Home Menu

Menu


Reply
Thread Tools Display Modes
  #1  
Old Nov 06, 2018, 06:46 PM
Anonymous45023
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
I'm thinking about maybe getting a light box this year. I'm wondering if those of you who use them might recommend those that are good, but not too expensive. The most bang for the buck. Also interested to know if there are any brands or models anyone has found not so great. Thoughts?
Thanks!
Hugs from:
Sunflower123, Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote

advertisement
  #2  
Old Nov 06, 2018, 07:11 PM
BipolaRNurse's Avatar
BipolaRNurse BipolaRNurse is offline
Neurodivergent
 
Member Since: Mar 2012
Location: Western US
Posts: 4,831
I use a Verilux HappyLight. It cost only about $100 and is very convenient to use. I have mine right next to the chair in my bedroom and I sit in front of it for 30 minutes each morning in the late fall and winter, which is when I tend to become depressed. It's 10,000 lux (units of light), which is recommended for best results. I bought mine on Amazon.
__________________
DX: Bipolar 1
Anxiety
Tardive dyskinesia
Mild cognitive impairment

RX:
Celexa 20 mg
Gabapentin 1200 mg
Geodon 40 mg AM, 60 mg PM
Klonopin 0.5 mg PRN
Lamictal 500 mg
Levothyroxine 125 mcg (rx'd for depression)
Trazodone 150 mg
Zyprexa 7.5 mg

Please come visit me @ http://bpnurse.com
Hugs from:
Sunflower123, Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote, WinterWolf
  #3  
Old Nov 06, 2018, 07:26 PM
~Christina's Avatar
~Christina ~Christina is offline
Legendary Wise Elder
Community Liaison
 
Member Since: Jul 2011
Location: Tennessee
Posts: 22,450
I need one too. But budget won’t allow
__________________
Helping others gets me out of my own head ~
Hugs from:
Anonymous45023, Sunflower123, Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #4  
Old Nov 06, 2018, 08:27 PM
Wild Coyote's Avatar
Wild Coyote Wild Coyote is offline
Legendary
Community Liaison
 
Member Since: Jun 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 12,735
I have one, but it is too small. It's not 10,000 lux at one foot away from the unit. I do not know why some manufacturers do not just stick to the 10,000 lux rule!

My pdoc recommended Amazon for finding one. Verilux has all different sizes, not all are 10,000 lux. Same with some other companies. Buyer beware.

That said, Verilux is a respectable company and has some good models.

According to my pdoc, who also uses a SAD light, we should be looking for 10,000 lux at 1 foot away from the lighting device.

I hope this helps!


WC
__________________
May we each fully claim the courage to live from our hearts, to allow Love, Faith and Hope to enLighten our paths.
Hugs from:
Anonymous45023, Sunflower123
  #5  
Old Nov 07, 2018, 10:31 AM
Sunflower123's Avatar
Sunflower123 Sunflower123 is offline
Legendary Wise Elder
 
Member Since: Jan 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 26,574
I have two light boxes. One is a Verilux that I bought off Amazon for around $100 and the other is a Philips goLITE BLU energy light that I bought at Walmart for $73. The blue light can be too bright and caused me serious sleep disturbances at first but I prefer it.
Hugs from:
Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #6  
Old Nov 07, 2018, 06:21 PM
Blueberrybook's Avatar
Blueberrybook Blueberrybook is offline
Elder
 
Member Since: Oct 2017
Location: TX
Posts: 6,447
Did it help anyone who has tried it? Curious about it. My old pdoc thought I should try it, but I don't have the money to. Just wondering if it helps or not or if you have to spend a lot of money on a model to get one that actually works?
__________________
Bipolar 1, PTSD, anorexia, panic disorder, ADHD

Seroquel, Cymbalta, propanolol, buspirone, Trazodone, gabapentin, lamotrigine, hydroxyzine,

There's a crack in everything. That is how the light gets in.
--Leonard Cohen
Hugs from:
Sunflower123, Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #7  
Old Nov 07, 2018, 06:31 PM
Sunflower123's Avatar
Sunflower123 Sunflower123 is offline
Legendary Wise Elder
 
Member Since: Jan 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 26,574
Quote:
Originally Posted by Blueberrybook View Post
Did it help anyone who has tried it? Curious about it. My old pdoc thought I should try it, but I don't have the money to. Just wondering if it helps or not or if you have to spend a lot of money on a model to get one that actually works?
Oh yes...it helps a great deal. I use mine heavily in the fall/winter and my pdoc always asks if I’m using it. I even use it in the summer/spring when we go through days of cloudy/rainy weather.
Hugs from:
Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #8  
Old Nov 07, 2018, 09:26 PM
Wild Coyote's Avatar
Wild Coyote Wild Coyote is offline
Legendary
Community Liaison
 
Member Since: Jun 2016
Location: USA
Posts: 12,735
Depending on the person, it can help a lot.
My pdoc also uses one every Fall/Winter morning.


WC
__________________
May we each fully claim the courage to live from our hearts, to allow Love, Faith and Hope to enLighten our paths.
Hugs from:
Sunflower123
  #9  
Old Nov 07, 2018, 09:51 PM
TrailRunner14's Avatar
TrailRunner14 TrailRunner14 is offline
Grand Magnate
 
Member Since: Feb 2016
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 4,457
I spend most of my day in my kitchen. We have a long double bar light overhead on the ceiling and another double bar light over the sink. We replaced the bulbs last year with “outside/daylight” bulbs and it feels good to me.

The hue of the light feels more like natural sunlight as apposed to the fluorescent light.

Not sure if this is in the same category as a light box but it feels better to me.

They aren’t really any more expensive than the regular bulbs.
__________________
"What is denied, cannot be healed." - Brennan Manning

"Hope knows that if great trials are avoided, great deeds remain undone and the possibility of growth into greatness of soul is aborted." - Brennan Manning
Hugs from:
Sunflower123, Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #10  
Old Nov 08, 2018, 06:12 PM
Anonymous45023
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
Thanks, everyone, these answers are very helpful.

Quote:
Originally Posted by BipolaRNurse View Post
I use a Verilux HappyLight. It cost only about $100 and is very convenient to use. I have mine right next to the chair in my bedroom and I sit in front of it for 30 minutes each morning in the late fall and winter, which is when I tend to become depressed. It's 10,000 lux (units of light), which is recommended for best results. I bought mine on Amazon.
Does yours get hot? I was confused by the varying answers to that on the site. Being LEDs (which I am a huge fan of), it *shouldn't* be much, but...
Hugs from:
Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #11  
Old Nov 08, 2018, 09:38 PM
pirilin's Avatar
pirilin pirilin is offline
SUPERMAN
 
Member Since: Feb 2016
Location: Metropolis
Posts: 3,680
A good tv with a bad show is a great light box.
I sleep super watching? listening? to Investigation ID
They don't shout. And the main character is always silent. As if it was dead.
__________________
]Roses are red. Violets are blue.[

Look for the positive in the negative. PIRILON.
If lemons fall from the sky, make lemonade. Unknown.
Nothing stronger than habit. Victor Hugo.
You are the slave of what you say,
and the master of what you keep. Unknown.
Hugs from:
Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #12  
Old Nov 10, 2018, 03:19 PM
Anonymous45023
Guest
 
Posts: n/a
It arrived!! I just ordered it Thursday night and it arrived Saturday morning(!) No special Prime or any of that. Just did 1/2 hour with it. I was glad it arrived earlier than expected, since we're heading into a time of year that is traditionally problematic for me, depression-wise (especially late Nov - mid Dec) and it's nice to get a jump on it. I went with the Verilux Happy Light which BipolaRNurse has had good luck with.

Thanks again!

p.s. It didn't get hot. Just VERY mildly warmish.
Hugs from:
Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
BipolaRNurse, Wild Coyote
  #13  
Old Nov 10, 2018, 10:59 PM
99fairies 99fairies is offline
Grand Poohbah
 
Member Since: Sep 2015
Location: Alberta canada
Posts: 1,834
Ive used my light box for about two years and did not notice a change in how I felt. So I stopped using it a couple months ago. But I am glad it works for some people.
__________________
Bipolar 1
Hugs from:
Anonymous45023, Wild Coyote
Thanks for this!
Wild Coyote
  #14  
Old Nov 11, 2018, 10:38 AM
raspberrytorte's Avatar
raspberrytorte raspberrytorte is offline
Insert Smiley Face
 
Member Since: Mar 2015
Location: USA
Posts: 6,605
I'm using mine as I type this. Thought it might perk me up a bit. I'm so tired. Happy yours arrived so fast, innerzone! I hope it helps you.
__________________
The darkest of nights is followed by the brightest of days. 😊 - anonymous

The night belongs to you. 🌙- sleep token

"What if I can't get up and stand tall,
What if the diamond days are all gone, and
Who will I be when the Empire falls?
Wake up alone and I'll be forgotten." 😢 - sleep token
Reply
Views: 790

attentionThis is an old thread. You probably should not post your reply to it, as the original poster is unlikely to see it.




All times are GMT -5. The time now is 06:13 AM.
Powered by vBulletin® — Copyright © 2000 - 2025, Jelsoft Enterprises Ltd.




 

My Support Forums

My Support Forums is the online community that was originally begun as the Psych Central Forums in 2001. It now runs as an independent self-help support group community for mental health, personality, and psychological issues and is overseen by a group of dedicated, caring volunteers from around the world.

 

Helplines and Lifelines

The material on this site is for informational purposes only, and is not a substitute for medical advice, diagnosis or treatment provided by a qualified health care provider.

Always consult your doctor or mental health professional before trying anything you read here.