Bipolar Questions Version 5

the lion king.

rocky balboa

steuart little

E.T

life size (even though it's so sad.)

harry potter and the chamber of secrets

okay: what about a movie you will never watch again?

The Serpent and the Rainbow. Terrified me for weeks if not months.

Q. Does your mood influence the music you listen to or does the music you pick influence your mood? (I think this makes sense ?!) —I guess can you independently choose a selection of music totally independent of mood. Oh boy what s rambling question!

It does make sense. My answer is "all of the above". In the third case, sometimes I just randomly choose something because at the very second it is a "I haven't heard that in a while" feeling.

Q: Has your taste in music changed over the years? If so, from what to what? And maybe why?

I have 1 playlist of many, many songs (so many I don't have time to organize them)

my thought is usually: okay, I want some music on, let's see what my playlist comes up with and I let it run

sometimes (if I am in a particuarly good mood) I'll play all the latin songs (actually go out my way to find them, latin is my good mood music) but usually it's what's playing gets played.

what is one peace of music that you feel everyone needs to hear at least once in their lifetime?

That’s a super hard question.....music speaks to people in so many ways. As of this absolute instant I’d say “Thoughts and Prayers” by grandson (In particular the version on YouTube live with the west Los Angeles children’s choir)
I think my answer depends on what day it is...there’s just too many ...

Q if youre really depressed what’s your go to song or band, same ques if your
(hypo)manic?

raging vortex - Q: what is one peace of music that you feel everyone needs to hear at least once in their lifetime?

A: Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata

I don't usually listen to music when purely depressed, but if it's a mixed depression, I used to often listen to U2's "I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For" from their Joshua Tree album. When hypomanic, I like fast-paced music. I'll often listen to the B-52s, The Pogues, Depeche Mode, Red Hot Chili Peppers. I used to also really like Jane's Addiction. Mostly all of their most popular songs. Sometimes I'll rather listen to Beethoven's 9th Symphony or his Grosse Fuge (both great elated manic pieces).

Q: How often to you handwrite anything? What/where do you do handwriting? Do you have good handwriting? Print or cursive?

I handwrite every day in my journal. My handwriting is decent. I only use cursive when I write cards or checks.

When was your last vacation and where did you go?

June and Dominican Republic.

How tall are you?

158cm and a bit. I.e. 5 feet and 2 inches tall/short.

What’s your favourite rainy day activity?

watching tv- even though I do that any day anyway.

how long after you wake up in the morning do you truly feel " ready to take on the day". do you lay in bed for a while first?

I feel ready within 3-5 mins usually. Only when I'm REALLY exhausted do I lay in bed for a while.

Q: What medication have you tried that didn't work out, but you really wish it did?

Q: how long after you wake up in the morning do you truly feel " ready to take on the day". do you lay in bed for a while first?

A: I linger in bed after I'm fully awake for about half and hour or so. I don't like being in bed so long because when I'm up and just laying there I tend to ruminate and get intrusive thoughts, and I hate when that happens so early in the AM. I get up and start my day as fast as I can to start to distract myself even if I don't feel totally rested.

Q: Do you have any family members that still do not fully understand or sympathize with your Dx?

Q: What medication have you tried that didn't work out, but you really wish it did?

A: Seroquel. It helps so many, but it made me gain waaay too much weight (over 40 lbs). In the beginning it helped my sleep, but eventually it stopped being effective. my PDoc took me off of it.

Q: How many hours of sleep do you need to really be able to function the next day?

Answer to Q1: none of my family members know my Dx, and I prefer to keep it that way. they're ignorant when it comes to these things.

Answer to Q2: 9-10 hrs on average... sometimes more, sometimes less... but 9-10 hrs is that sweet spot

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Q: What is the most expensive med you've tried?

I'm not sure, exactly. I'll admit that I have always sought out coupons from the manufacturer, when possible, but sometimes there weren't any or they were still expensive with the coupon. I know that the pharmacist told me recently that Latuda costs about $1,000 for a 30-day supply, but I use a coupon for that and have so-called good insurance in the US. I have been paying $15 per 30-day supply. That's obviously not $1,000.

I actually took Lamictal and Abilify at a time when they were only available in brand name. I think the Lamictal was super expensive and didn't have coupons, so that copay was quite high. The Abilify was super expensive, but I recall having a coupon. I think I still spent a lot on it, despite. I also took Seroquel XR for a long while before it went generic. With a coupon I paid $15 per 30-day supply, but I could only use the coupon for one dosage. Most of the time I've had to take two different dosages to add up to a certain daily amount. The second one I couldn't use the coupon for, and that was $75 per 30-days supply. Who knows what the full costs of these suckers all were if no insurance was permitted.

I also remember taking Campral (and alcohol craving reduction med) and Provigil (modafinil) briefly before they went generic. Both were very expensive. I recall at one point being on mostly all brand names and paying monthly copays that exceeded $300. Back then I could afford it. Now I couldn't. Luckily now all of my medications, except Latuda (for which I have a coupon) are generics. Altogether, I probably pay under $100 per month in copays.

Q: Which side effect from medications did/do you hate most?

Lithium toxicity was pretty awful. Also that horrible syrup-head from SSRIs , where it felt like my brain is made of a ball of syrup and it was glooping against the sides of my skull.

What were some unexpected positive effects of any med you've tried?

Latuda, even at a starter dose, made me feel capable to do more things.

Risperdal and Invega's elevated prolactin levels increased my bust size from a B to C cup.

Some medications have made me more of an early riser, at times. Particularly Geodon.

Q: Have you seen any famous or notable people in real life beyond at a concert, or the like?

I saw Sarah McLaughin in concert when I was in college.

In grad school I got bonus points and free food and swag to see this unknown but exciting speaker on women's heart health. A few years later my mom had Oprah on and Dr. Oz was doing a section. I said "wait, I heard him speak!" and so apparently I heard Dr. Oz speak before he was famous and when they had to bribe people to see him. I still have something from the swag bag, not because I wanted it to remember him, just because I happen to have kept it accidentallyi.

What did you think you wanted to be when you grew up and is that what worked out for you?

I wanted to be a doctor, specifically a general surgeon, but it didn't work out for me. I felt that my undergrad GPA was too low for me to even bother trying to get into med school, so I never bothered trying. I figured that even a decent MCAT score wouldn't have helped much, if at all. (Impossible to get into medical school with a 2.8 GPA, honestly.) Though fortunately, I was accepted into a master's program and earned a 3.7 GPA and got a job that I really like.

Q: I know no one wants to be stinky, but do you find showers/baths to be a chore, or do you enjoy them?