[LandShark]

Sorry if this is too long, I'm writing out everything that has been on my mind for awhile.

I was diagnosed about 25 years ago & put on Depakote & Lamectal, been taking them for years & am doing well on them. I've been taking the same dosage for years. The last time I saw my psych, my Depakote levels were within range.

About 4 years ago, at the age of 60, I was diagnosed as ADHD & was put on Adderrall, without it causing any issues with my BiPolar.

About a year ago, I moved to a different stat, to a new psych & they took me off of my Adderall because of my age, & the fact that I didn't work! I have been off of Adderall for a year but she wanted me to go to CBT. I even asked about non-stumulents & even though, I had high blood pressure, they wouldn't prescribe anything.

However, the psych didn't like my cholesterol levels, so she told me to diet, exercise & lose weight. My cholesterol level was 204 (it has to be 200 or less), & if it didn't come down, I would have to go on statins! I found out that the new standard for cholesterol is, if your number is at or over (how far over), the you should immediately put on statins! The strand thing is, I happened to get it tested a week later (at a different lab) & it came up 180!

I have been given the same message about diet, exercising & losing weight since I was 8 years old. When I look at my old pictures, I wasn't "obese", I was large, the only defense I have is, I'm second generation Polish & from peasant stock & I, well, look like a peasant!

I have said, I've struggled with weight loss since I was 8 years old, at the age of 17, I went to a doctor who put me on "diet" pill & given diuretic shots! Over the years, I've gotten amphetamines, legal & illegal, hoping for "societies" idea of the perfect weight. I've wasted thousands of dollars on specialized weight plans & spent hours & hours in gyms trying to get that perfect weight loss! Being told this has become a trigger because I've heard it ALL before, & it causes me to go into over drive! I don't need to hear it again!

I thought that I had an addiction of amphetamines, but I never craved or thought about using them when I wasn't taking anything. In fact, when I stopped taking them, my body didn't notice it & my brain adjusted just fine...for awhile, until the ADHD clicks in. I realized that my "addiction" wasn't for the drug but the idea of "societies" ideal of the "perfect" weight. I didn't have any other eating disorders, only the obsession of search for the "perfect" weight. The BMI chart has become my worst enemy!

After receiving the lecture, once again, I changed my eating habits (using a phone app), do 1 hour on the tread mill everyday & walk the dog. On the average I clock about 5 - 10 miles a day.

I've lost 10 pounds & it seems that my ADHD has become full blown! Not only did my attention span worsen, my anger is starting to get out of control! One day, I got mad at my dog!

And to top things off, it seems like my BiPolar is starting to flip-flop. Is it because of the weight loss also?

Any answers about what's going on & how to cope with this until I get a new psych? I'm not going back to my old psych so I can get lectured again on weight loss.

Thanks for your time for reading through this & thank you, in advance for any help you can give me.

[Skeezyks]

Well... I really don't know anything about this. But I noticed no one had replied to your post. So I thought I would.

I'm 70 years old. My personal opinion is that, at some point, one just has to stop worrying about all of the stuff society tells us we should be doing. It's just not worth the time, the expense, or the effort in my opinion. I'm not a mental health professional. So I don't know why you experiencing the ADHD & bipolar problems you mentioned. One thing I do believe is that the older one gets the easier it becomes for one's nerves to become frayed. At least that has certainly been the case for me.

You mentioned you moved to a new state about a year ago & began seeing a new pdoc. And, along with this it sounds as though you've had a bunch of different med changes. Plus you have all of this weight-related stuff going on. So my personal, non-professional thought would be that perhaps what is going on here has as much to do with anxiety as anything else. And it is a heightened level of anxiety that is causing you to feel like your ADHD & bipolar symptoms are ramping up.

I don't know if there is much of anything in particular I can suggest in the way of coping skills until you get a new psych. From what you wrote, it sounds as though you're doing a lot of things right... walking on the tread mill, walking your dog, etc. Of course, meditation is something that is often recommended. But, at least from my perspective, that is a long-term, not a short-term, solution. Journaling is something that I have also seen recommended for both depression & anxiety. But, there again, I suspect that is more of a long-term rather than a short-term strategy. I don't know if you see a therapist. Having an opportunity to talk all of this through with someone might help, if you're not already doing so. I guess my personal prejudice just suggests to me that at age 64 (which it sounds like you are) you simply have to find a way to start letting some of what you're obsessing about go.

Here are links to 7 articles, from PsychCentral's archives, that perhaps can be of some help:

9 Ways to Reduce Anxiety Right Here, Right Now

15 Small Steps You Can Take Today to Improve Anxiety Symptoms

Top 10 Lesser-Known Self-Help Strategies for Anxiety

How Meditation Helps Anxiety

20 Tips to Tame Your Stress

https://blogs.psychcentral.com/imper...s-and-anxiety/

https://psychcentral.com/blog/using-...o-reclaim-joy/

My best wishes to you...