeling droopy and tired most of the morning. I very rarely ever drink caffiene so I enjoy the boost I get from the morning excersise. Are you on any medication to help stabalize your moods. I would suggest talking with your pdoc about your current meds and the need to adjust perhaps. I think vitamins and excersise are so important for us to help our bodies out as much as we can since they already take such abuse from our illnesses. Hope you find something that helps...

[jennaorgana]

working out is mood lifter, but it shouldnt pop u up into mania

[Anneinside]

The psych nurse who runs my support group says that Vitamin D (1,000 - 2,000 units a day) can help, just as sunlight helps mood.

[WendyAussie]

I 100% agree that exercise is important, but for me, I learned last year that the type of exercise is crucial. We have a local fund that gives people with mental illness one year memberships to the gym (I bet you know what's coming next). I went, I was very nervous as I haven't exercised in a long term due to chronic low functionlity and being daily suicidal for years. I worked out a program with the gym guy and started my program, I lasted six weeks and during that period I went into hypomania/mania, which I hadn't for quite a while as Lithium looks after the highs for me pretty well. In retrospect I know the gym environment is not suitable for me - it is all loud pumping music and pumping frenetic gym members. The Hypomania of course ended in a huge plummet into suicidal depression which further on landed my in the psych ward.

I know also know that for most of my life I was either a gym junkie or a complete slug and my psychologist explained to me recently that that is a classic symptom of Bipolar, which was a real revelation but makes complete sense.

So walking is the thing for me - but I haven't gotten into the groove of it at this stage - I have chronic Insomnia and sleep apnea (I have a CPAP machine but the mask is malfunctioning right now) and I am in sleep deficit, but I am determined to get back to walking, and maybe swimming, which I used tgo do and is very meditative.

[billieJ]

I hope you find something that helps this if it is troublesome to you. I can only admire this, as I find depression and fatigue to be the culprits in my life. However, I'm sure the opposite can be equally troublesome and can lead to troubles with others who tend to notice us more when we are hyper than when we are depressed. There are supplements that can calm, such as valerian root. billieJ