Does this ever get any easier???

I was wanting to hear from people who have lived with BP for awhile and how long it really took you to get it under control. I was diagnosed in the fall of 2008 so it's been about 3 years now and I am still all over the place with my moods. I know BP is a lifetime illness but does it get any easier over time?

Dx March 2009. I would like to know also

Dx 2002. It has been really hard to deal with BP. I go up and down. Been on about all the meds there are out there and it still is a struggle. I have to focus on the good days and the good things in my life. The people I love and who love me. I pray for sanity. It is easier knowing that I have it. There things I watch out for, like sleeping too much or getting too pissed off at other drivers, that signal an up or a down cycle. Also, feeling physically ill can trigger an episode, so taking good care of myself is necessary.

--CruiseAustin
__________________________

"Sing like nobody's listening.
Live like it's Heaven on Earth,
Work like you don't need money,
Love like you've never been hurt,
And dance like no one is watching."

Nope. One day at a time. Once you accept that, then yes--life's easier, the disease isn't.

Diagnosed in 1999. Tried med after med after med until 2007 when I found selegiline and clozapine (and others for sleep and stuff). I have been stable for four years now.

****in lovely

Unfortunately, BP Disorder worsens with age. However, if you keep on top of it, get your meds. tweaked as needed, and if you learn coping skills through therapy, you can always keep in under control.

It really sux that BP is a lifetime disorder.

I guess one gets used to it. You learn to expand your comfort zone so not every dip or upswing freaks you out.

And it doesn't have not get worse with age, I think.

Right now I'm off meds, got a pdoc appointment 10-10. Been going through bad swings for 1 1/2 yrs. From these answers, I'm thinking, I should just stay off them. Whatever happens, happens!I personally don't want to fight with it for yrs. Good luck, and much love to you all battling with this cancer like disease!

personally I am doing the au naturale route. It sucks in the way that it is hard to find support when you are off meds, because 90% of people will try to convince you that you *need* to be on something.

I use Bach essences to relief from the most bothersome symptoms.

Thanks VenusHalley! I'm still unsure of course, Are we ever sure of anything??
Now I have to ponder that!

I also started on selegiline (Emsam patch), just started 12mg on Wednesday ... for the past 6 to 8 weeks. The only side effect I have at this time is difficulty urinating. I am hopeful that this will work for my depression but right now I am depressed and just waiting for Monday for my next ECT.

I really , really hope it helps you!! Hang in there

I have accepted that I am going to have some bad times but I have many good days or even weeks. It took 3 years for my first Pdoc to get me on the right meds and when I got my current Pdoc she fine tunes my meds on a monthly basis. Yes..most of us do get better and our condition is more tolerable. It really helps when you have friends and family that know your condition and support you. My friends will even tell me when they think I need to see my Pdoc for a med ajustment. I have asked them to let me know when they notice I am having problems. They usually can detect it before I do.

i was labeled as schizophrenia at 17 after a nervous breakdown. so i was treated with meds for that. at 49 i had stopped my meds, ended up in a ward. they said i was bp. they tried all types of meds, sent me home once, .. i knew i wasn't right (at least not then) so i went back and they gave me two shock treatments. for me i will always be like i am with whatever issues. the correct meds are a must. it helps to have a knowledgeable doctor also. ( A teacher got his doctorate stone drunk-- he speaks of it honestly.. i take one day at a time, one minute at a time if i need to. i won't ever be without problems, but i am better than i used to be, and hoping i will be better than i am now in the future.

No. The pain gets worse and the number of people you hurt becomes greater.

no, no no, it does not get easier, just when I think i am doing better, it kicks me in the ___ big time. .. i have tried and do try every day to deal with whatever.

I can count on my husband to be honest if i am "off" but after 33 years with me, he doesn't want to have to watch me that close. plus. he has no tact when speaking. and i have a so- called friend, who loves to tell me i am off. (she also said my tissue from my purse smelt odd), she has caused me to doubt myself when i was doing well. i just make sure i don't think i am at the point of perfection. but there is always room for improvement. ( i was reading out loud in class , years ago, . the teacher said it was so good, she would give a 100 score, But since there is always room for improvement., i only got like a 95..) oh, well.

I'm off all meds too. One by one over the last seven years or so since my diagnosis, medication has either stopped working or had serious side effects. The last batch triggered seizures.

I won't lie and say it hasn't been difficult. It has. At least I don't spend most of my time sleeping. That is one positive outcome. I resolved to go out more, although going about in public is sometimes like walking on knives with bare feet. When I was medicated, I simply went nowhere. As I said, I slept most of the time or hide behind my computer.

I'm going to investigate TMS (Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation) with a doctor's appointment coming up this week. It is a new therapy that uses high-powered magnets to reconfigure the brain. I don't know anyone personally who has had this, so I would love to hear from someone who's been through the treatment and can provide first-person evidence on its effectiveness and any side effects.

That's when I was diagnosed (and hospitalized for mania), but since learning and reading about BP and looking back over my life I've been BP since my teens. I tried many meds and combinations of meds for 2 years post-diagnosis, then made the mistake of going off meds for a year (thinking I was somehow "cured")! Now I am back on meds with a P-doc and T-doc after several months of intractable depression. It's good that you recognize it's for life because even though I really knew that I hadn't accepted it until recently. I'm not sure it gets any easier. Maybe with therapy and meds and support one becomes more experienced in successfully managing it...

I did a thorough investigation of TMS and I'm located near a major hospital where the Dept. of Psychiatry uses it. My insurance would not cover it and price wise it was $ 400-500 per session with several sessions reccomended. I wouldn't qualify income-wise for any financial help either. But my insurance will cover ECT! Go figure. They say TMS is "not proven and experimental" therefore they won't pay.

I'm not really the right person to ask today. It does get better, but there are still really bad days and really manic super happy days. I was dx'd in spring '09 and found a meds combo that worked for me in summer '10 (but started trying meds in '08, not having the correct dx). Last time I was manic was summer '09. That was great. But then I crashed...always the climbing then the fall. I'm kind of depressed right now, but it's because I was drinking for the past week. My meds overall work really well to keep me in balance. Finding the right combo is time consuming and sporadic, but well worth it. Don't give up. Moods and episodes are temporary. Your life will seem so awesome on future days that you'll be glad you didn't give in.

Diagnosed 5 years ago, undiagnosed 10 years before that....
Things definitely have got better for me
I have meds that are working (for the moment) and have much better skills in dealing with my BP and life in general.

The liver is necessary for any one to live, whether good or evil, depends how one takes care of it..

i have felt my spirit crushed so many times. i knew i had been broken.. so in comes another person to attempt to break me. i overhear, do you think this will be too much/// ? then, the reply, you can not break what is already broken..