Any bipolar chicks?

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  • Hey all I'm bipolar and have gained so much weight since diagnosed. I have yet to find a good drug combo I was on abilify and finally saw light at the end of the tunnel but have since developed a thing called tardive dystenksia (SP?) so now I have facial ticks rolling of my tongue and all kinds of freaky stuff.
    My Doc has now started me on Trileptal and it's making me a zombie. I just can't seem to stick to any kinda diet because of all the stress I'm constantly under. I usually don't post under this section I don't know why I haven't. But I'm getting lonely and figure I'd try to talk about it.
  • Hi 2Much,

    I'm not bipolar, I only get the lows. Years ago I would get some soaring highs and began thinking I may be bipolar, but those have disappeared.
    I'm glad you decided to post here b/c you definitely need support. Dieting is hard enough when your emotions are more even, but throw in rollercoaster mood swings and it usually spells disaster.
    Join us over in our weekly chat thread. There are some wonderful ladies there and we just vent till we drop about it all!
  • Bipolar here!

    I've had awful times with meds and mood swings. I was diagnosed with depression in my 20's, so I'd go on medication usually be overweight. Then I'd feel "super good", stop my medication, and usually drop some weight. Then I'd get depressed again, and so on. I was finally hospitalized for mania for the first time when I was 31 yrs old.

    I haven't had a manic swing in a few years (maybe some hypomania), but I recently had a depressive swing.

    One of the things I did at the end of the swing was stop eating sugar and white flour. It was suggested in Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder as one of the lifestyle changes you could make to help with your moods. I found that this has curbed my appetite and stopped my binges. I am also involved in AA/OA.

    I'm not on some of the medications with weight gain as a big side effect right now. Who knows later? I tend to be medication resistant and have breakthrough moods. I totally know about fighting med side effects and the paralyzing depressions where I don't even move.

    I've actually lost weight due to my diet but I still don't have the energy to exercise. It's all I can do to go to work everyday or most everyday.

    You are not alone. I know it is terribly difficult.
    Thinking of you.

    Amy
  • I am not bipolar but i deal daily with my husband who is suffering from extreme bipolar disorder. He is in a mixed state right now. He had been manic for a few days.
    He has gained alot of weight on meds. He has also lost some weight with topamax. He is med resitant also and take his meds faithfully. They cant find a combo to level him out. He has tried over 40 meds in all. We even got so desperate last summer we tried ECT. the dr said it would stop his mania...it didnt!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! IN fact all it did was wipe his memory. He still cant remeber alot of things he should know.
    I am so sorry you are going thru it.
    debi
  • I jsut remembered you said you got TD from abilify. the drs say it doesnt cause it...LOL yeah right. Hubby got the tongue chewing and facial ticks from it. He is on seroquel at a low dose and has full body jerks at times. they did an MRI last year to make sure nothing else was causing it. I am trying to talk our dr into trying tegetrol on hubby. We have to do something to help him.
    good luck and hang in there...i know its hard for me....but even worse on the one suffering from the disorder.
  • Thanks for the welcomes and advice Oreokitty I really should give up sugar and white flour because on top of everything I have blood sugar problems.

    Deb I'm sorry about your husband I hope he gets better and I was on only 10 mg's of abilify and got the TD so it is horrible I've been off abilify for over 6 months and I still have the TD symptoms they if anything have gotten worse. I have heard it can become full body movement so hopefully I stopped in enough time. It's just a shame because I have had the best look with my mixed states with anti psychotics but the side effects are just horrible.
    How's your husbands memory now?
  • his memory is horrible...he is on so much meds.
  • I was diagnosed w/ bipolar disorder about 7 years ago or so. I've taken various medications. Currently I take seroquel and wellbutrin. Thankfully I've done well w/ them. My dr wanted me to transition to depakote but the seroquel seems to be working fine.

    I'm trying to create more routine in my life, like going to sleep at the same time and waking at the same time. It'll be easier on my health and my diet. My medications don't make me hungry, but I did/do have problems w/ emotional eating.

    For me, I find that journaling/blogging helps a lot. Also lets my readers know that it's possible to be bipolar and a functional person.

    My medications are seroquel, wellbutrin, exercise, my husband and my guinea pig.
  • Quote: I'm trying to create more routine in my life, like going to sleep at the same time and waking at the same time. It'll be easier on my health and my diet.
    I also set up a sleep routine, regular bed times and awake times. It has really helped. Routine in sleep & eating has felt very stabilizing.
    Amy
  • Bipolar II
  • I'm not diagnosed as bipolar, I only experience constant lows. My brother is bipolar and borderline skizophrenic, our mother is skizophrenic, so I can definately identify. Everytime I get my meds straight, I feel so good that i forget I need them. In a manner of months, i've stopped taking meds and bam, I come off worse than I was before. It's a stupid cycle. I hate medication and refuse to take it. really, i'm shooting myself in the foot. Just don't give up. You will find the right combination of medications. Remember that how you feel now is temporary (we hope!). Everything will get worked out.. Maybe try reiki or mediatation?? (i've done both and given up, but maybe it will help you feel better)
  • I am 100% bipolar.. I was diagnosed in 2000 with this and for a year and a half it was a VERY LONG HAUL!!! I was hospitalized 11 times in 9 months they tried 27 different meds. I was on ONe(that i wont mention on here incase it does well for someone) that took me from 165 pounds to 298 pounds in 6 months and the doctor wondered why i was depressed and could not breath!!!( that is another story) I finally was hooked up with a doctor who took me seriously and got me off the med and in 4 months i lost all but 23 pounds of what the meds put me up to. in 2002 i went of my meds and have been doing great. even through 2 c-section and a miscarrage i was ok.
    I have been a spokes advocate for Mental health America Formally MHA. i go to schools and talk to kids and other places about what i went through.




    IF anyone needs anythign let me know i will do my best to help you
  • Me. Bipolar NOS. I am pretty much permanently hypomanic. I never get depressed, but I do get some sensory integration issues from time to time. I'm on Lithium, super low dose... just enough to take the edge off.
  • Yes, I have Bi-Polar.

    Have had it for 12 years. Currently I take Lithium/Effexor. But it in the past I have taken a bunch of other meds. I only noticed and decided to do something about my severe weight gain Aug of 2007. Since then I have lost 30 some lbs. I have also noticed in the past year 2 weeks on, 2 weeks off in manic/depression moods. Since I don't care what I eat, don't excercise during the depressions, I have been working with my Psych on this (I'm pretty content with the Psych I currently have). So he's upping my dose of lithium, and hopefully that will up my mood so I'm more happy all month long.

    Good Luck Ladies!

    Gecko
  • Also Tardive Diskenisea (sp?) is mostly caused by taking one particular Med for too long.