[wizzywig]

HI everyone,
I could really use some practical suggestions for
ways to fight bipolar depression in addition to
taking meds. I am having worst depression since
diagnosed 35 years ago
Thanks!

[Trippin2.0]

Hello and a warm to our PC family!!! Exercise, even just some light cardio, releases seratonin. I'm lazy as hell when it comes to exercising, but a jog does me good when I in the dumpster. Vitamin D is also helpful, I'm a sunshine freak, so I opt for straight to sunshine D brand, as sitting in the sun always does wonders for me. Altho it does send to scramble my circuits when I'm hypo still love it tho! SLEF-CARE is a biggy! Make time just for you, do something nice to treat yourself...

[faerie_moon_x]

Hi! Welcome!

My favorite way to combat depression is to watch funny movies. Even if I'm not laughing, I surround myself with comedy to distract the bad stuff. Avoid drama and the news. Look at funny cat (or dog or fails or whatever if funny) pictures online.

Also forcing myself to shower even if I am not up to it can really help. Staying clean with brushed hair and teeth and clean clothes can really help. Getting dressed and not staying in pajamas helps! Eating something, even just a small snack, can help,too.

I hope you start feeling better soon.

[Thoughtbubble]

Welcome to the site!

[hamster-bamster]

Make sure you have some protein with each meal or snack.

[LadyShadow]

I agree with what everyone said. Funny movies and exercise can really help. Do something that makes you happy. It really helps. The showering thing really helps too. Its a great motivator to do things. Recharges your batteries in a sense.

And Welcome to PC!

[LucyG]

I'm sorry you're going through this.

A couple of things I've learned from having BP2 for over 40 years is that getting outside and going for a walk helps lift my mood. Bad as it is to admit, chocolate also helps.

Another thing I learned that willl ruffle some feathers no doubt is that a lot of the meds actually have depression as a side-effect!! I know that sounds crazy, but it's absolutely true, and happened to me for years on end. After going on meds, I ended up so depressed I was barely able to get off the couch for days on end, and looking back, I certain a the main culprit was klonopin that was prescribed to help me sleep. I went off it several years ago along with my other meds and was shocked at how much less depressed I was. Then, because I have a sleep disorder that causes me to jerk as I fall asleep, I went back on it. Within 3 days I was so deeply depressed I couldn't stop crying. This went on for a couple of weeks to the point I was nearly suicidal for no reason. Fortunately I remembered reading that these could be side-effects of the meds so I googled it, and there it was in black and white. I immediated went off it, and within 3 days, my mood returned to normal. I'm now convinced I was taking a depression pill every day for years when I was on that stuff. My sister takes it from time-to-time and ends up morbidly depressed as well but won't believe me that the klonopin is a huge part of her problem.

If you don't believe me, google [name of med], side-effects, depression, anxiety and see what comes up. A great place to check are the sites where people write about their experiences on meds.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by LucyG

I'm sorry you're going through this.

Bad as it is to admit, chocolate also helps.

Why is it bad??? I eat dark chocolate daily, preventatively .

[LucyG]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

Why is it bad??? I eat dark chocolate daily, preventatively .

My pants are tight, that's why!!! I hate to break down and dig out my fat pants. Other than that, I consider it therapy......When my now deceased dogs were old and dying, I ate a pint of ice-cream every day and labeled it 'ice cream therapy.'

[Eliza Jane]

A regular sleep schedule and getting the right amount of sleep (neither too much or too little) is very important for BP folks.

Welcome!
EJ

[~Christina]

Welcome to PC !

I agree with the others they have great information! There are so much information here and support whenever you need it.

Okay, Wizzywig, you've asked a phenomenal question, and I'll try to help you with what I know that has worked for me and others:

1. Find out if you have a sensitivity to caffeine by eliminating chocolate, coffee, and tea from your diet for 2 weeks. If you begin to feel better, chances are you have a sensitivity to them and you should remove them from your diet. Such a sensitivity can emulate bipolar illness. See DoctorYourself.com/ruthwhalen Go down the left-hand column until you see the article called "caffeine allergy" and click it. (That will awaken some careful thinking.)

2. Try hard to eliminate sugar; it's addictive and causes cravings; in fact, it acts
on the same portion of the brain that heroin does--the opiate sensors that can crave
heroin. Read Dr. Kathleen DesMaisons work called "Radiant Recovery" in which she
rewrites and enhances her first work called "Potatoes, Not Prozac". It's all about
sugar sensitivity and what the symptoms are for those who become addicted to it
and, more importantly, how to recover from the addiction.

3. Watch your intake of grains. I have read one doctor's report that bipolar patients have a severe grain allergy. Recently, Dr. William Davis has published a book about this problem, identifiying it as a gluten allergy (often referred to as Celiac disease, but it goes much further into problems for the brain than Celiac disease).

4. Drink purified water. So many cities have water that is treated with chlorine,
and your system needs pure water to help metabolize all the things that we give
it daily to digest.

5. Cut a lemon in half and squeeze it into an 8-ounce glass of cold water when you
have excess acidity--coming from med residue which is always acidic. If one lemon isn't enough to calm the system, about 4 hours after the first one, squeeze the second lemon into cold water. That ought to re-establish calm for your emotions.

The lemon, while it is highly acidic in taste, becomes one of the most alkaline foods we can ingest when it is subjected to being metabolized. That reduces the acidity that we build by taking medications and by having too much acid-reacting foods in the American or Western diet.

5. Ice ream is a double whammy for anyone who has bipolar illness or depression.
It's the milk (which is really only a perfect food for calves); it has sugar, which is
highly addictive, and the milk itself contains lactose, another sugar. We're getting
a bad deal by using ice cream, according to my psychiatrist. It is digested as acidic, and the body fluids and tissues need to be slightly more alkaline than acidic. (Look
at the lists of foods which are alkaline-reacting and those which are acid-reacting.
See Alkaline Foods. com and Acid foods.com for information.

6. Cut off your TV and your computer a couple of hours before bedtime. The light
from the screens of both can cut back on the melatonin which your pineal gland makes once late afternoon begins and turns into night. If you watch things that emit light during the hours just before bedtime, your body will slow its production of melatonin, and you may have difficulty getting to sleep.

Do some helpful reading about the benefits of vitamins A, B, (the whole series), C,
D3, E, and the use of fatty acids 3,6,and 9 which are anti-inflammatory and help
preserve calmness of the system.

Then get a very good probiotic that will create healthy digestion. (A far greater
percentage of neurotransmiiters are in the digestive tract than in the brain, so you
need to make sure that your digestive system is getting all the benefits from whole
foods and correct balance of flora.)

That's enough to keep you busy long enough and engaged enough with activity to
improve your feeling-tone.

It does work if you become conscientious about wanting to improve your feelings.

Add exercise to that and you have an unbeatable combination to improve your health and especially your emotional status.

Take care and good wishes.

[OutlawedSpirit]

The thing that helps me the most is music. And it isn't that hard to just turn on the radio or pop in a cd. I've always found music to be incredibly therapeutic.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by LucyG

My pants are tight, that's why!!! I hate to break down and dig out my fat pants. Other than that, I consider it therapy......When my now deceased dogs were old and dying, I ate a pint of ice-cream every day and labeled it 'ice cream therapy.'

One section of dark chocolate that I eat daily contains only 60 calories. And provides boundless benefits.

[LucyG]

Originally Posted by hamster-bamster

One section of dark chocolate that I eat daily contains only 60 calories. And provides boundless benefits.

You obviously have great self-control.

I had 2 3M bars yesterday as I was extremely tired. I actually feel better eating sugar unlike a lot of people. The reason might be that it stimulates [more sucker punches] the adrenal glands as I have adrenal fatigue that runs in the family. Fortunately, I tend to look extremely thin even though I'm not--I'm hippy, but thin on top, have a thin face, long neck, long thin arms and hands and broad shoulders so when people look at me, they see that and not a big butt. Even my new doctor who is very thin commented on how neither of us would ever know what it was like to be fat!!! I had to laugh as I'm twice as big around as he is!!

[hamster-bamster]

Lucy,

I indeed have mastered perfect self-control when it comes to chocolate, but I cannot control my intake of fruit. I get too much natural sugar via fruit consumption. Things could have been much worse: fruit provides hydration, fiber, vitamin, minerals, antioxidants and what not, but... calories + carbohydrates still!

[bluemountains]

For light depression, for me a trip to the Starbucks at Target works. I then can wander around for a while and take my mind off of me.
When it starts to get serious, I have to make myself get off of the couch and walk. Taking in the fresh air does wonders. Also, making plans with a friend works well. Any activity that allows your mind to focus elsewhere is helpful.
And, like someone else said, make sure your sleep is regulated. Lack of sleep is the biggest indicator for me that I am in trouble.
Many on here don't experience this problem, but I become very self-destructive when depressed, so I ask my husband to make sure he helps me regulate alcohol intake and med use.
Good luck, and I hope your condition improves soon!
Bluemountains

[Moose72]

I've Thanked so many posts, so I have to say, "Great thread!"