My bipolar II disorder symptoms are primarily depressive. As of the past 2-3 weeks, I've been struggling with severe brain fog. I get enough sunlight and sleep, and I take my medication regularly. Generally, I'm quite functional thanks to the medication, but there is always some baseline depression.

Although I wake up feeling rested, I'm exhausted within 1-2 hours and have to nap again. I don't have much energy for exercise but I go on a 20-30 minute walk a few times a week. I work from home but I have human interaction 2-5 times a week, e.g. during volunteering or when I see my friends. I eat fairly well (e.g. cereal in the morning + veggies with some protein, like eggs or beans, for lunch and dinner). Every night, I meditate a little until I fall asleep or listen to a relaxing audio recording.

I'm on 200mg lamotrigine (Lamictal) and 10mg of escitalopram (Lexapro). I was weaned off aripiprazole (Abilify) approximately a month ago. Maybe the lack of Abilify is contributing to the brain fog. I have an appointment with my psychiatrist on 20 March, so this is something we'll discuss.

In the meantime, I'd love to hear your suggestions on how you combat brain fog, especially if you have any creative methods.

[Fizzyo]

Hi,sorry I didn't see this earlier, I hope the psychiatrist was helpful.

I experience what I call brain fog for different reasons, sometimes I'm so tired I can't think or if very low, anxious or agitated, my mind seems to slow down and it feels like making my mind think is like wading through thick fog in a swamp.

My strategy is to try to give myself a lot more time to make any plans or decisions I need to and a lot of time to work out how to do what I need to like put a coat on or make a cup of tea. If I let myself do things very slowly, often I can do what I need to.

I also try to be patient towards myself and not be cross with myself if I make a mistake. Anyone could forget or lose something in a brain fog.

I also make a lot of lists to work through during the day with things I need to do, even including things like having dinner or taking a shower to help me remember.

I'm sorry you have to cope with brain fog and I hope you can find strategies to make it easier for you until the fog lifts.