Bipolar Questions Version 4

No. Never had a problem with that.

Q: Do you have family members that you talk to about your mental illness?

Nope. They try to avoid it in every way possible.

Q: Do you feel a "hangover" from your meds when you wake up in the morning?

Nowadays, very rarely unless I take my Seroquel XR too late at night and/or stay up too late. In the beginning, especially at higher doses, this was indeed an issue with my Seroquel XR. Time (getting used to that med) and figuring out the best times to take it and fall asleep improved that situation greatly. For me, taking my Seroquel XR no later than 8 pm (preferably 7 pm) and going to sleep by 11 pm or earlier (definitely no later than midnight) is best.

Q: What medication did you continue to take that you were glad you stuck with?

Geodon. The side effects are less than the Risperdal I was on at first. I've been stable for almost 6 months since my first episode. I'm happy with that and hope to continue.

How many meds are you on?

5 psych, 4 physical health, several vitamins/supplements

40% of people with bipolar are supposed to have migraines. Do you?

YES. That’s interesting. I didn’t know. I wonder what the relationship is. Mine only started about 3 years ago. They last 1-3 days. Luckily, my headache is manageable, but the nausea and general feeling of being sick really get to me. I just had one that lasted 2 days. Woke up this morning and it was gone, thank goodness. I think mine might be hormonal, though.

Q: Is there a specific pain reliever that works best for you, or for specific things you experience (headache, cramps, arthritis, etc)?

I am lucky (knock on wood) that I don't usually have pain on a regular basis. When I do, it's usually related to sinus pressure (allergies), menstrual cramps, overdoing something physically, or migraines. For my sinus headaches, I usually take acetaminophen, but the addition of pseudophedrine is also helpful, but my psychiatrist doesn't want me to take pseudophedrine because it's a stimulant. Anything muscle-related (menstrual cramps, body aches) seems to respond best to ibuprofen. In the past, when I had bad migraines, nothing OTC helped. I had sumatriptan injections that were miracle workers. It worked within 15 mins, usually. A neurologist prescribed that for me. Luckily, I have not had bad migraines for a quite a while. I only really had them for a 2-year period in my life.

Q: What is the weirdest side effect you ever had from a psychotropic medication?

Lactation.

What is the craziest thing you've done during mania?

I flew to Spain just because I could during Christmas.

What type of candy do you like?

chocolate!

What is your favorite breakfast? (Mine is super weird. I like oatmeal made the way they do it at my psych hospital. I don't know what they do but it's really good...)

I'm not much of a breakfast person but I'll say waffles.

What age were you when you were diagnosed?

29

What do you like as a late night snack/meal when you can't sleep?

Thirty-three.

I also get migraines.

How far back do you remember having symptoms, especially when still undiagnosed?

I can see how my choice of activities contributed to my psychosis. I was researching topics that are major triggers for me for a few years before my episode. Everything went south very quickly over the course of two days though. I was stable before that. This all happened 6 months ago. I'm 38 and never had any bipolar issues before. The doctors said thats atypical, but not unheard of. I've been stable since, so I am hoping my version of bipolar stays atypical and lies dormant. I can't put my family through watching me completely lose my mind again. It was so cruel and insane.

How many times have you been hospitalized?

10 times, but it's been years since my last one. I've narrowly avoided other ones since, thanks to my psychiatrist.

Have you ever had a manic "blackout" where you haven't remembered periods of an episode?

Yes. I had out of body experiences where it felt like I was watching myself. That part was like I was dreaming while awake. There are parts I cannot remember at all that my husband has had to tell me about. There are also parts that have only resurfaced in my memory after time. They come back in flashbacks and its traumatic when it happens.

How often do you see your therapist?

The last therapist I had wasn't working out so I don't currently have one right now. I'm on a waiting list for a day hospital program in my city so I'll hopefully hear something soon.

What is your overall opinion of psychiatrists? (I've seen several and find them to generally be cold, condescending and having little bedside manner. Luckily my current doctor isn't like that.)

I do think it depends on the psychiatrist, but I do find that far too many are indeed cold, condescending, and with little bedside manner, as you said, MsSunflower. Especially psychiatrists under maybe 60 years old. But also like you, I happen to have a good psychiatrist. I've had the same great psychiatrist for about 14 years now. The sad thing is that my husband and I may move in a few years. Even if we don't, my psychiatrist is getting old. He says he has no plans to retire, but at 74 years old, plans change.

From what I've read, far too many people get only 5 to 15 mins with their psychiatrist or very infrequent appointments, no matter a patient's mental state...and are hard to reach. I can't even imagine so little time or so little care. It's wrong, in my view, especially for a psychiatrist. Psychiatric patients should not be on an assembly line. Really, no one should be.

Q: If you could make any change to your psychiatrist's service, what would it be?

More time. Like you said in your post I'm often rushed out as soon as possible. Here's your prescription, see you next month. The difference with my current doctor is if I have a paticular concern about my medication he'll take the time to explain things and give me all my options. On the plus side psychiatric services are covered by the government where I live, on the down side there is more demand than there are doctors so their time is spread pretty thin.

Have you read any good self help books?

Do you know, not really. I've read quite a few self-help books in my time, and none have left a lasting impression or resulted in any lasting change in my life. I've had far more help from articles I've read, and more recently podcasts.

When was the last time you went on a date?

Thursday of last week; went to see Avengers: Endgame with the boyfriend

Question: Do you like your current Pdoc?

I LOVE my pdoc. She's been my pdoc 16 years now and knows me and my bipolar so well. I think we could be friends if we weren't patient/pdoc. she is willing to fight hard for me when needed and is gentle with me when that is needed.

Do you were a fitness or smart watch?

I do; I typically wear a Fitbit Versa; it was actually a Christmas Present to keep track of my heart-rate. I really do like it and all of it's features.

Question: What is the best job you ever had?

My favourite job was when I worked for a big department store chain and stocked shelves. I liked the job but I loved my coworkers. Met a lot of nice people there.

What is the worst job you ever had?

I was 15 years old. It was my first job. A summer job. I cleaned rooms at a Holiday Inn. It was the type of hotel with the doors facing outside. It was hot and humid as all get out. After weeks with heat rash all over my body, I decided to quit.

Q: Have you ever quit a job because you hated it? If so, why?