Bi-Polar Disorder

I can't say I know what bipolar is like at all, but it sounds like you're concerned about BP and how it affects you and the people you know. You mentioned that you have stopped taking Abilify earlier this year, may I ask why that is? I hope you find someone that can help you relate to and understand BP better soon

I know exactly what bi=polar is.. my mother became bipolar when she had her menopause .. at the time the doctors never thought to test her hormones for imbalances when she complained of chest pains and night fevers.. BTW anxiety attacks and night sweats are well known for menopause.. BUT having the issues with her hormones through her into a permanent bi=polar disorder which could have been nat as bad for her if she would have began hormone treatment..

I love her and understand how she is and accept her for how she is.. doing so makes me understand a lot of people and want to see better how they see things before imake judgements on them.

It is amazing how common bi-polar and manic depression is. I have met a lot of people who do not see the signs and it seems to make them and others around them miserable and the person can feel powerless and frustrated and scared at times.

Anyway, it is really had to have this as an act.. it usually makes the person feel crazy by the lack of control they do have in some manners.. as for relationships it takes very special people to put up with the extreme mood swings and if the person is not aware of their disorder it can really make it even harder on a spouse.

Sad thing that I have heard about this .. its genetic sometimes. Not that this chemical imbalance is always passed down, but it can be. so it is always good to test for it and be aware of the signs. Early detection and proper treatment helps tremendously in how extreme the condition can be and how scary it can make a person.

Mine is genetic. My mother has it and my grand mother has it.

I stopped taking Abilify because in Jan 08, i kept being on and off, and it highly effect my body. So I became suicidal (thoughts) then in Jan 08, I tried to commit suicide by ODing. Spent one week in the mental hospital. They then raised my Milligrams to 10 . And I kept gaining weight, I was a size 7 now i'm a size 18. So, i just stopped this time. I'm going to see the doctor again to see if I can take another type. They wanted me to get Prozak but i hate anti depressants, Abilify is an Anti-Psychotic that when used with Anti Depressants, it can help a bit.

Have they at all discussed the diet program for this with you.. more or less it can be considered a hormonal diet if you look at some of those diets. But it helps tremendously, my mother has no medical insurance now and she can't afford the meds at this time. I tried to put her on my medical but I can not because she lives in another state. So I looked into alterantives and when she sticks to eating what is suggested it works really well for her.

BTW how I know the bi-polar suggested diet and the hormonal diet are similar I was looking them both up for her and surprised me when a lot of the suggested foods were on both lists.

I would suggest talk to your doctor about this.. I would not say to stop taking the meds but the new eating plan you can put yourself on can really change your life, and even help with the wieght you gained if it makes you feel bad to have it. And remember though that each person is individual to what really works for them.. learn your body and learn your mind and find what works best for you.

I really feel for the suicidal tendencies that come with this disorder, it scares me to death myself.

Mine is genetic. My mother has it and my grand mother has it.

I stopped taking Abilify because in Jan 08, i kept being on and off, and it highly effect my body. So I became suicidal (thoughts) then in Jan 08, I tried to commit suicide by ODing. Spent one week in the mental hospital. They then raised my Milligrams to 10 . And I kept gaining weight, I was a size 7 now i'm a size 18. So, i just stopped this time. I'm going to see the doctor again to see if I can take another type. They wanted me to get Prozak but i hate anti depressants, Abilify is an Anti-Psychotic that when used with Anti Depressants, it can help a bit.

Is Abilify the only drug you've taken for BP? Because in BP, antipsychotics like Abilify are usually used as initial adjunct therapy to lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid), not as a main treatment - Abilify as a main treatment is used for schizophrenia. That said, Abilify is known as a drug that causes less weight gain than other antipsychotics, so switching to another antipsychotic might not do any good in that regard. Lithium, which is the "drug of choice" for BP, also has weight-gain side effects (among many others), but the drugs known as valproates (divalproex/Depakote, valproic acid/Depakene) have fewer side effects and can sometimes be used in place of lithium, although mostly for "rapid-cyclers" and the elderly. But according to my list, weight gain isn't a side effect. Symbyax could be another drug you could ask your doctor about.

Mine is genetic. My mother has it and my grand mother has it.

I stopped taking Abilify because in Jan 08, i kept being on and off, and it highly effect my body. So I became suicidal (thoughts) then in Jan 08, I tried to commit suicide by ODing. Spent one week in the mental hospital. They then raised my Milligrams to 10 . And I kept gaining weight, I was a size 7 now i'm a size 18. So, i just stopped this time. I'm going to see the doctor again to see if I can take another type. They wanted me to get Prozak but i hate anti depressants, Abilify is an Anti-Psychotic that when used with Anti Depressants, it can help a bit.

Is Abilify the only drug you've taken for BP? Because in BP, antipsychotics like Abilify are usually used as initial adjunct therapy to lithium (Eskalith, Lithobid), not as a main treatment - Abilify as a main treatment is used for schizophrenia. That said, Abilify is known as a drug that causes less weight gain than other antipsychotics, so switching to another antipsychotic might not do any good in that regard. Lithium, which is the "drug of choice" for BP, also has weight-gain side effects (among many others), but the drugs known as valproates (divalproex/Depakote, valproic acid/Depakene) have fewer side effects and can sometimes be used in place of lithium, although mostly for "rapid-cyclers" and the elderly. But according to my list, weight gain isn't a side effect. Symbyax could be another drug you could ask your doctor about.

I think you are missing important information.. she tried to commit suicide here.. depression is known to cause over eating, over aleeping and the general factors that can cause normal wieght gain.

Just thought I might point where I percieved the gain may have been from.

No, I took Respirdol(SP?), and another that starts with a C.

Then my last choice for that time was Abilify, and it worked but then that stuff happened.

BP is not the only thing I have.

I have Depression & General Anxiety Disorder.

Depression

?

A diagnosis of any kind is difficult to come to terms with, let alone one so complex and existential as those in the mental health arena; it must have proved very tricky getting your head around it and coming to terms with it. It does sound like you really do have great understanding and insight though. Insight is the most important thing too - in my opinion, even more important than drugs! - in getting back to a point where you feel comfortable and fully in charge of your own future.

Something that may be of interest is the programme made for the BBC by Stephen Fry, a famous and very successful British actor and comedian, on the condition, which he has himself. He talks about his own experience and various aspects of having bipolar disorder. It's all available on Youtube . . . Here's the first part: Stephen Fry's "The Secret Life of the Manic-Depressive" Of course, everyone's experiences are really quite different, but a number of people I have spoken to have found the Stephen Fry programme rather useful - I guess in getting another perspective and seeing the impact on another's life.

(Alastair Campbell also did a recent programme on depression, which I thought was really quite good )

Not meaning to be controversial or whatnot, but in my experience diagnoses and medications are doled out much more readily in the US - the system seems very pharmaco-centric . . . I'm not sure how helpful both of these always are.

I hope that that makes sense, and that, if it does, that it is of some use.

Thanks :]

I'm not very good at giving advices but I have only a question...you said that this Bi-Polar disorder is genetic in your family,you said that your mother has it...how do your parents think that it's all an act if your mother has it too?

That's the problem. My mum is 50/50 on my side then the other half she's calling me crazy. My own mother denies that she has any mental disorders and it's really sad because I feel like no one really believes me.

that's so sad do you think a phyciater could help you more than medicaments?I mean if you talk about this with a person that is specialised in this subject may be more appropriate...just a thought

nevermind I found this "Psychological factors do not play a strong role in the psychopathology of the disorder and the psychotherapeutic factors that lead to recovery are obscure remission" but it says that medical treatments help more especially "Lithium Carbonate or Lamotrigine"....but you propably know that

Yeah. I have both.

sorry I couldn't help

It's ok ^^