how do you make your mind shut up

No. I don't have an AP, and I'm not taking one because they don't agree with me and give me all these side effects that I can't stand and for me they're poison.

I'd go on a benzo temporarily, but I don't know if she'd go with that so no point.

And I'm determined to deal with whatever this is on my own.

I have had this happen a few times, it's especially distressing when it is negative thoughts racing and looping in my head. The only thing that stops it for me is an antipsychotic, saphris has been my med of choice most recently. Before I could get in to my dr the last time, I was shutting myself down with klonopin. I was so exhausted and distressed I had to make something shut my brain up. I am afraid of the benzos though, so definitely was happy to get the AP.

I can't stand AP's, and I really gave many of them an honest shot. For me, doing things with my hands helps distract my from my racing mind to a point. The key sometimes is forcing myself to do something.

I'm the same. Sometimes I'm so physically exhausted that my body aches all over and my mind won't shut up and let me sleep. I have found that when I take my lithium appropriately after about three weeks in it I actually felt that "long day and I'm exhausted and ready to pass out" feeling. The other day I felt this for the first time since I was a kid and I LOVED it! I try to stay on my meds and once in a while reading will make me pass out instead of going more manic.

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I hope you have a better day today! (((Raspberrytorte)))

Thanks up! That's really sweet of you!

I don't like AP's either but I find that if I take just one none of the nasty side effects creep up.

I don't know. It's poison for me. I'll take one and immediately I'll blow up like a balloon and become all sallow and bloated looking and start getting grumpy and tired and end up wanting to sleep all day which isn't good because I have things to do.

Important things.

Haha!

What a wonderful and creative idea! I'll keep that in mind for when I may need it.

I'm so sorry this is happening to you and I also think you should call your pdoc-maybe she can prescribe a prn med to help with racing thoughts.

When the thoughts go crazy, I crochet and half watch tv at the same time. When I'm trying to sleep, I use an iPhone app called Relax Melodies. It has guided meditations that help. If one doesn't work the first time, I replay it, or try another. That's the one I'm currently using, but there's a few good apps with guided meditations.

I hope you find something that helps.

My meds seem to keep my mind pretty quiet without sedating me, I haven't had problems with racing thoughts in a long time except when I'm trying to go to sleep which is why I take seroquel 300mg at night, anyway hope you figure something out.

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Honestly, I just do not know how much of the changes in me comes from age.

A problem I have had for years is 1 or 2 lines of a song getting stuck in my head for hours or days. It is different then racing thoughts. I feel like the repetition is driving me mad.

A couple of months ago I was desperate, the singing would not stop, and I just reached into my spirit, felt the inner me, and pushed up into my head like a balloon, pushing all thoughts O.U.T. Even a glimmer of a thought I pushed, refusing to be defeated. I ended everything.

It worked.

Since that first time, when my brain starts repeating, (if I notice and if it gets bad enough to respond) I can push it out. It is almost like a muscle. A muscle of stubbornness that I turn toward myself. The utter and total refusal to listen or allow any drifting thought to form, or to repeat. When I start to think, I respond angrily that I will not listen, and somehow that shuts me up.

I doubt I solved my issue, but for now, my inner repeating blabbermouth cannot beat my anger at it.

Edit Addition: Telling my mind to stop thinking never worked, but responding to my thinking by refusing to listen seems too. I stubbornly, angrily refuse to listen and soon it seems to dissipate.