[bluemountains]

I note that many of us are on meds. For those who are willing to share, what is the normal duration of your meds combo before symptoms surface and changes are needed? The reason I ask is that I have gone for up to a year or more with stability in the past, but it seems that for at least the past two years, I can only go a few months before changes are needed.

I have noted that some have said that their bp has improved with age. In my case, I feel that I am getting worse! I am nearing menopause, could that be it?

I spend more time with my pdoc than any of my other docs, including my gp.

Bluemountains

[Cocosurviving]

Hi,
I was diagnosed BD1 Aug 2012 and just recently had to have a med change after beeping stable. I think my symptoms surface from season to season. I started experiencing depression around daylight time change and crying spells started.

[BipolaRNurse]

I still haven't really found stabie ground as yet, even though I was diagnosed almost a year ago and have had a number of med changes. I'm pretty close, however, and right now my pdoc and I are concentrating more on therapy so I can cope better, which is progress in itself.

Know what you mean about spending more time with your pdoc than any other doctor.....I've seen my internist twice in the past six months, my pdoc 7 or 8 times. At one point I 'graduated' to every 3 months, but had a major backslide and went back to every 2-4 weeks......this time, it's six weeks. I'm in something of a depression now, but it's much less severe than last winter's so I think I'm finally getting somewhere.

[TRNRMOM]

Originally Posted by bluemountains

I note that many of us are on meds. For those who are willing to share, what is the normal duration of your meds combo before symptoms surface and changes are needed? The reason I ask is that I have gone for up to a year or more with stability in the past, but it seems that for at least the past two years, I can only go a few months before changes are needed.

I have noted that some have said that their bp has improved with age. In my case, I feel that I am getting worse! I am nearing menopause, could that be it?

I spend more time with my pdoc than any of my other docs, including my gp.

Bluemountains

i'm female, bp2, now 66 yrs. old and diagnosed in late 30's. have been on 450mg. lithium all this time, and only the past yr. or so have had to add a small amt. daily of klonopin for anxiety and small amt. of seroquel for sleep. menopause did create more symptoms and lately i am finding that i cannot sleep w/o some medication; the racing thoughts keep me awake or i cannot fall to sleep like i did years ago. so for me, my bipolar issues have gotten worse with age.

[usbusi]

I don't cycle, I have just had 3 times when I lost it and had full blown mania, and I tend the rest of the time towards depression. I don't need changes in my meds, I've been taking the same ones now for two years. I am probably under medicated but I seem to do OK with what I am on.

This illness haunted me for years. I had frequent changes around age 50, not so many after that. Now, when things happen, it's because of diet problems--you know, too many trans fatty acids, slipping by using tea--wouldn't touch coffee, however--or indulging in chocolate. (But then, I'm sensitive to them.)

Seasonal changes affect this illness, in my view. Sunlight has a very positive affect--lack of it, a strong negative effect.

I have found within the last year that adding Nordic Omega 3 fatty acids has been a big help with sleep. (If I wake up in the middle of the night and can't get to sleep I will take another Omega 3 or two capsules...works every time.) But then, as one ages, the pineal gland calcifies which will require us to take sleeping meds from time to time (and that's not related to bipolar illness; it's a physiological event).

I just dislike the side effects of meds so much that I do everything I can to prevent taking them.

For many months now I have taken Prozac 10 mg., 1 per day--15 mg. Deplin (folate, a food med), and watched the vitamin and mineral intake because of the loss of minerals in assimilating medications in the digestive process. (Before that, it was Lamictal, and you can forget that! Side effects were bad--I mean really bad.)

If you can establish a pharmaceutical quality vitamin A, series B, C, D3, dry E, choline, inositol, fish oils, aged garlic, and probiotics, you're going to see huge changes in your feeling tone, in my view. There are reasons for supplementing with these, especially, but your research will reveal that to you if you want to investigate.

This illness is 98% better for me with age and with more insight about how to manage my diet and sleep habits and liquid intakes.

The brain is extremely sensitive in this illness in my view. That, in part, accounts for so much creativity among some bipolar patients in the arts.

Please don't get discouraged. What you may be experiencing is transitory, at best.

It's the meds that deplete so much of the nutritional benefits we get from foods. They just gobble the goodies when they are being metabolized. That's why so many have such problems with excess acidity that affects feeling tone and sleeping ability.

The calm comes when we get the chemistry right. Omega fatty acids
3 were a life saver for me now and in the past. I just had too much meat and other trans fatty acids in my diet.

Meats provide much of the vitamin B series; we need to cut back consumption of them and take B series supplements--for those in whom Omega fatty acids are low.

Gosh, I hope you do realize that you can get better as you age. It's there for you when you have the time (I know you're busy as a teacher) to do the research necessary to help your system manage the overload of long-time medication needs.

Really hope you'll be fine soon.

Genetic

[~Christina]

I have been on the same combo for probably over a year now.. I have had some ups and downs.. I choose not to make changes in my medications. I have used Haldol for a week here and there , maybe 2-3 times in the past year to handle my ever present Hallucinations. I think I have learned better ways to cope and handle my moods better than in the past.. I don't know ... It's working for me

[LiteraryLark]

I was dx in 2011, spent the first year and a half bringing down the lithium and zyprexa, now since at least August I haven't made any big changes, a little adding/subtracting with the zyprexa every now and then, but it's stayed the same and I'm doing fine. I am seeing a new pdoc on the 15th and I'm looking to try something new for my depression.

The ratio of fatty acids should be 3:1 and 6:1 (to trans fatty acids)--or one may become deficient in omega 3 fatty acids. Most Americans maintain a ratio of between 10:1 and 25:1. That's way out of the range for good fatty acid levels, according to my research.

So one should either eat foods such as fish twice a week or take omega 3 supplements daily.

genetic

[hamster-bamster]

I eventually hope to use Lithium monotherapy for bp, the old way, so I will be cutting out other meds, but other than that once the meds are right they stay put.

[Clinte89]

Im on three different meds and their dosage changes about every few months. I went through a time where it was a total med change every month.

I started taking meds about 10 months ago. Besides a stint of 3 months of not taking meds, I have my meds changed everytime I see her. We're still trying to figure out the right combo.

[bluemountains]

With your input, I have decided that maybe all of my biological changes might be a contributor to my mood fluctuations. Also, I have been through the holidays, quite an emotional time due to life experiences. It might be even that I still need some tweaks to the meds even though I have been okay for five months.

Genetic, I am a big believer in the Omega 3's. I eat fish as often as possible, and supplement as well. Also, I supplement with vitamin D daily. I need the sun to warm me, and the days have been more rainy than sunny for a while in my neck of the woods.

The mood that is overly active for me right now is restlessness. I can't settle long enough to read, sit still, focus on tasks, etc. This mood also makes me unnecessarily impatient.

My real concern is the ways I choose to soothe myself. Over medicating and alcohol are my modes of comfort when I feel restless. I am working with my t, but I also wonder if I need to change medications. I know that meds shouldn't be my answer, but I'd rather depend on the controlled prescribed ones, than my bad choices that make sense at the time.

Thanks for sharing!
Bluemountains

You might try the lemon thing, Blue Mountains. That might help with the feelings you describe. If one doesn't do it within 4 hours, cut another lemon and squeeze it into an 8 oz. glass of cold water. That will likely do the job for you. It always works for me, but we're all different, of course.

Genetic

[Victoria'smom]

My meds are changed every month or two. Stablity is not the strong suit in our house.

[Phoenix217]

Bluemountains, if I remember correctly, you said you were going through menopause. You should discuss that with your psychiatrist and your doctor because hormonal changes do affect moods. You might benefit more from some kind of hormone therapy if that's the root of your problems. I hear good things about bioidentical hormones.

However, if you're feeling restless and having trouble focusing, it could be a symptom of hypomania (I know it's an early symptom for me) so you should bring that up as well because that would warrant a change in your prescription. You said the holidays have been stressful and they're definitely a time when routines are broken, which can be a trigger for some people, so if that's the cause for your symptoms, then you might just need something temporary like Xanax to get you through.

To answer your question, when I've been good and taken my meds when I'm supposed to I find that I don't need to adjust them very often unless I encounter a strong trigger like a major life change or I neglect managing my stress for long periods of time. I don't find that I have to change meds very often if I take good care of myself, and when I do need to adjust, it's usually temporary and it's just a change in dosage. Regular exercise (an hour a day 5 or 6x a week) really helps keep me stable.