What do you do?

So this time of year is hard for me, but this year I have been stable for around 6 months, not perfect but the best I have been a long time.

I have been having 3 or 4 days that are great, happy ,energy and so forth. Than I get 3 or 4 days of depressed and not such good thoughts.

The ups and downs are mild compared to last year, I wonder if the new med combo I am on is helping.

I talked with T and we decided to tell doc, so I sent a message how I was feeling and that I do not want to make any major changes since I have been doing pretty good.

He did agree and that we would look at changes only if I stay one way or the other.
How do you all handle the roller coaster? I am normally one way or the other.

Wait and see what doc says.
But you did say they're milder than in past. That's progress in my opinion

The question is when do I do it.

I calm down with gabapentin. It’s great for anxiety, and now that my mood is swinging up, I’m finding I’m irritable and the gabapentin helps with that too. I have 100mg pills for the daytime (this is a very light dose that I don’t often need) and 300 mg pills for the afternoon and evening.

I’m on lithium always, and I have Seroquel as a take as needed for sleep (25 mg).

I’m in therapy too—which is equally important. Stressors can set off a mood swing in either direction. I can’t avoid the stress, I need to work, so I have to learn to cope.

I manage my roller coaster very aggressively with PRN’s and behavioural changes if needed. That for me is the difference of feeling a bit off at home and hospitalisation.

Well it’s good news that the swings weren’t as intense as last year. I don’t know if my mood swings will ever go completely away. But with med changes and other coping methods I’m handling them better than I used to.

I can still have ups and downs outside of episodes. I have learned some coping skills, and my EMDR T is going to help me practice them.

I try to stay vigilant. I tend to let my guard down when things are good. In many ways, BP is like an addiction. I have a friend who has all sorts of challenges and he always warned me that there would come a day when I would say I was misdiagnosed and quit on my treatment. It helps to balance remembering who we are with living the life we want.

I haven’t figured it out yet. Ever since I stopped invega it’s been a horrible roller coaster. Every day I wonder who I’ll be tomorrow. And some days it’s good but some days it’s ****ing terrible. I do agree that the meds I’m on now have kept me off the very bottom and very top, but it’s still hard. I think my next move is to work on accepting that this is just my life, and meds will only do so much. I might need to bust out my DBT workbook and try to relearn those skills.

I think accepting instead of fighting it will help me a lot. If I can get there.

I think my meds tame the roller coaster a bit, but I still have my ups and downs. I think it’s time to work on CBT and lifestyle modifications.