[sprik]

i really enjoy a thread that was posted yesterday about people going off their meds, a lot of people said they had coping skills that helped them maintain their life. I wont go off my meds, which is a personal choice for me, but it is a up and down situation for sure. I was hoping the people who are med free would share some of the ways they deal with all this stuff. Thanks

[BlueInanna]

Hi Sprik- I still take klonopin as needed.. But I dealt with recent hypo staying active, eat healthy, juicing. I stepped outside my comfort zone and made some new gf's to do things with. Tools learned in mindfulness & REBT therapies have kept me more aware of my self talk , habit of catastrophic thinking and rationalizing my response to triggers. I did some unhealthy coping , but that was what I did on meds too cuz I still cycled. Lithium , lamictal , Abilify & countless AD's.
It's not an easy fun party. But I'm riding it out well. I think a mellow stable period is coming on , and I hope I'll welcome it and not be bored. Depression scares me. Hope that answers some. And yoga helps slow racing thoughts & anxiety quite a bit for me.

[sprik]

thanks you

[TRNRMOM]

Originally Posted by sprik

i really enjoy a thread that was posted yesterday about people going off their meds, a lot of people said they had coping skills that helped them maintain their life. I wont go off my meds, which is a personal choice for me, but it is a up and down situation for sure. I was hoping the people who are med free would share some of the ways they deal with all this stuff. Thanks

i'm bp2 (hypomanic w/no depression) and after being on lithium (450mg) for 35 yrs. w/ok of my psych nurse, i am off lithium. i still take a small amount of seroquel for sleep and 1/2 klonopin daily for my anxiety. i feel i am very knowledgeable about my illness and know the triggers and destabilizers, etc. i've had thyroid issues, had parathyroids removed and now some early kidney issues all related to long-term use of lithium, but it was a great drug for me. i keep a daily diary of my moods and have a husband who is keeping an eye on me to see if there are any changes in my moods since off the lithium. i have found that the fatigue of requiring a daily nap is gone and waking up, even before taking my lithium in a.m., the feeling of agitation and pissed-offness is gone...almost as if the lithium had created some bipolar issues that aren't presenting now. i am a daily exerciser for over 30 yrs. and use the cardio portion of the exercise to burn off the mania and try to keep my world as stable as i can. should i destabilize due to being off meds, will return to psych nurse to see what mood stabilizer i will need. hopefully the seroquel and klonopin in my body will be all that i need.

[Fuzzybear]

.....

[A Red Panda]

(I'm currently on some meds but they aren't acting on me yet really)

I keep a pretty strict sleep schedule/routine. I always have some 'cool down' time before I go to bed. I go to bed around the same time every night. I get out of bed around the same time every day. This does NOT mean that I am actually sleeping for that duration - I just refuse to get out of bed unless I have to go to the washroom.

I do my best to eat healthy - but more importantly I do my best to eat REGULARLY and I am still working on not skipping meals.

I push myself out of whatever the comfort zone at the time is, to a point where I'm not overdoing it. When I'm depressed, I make myself have social contact and go out a little bit. this doesn't mean I make myself go out and party, but I'll stick to quieter activities. When I'm hypo, it means I make myself do something that is relaxing/calming that I can't overdo really - like reading, or watching a movie. I make myself stay in the house and a bit isolated to an extent so that I am not going to go overboard.

I have rules to help prevent myself from engaging in risky behaviour (overspending, sex, drinks) and although I will sometimes break those rules... it minimizes it and a lot of the time I can go 'Oh yeah, that's a rule, you're not supposed to do that. So I WANT TO DO IT but I'm not going to.'... and when I do break it, at least I know that I had that conversation with myself and TRIED to stop myself.

I selected a career that lets me be flexible in my behaviour - teaching. I can plan out really active activities, or quieter ones depending on my mood.

I make to-do lists when I'm depressed to try to get myself todo the things that I need to do. When I'm hypo I tend to get caught up on the "bigger" chores that I avoid doing - but I try to set limits on what TIME I am allowed to do the said chore! (for example, starting a big task at 9pm?? Not allowed or I will never get to bed on time!)

[sprik]

im glad to see such self control, I have a hard time with that