[cashart10]

When I was in high school, my mom stumbled across this very new (I believe still in clinical studies) supplement that was supposed to be a miraculous healer for bipolar disorder. I don't know it's name back then but upon brief research, I found it to be called empower plus today. It is a supplement that was given to pigs to calm them of their aggressive behaviors that, once experimented on humans, was also found to heal mood disorders in almost every case.

Any way, my mom and I called them pig pills (that's what they were) and horse pills as they were huge. I remember having to take (approx as I don't remember exactly) around 13 pills every morning, always gagging and sometimes having to pull over on the side of the road while driving to school because they would make me sick. I hated every second of those pills and they were short lived.

Here is a recent pic I found: image.jpg, although, I remember these pills to be much larger and yellow in color, like vitamins. Anyone else ever try these pig pills? Any luck? Any other odd treatments you tried? Just curious.

[NoIdeaWhatToDo]

I take them. 2 in the morning, and 2 at night. I notice when I'm not taking them that my anxiety and irritability, as well as unpredictability, all increase. I found that out when I actually forgot to take them for a few weeks. Once I realized that my mood changes coincided with the timing of stopping the pills, I started taking them again.

I find, in general, that they have done a decent job of preventing my hypomania (not sure I appreciate that wholly), and so far my depressions have been short lived. I've been swinging down lately, though, and I've been getting all my typical depressive symptoms (suicidal ideation, overwhelm, bouts of uncontrollable sobbing). I've also got some of my negative hypo symptoms right now - pressured speech, rapid rise to anger.

So, in the end (like my experience with lots of interventions), I'm not sure if my cycle aligned with timing of the pills to make me feel like they helped. I didn't get a depressed cycle for over a year on them - so maybe? I'm taking them now, though, and feel so mixed up emotionally, I really don't know what to think...

[ComfortablyNumb5]

I have to say OP... You've tried some pretty interesting alternative stuff for BP. I'll read up on these. I'll try anything at this point. Where do you guys get these?

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[NoIdeaWhatToDo]

A local health care practitioner carries them where I live, but you can also get them on Amazon. There, it's also listed as Q94 or something like that. I didn't see any difference in the ingredients list when I compared them a year or so ago. You can read through a lot of reviews there.

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by RxQueen875

I have to say OP... You've tried some pretty interesting alternative stuff for BP. I'll read up on these. I'll try anything at this point. Where do you guys get these?

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Ha! Only under my mom's direction. She fought like hell to make me better and she does even today. She is all up in my business. . She even said she was going to file a complaint about my pdoc once I can switch (right now I'm waiting on an insurance change). She is one hell of a mama bear, even now as I'm 32 and have a family of my own. These days the closest I come to alternative treatment is Clozapine.

Anyway, I'm not sure where these pills came from. They didn't seem to make a difference in me though.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Originally Posted by cashart10

Ha! Only under my mom's direction. She fought like hell to make me better and she does even today. She is all up in my business. . She even said she was going to file a complaint about my pdoc once I can switch (right now I'm waiting on an insurance change). She is one hell of a mama bear, even now as I'm 32 and have a family of my own. These days the closest I come to alternative treatment is Clozapine.


Anyway, I'm not sure where these pills came from. They didn't seem to make a difference in me though.

Well you're so very lucky to have such a supportive mom. Sure wish my fam was more like that. My older bro is probably the closest it gets to my being supportive... However his only advice is always "take your crazy pills and calm down!" But his ex wife is BP and he went through so much with her. And I'm glad he got to actually witness the illness up close. So he definitely has compassion. That's all I ask out of anyone.

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[Nammu]

I googled pig pills and found several articles, they seem to be vitamins and supplements...but gees 13 or more a day! I like my pdoc, her answer to vitamins is to eat right, walk and get sunshine.

[ComfortablyNumb5]

Came across one article that said "did alternative medicine lead to murder?" Aaaaand that's why I shouldn't Google. It wasn't a very reputable site so I didn't read it lol. But hey if it works and it's all vitamins then yea I'd give it a shot. Just don't know about all these pills in a day though. My nightstand looks like a pharmacy already

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[Ocean Swimmer]

When I get back to the states I'm visiting a TCM Doctor who also does acupuncture.
I'm also going to look into herbs and stuff.
There is this one I've been looking into, synapse or something. Called brain food. To give you energy.
I've been very low energy and depressed. If I had some energy I could probably lift some depression.
I do run the risk of black mania. Agitation and depression at same time.
Want to avoid that.

Saw a horrifying news doc on TV last night about a church that proclaims all - including mental illness and autism - can be healed by drinking diluted chlorine. WTF!?!!

[cashart10]

Originally Posted by Nammu

I googled pig pills and found several articles, they seem to be vitamins and supplements...but gees 13 or more a day! I like my pdoc, her answer to vitamins is to eat right, walk and get sunshine.

I'm toggling between 7 & 13 but it seems like it was 13. It was 16 years ago though so I'm not entirely sure. I just remember it felt like a ton and they were so big I would gag. My pdoc at the time (the same pdoc as I have now) thought it was entirely bogus. It was mainly for this reason my mom didn't stop my psych meds altogether.

A couple of years ago they called my mom to see how it worked for me and whether or not it was still working. This occurred prior to my psychotic break so she told them I was entirely better, but that my wellness was not attributed to any meds.