Just feel like ranting.

Being a female and bi-polar II can really suck. I recently started on lamictyl which is the first med I have ever been on that works without serious side effects. But when it is that time of the month I have to cut the dose in half (not sure why but that is what my Doctor and Pharmacist instructed) so I am a little manic this week along with all the other blessings of menstruation. So to try to compensate for the lower dose mood stabilizer I am talking a half dose of xanax as needed and it seems to calm me down. I am feeling a bit manic without it and have to keep stopping myself from doing stupid things like obessively calling/texting my boyfriend cause I actually like him and dont want to lose him. This is my first healthy relationship (possibly ever) and the first since I have been on the new med. In prior relationships I would put in way too much effort cause I honestly thought that was what you should do (My parents never ever gave me any dating advice aside from don't ride with anyone who is drinking) so calling to make plans well in advance adn texting to say stuff like "I miss you" or "you are great" was the norm for me. I should have realized that is a bit annoying to the other person and I am doing my best to take things one day at a time and let him contact me the majority of the time-and it seems to be working! While I am a very independent person who really likes living with only two cats I really like having a boyfriend in my life who I can spend part of the week with-I also like to spend time with the cats and no one else-a far cry from the girl who was terrified of not having weekend plans and hung out with jerks for friends because I actually thought it was better than being alone. Now I like a good mix of hanging out with friends, boyfriend and spending some nights at home with just me and the cats. I just wish I hadn't taken me 33 years to come to this realization. While I love my parents and think they are great people I also realized that they shielded me from reality and did not let me realize how cruel the world can be and that the only guarantee in life is change. They never told me what to do in regards to dating and supported me too much, emotionally, to the point where I was not a real adult til my late 20's and am still struggling to come to terms with what the world really is like compared to the suburban shelter of happiness they deluded me into thinking was reality.

Sorry for the rambling paragraph but I just needed to vent.

Rant away... I'm in my 1st healthy relati0nship,an i stil do the dumb texting thing,tho i try 2 keep it d0wn 2 a minimum of 3 texts a day,i kn0w i kn0w,i just can't help myself. Lucky he's my best friend and will let me kn0w if i start 2 ann0y him! Also have a similar xperience with my parents,but i'm getting the hang of things. I w0nder y ur meds get decreased during ur curse... first i'v heard of it. Anyhoo,just wantd 2 say 'hey,i get ya' :-) i d0n't think much intelligence emits fr0m my brain after 3am,so sori if i seem a bit dim 2 u,i'm n0rmally quite bright... Lol

I've never heard of this. I'm on lamictal too and have never been instructed to do this by my pdoc or the pharmacist. Does the drug insert say anything about this? I'm bad enough around that time of the month and couldn't imagine what it would be like having my meds cut in half. I would suggest asking why they want you to do this.

I also take lamictal and have never heard of reducing it when you are menstrating. In fact, it has to be increased slowly and my understanding is that you don't cut the dosage and then double it. Please check with your doctor about this.

Cutting the dose in half was the recomendation of my doctor and pharmacist. The first month I was on the meds I forgot to cut it in half and had a very manic week. This week has been much better and I have managed to control the manic episodes while only taking half dose. Cannot remember all the details but this is what I found online

" For women not taking carbamazepine, phenytoin, phenobarbital, primidone or rifampin, the maintenance dose of lamotrigine will in most cases need to be decreased by as much as 50%, in order to maintain a consistent lamotrigine plasma level"

Found it on the mims website but I am unable to post the link as I am new and do not have permission to post links.

I also have never heard of the lamictal reduction during the time of the month. I've been on it for 4 years now.

As far as the relationship goes and modeling by your parents, I can relate. My parents were always saving me from stuff and never really taught me good coping skills or relationship skills. The only thing they said about sex was don't do it because you might get pregnant.

If I look back at my life I believe I started having depression in 7th grade and I ended up missing a lot of school, etc. and running from situations to cope with my anxiety. My parents had their own issues to deal with as my mom was dealing with depression and my dad had bipolar so they allowed me to cope in this way. I'm 42 and with the help of a really good therapist am learning to cope and manage issues in a healthier way. Don't get me wrong, I still want to run away and hide a lot but I'm much better than I was.

I've only had two serious relationships in my life. One was with my ex-husband for 20 years and the 9 month relationship I'm in now. I don't have an issue with texting, etc., but my bf and I spend most of our time together. I will say that I do dive quickly into relationships though and tend to move quickly in them as well. I'd try your best to not text too much too. It sounds like you've laid off on it and it is working. Just my opinion but it could seem like you are too clingy if you do that too often and might push him away. Men like to chase women. If you are want to do it more because you have free time try your best to make plans with friends, go on walks, etc. to keep your mind off of the texting.

Both male and female bipolars I think has this problem when they are manic. It is too easy to think of the could of been and maybe even the could be in our lives. It can get very dangerious if we are married or in a stable relationship and we act on these feelings and cheat on our mate that we normal would not had done in a non manic state.

nice to find another cat lover........

Are we more likely to cheat when we're manic? I dumped a boyfriend and hooked up with someone else really soon after when I was manic, but I was never sure if it was the mania or just personal weakness. I barely remember that night (I was also extremely drunk) but have been obsessing over my mistake for five months now and can't seem to deal with the guilt... help?

Probably a combination of both? I have not really cheated on a boyfriend, but have always been quick to rebound. I started dating my current boyfriend less than a week after my ex dumped me. While I was not looking for a rebound or new boyfriend he was someone I had previously met and liked talking to, also I live in a small college town and to meet a single straight guy over 30 was such a rarity that I could not let the opportunity slip by.

Sorry if I was not much help-but the being drunk is a common theme among bi-polar-self medicating. Good luck and hope find someone good enough for you.