Bipolar 2: breaking bad

HI @PolarOpposite - Great you could join us tonight! I'm sure there are many here who are able to share their experiences with you.

It sounds like you are in safe hands 🙂

Hi @PolarOpposite

Im sorry you had a blackout. That must have been really unsettling. Sorry you ended in hospital but at least you are getting the right treatment.

I have bipolar 2 and I have hypomanic episodes but no psychosis. It’s only a relatively new diagnosis. But my hypomanic episodes at this stage I can mostly keep myself safe.

The psychiatrist is still trying to get my meds right for me to be stable. I spent most of my time in the depressive side. I have 2 mood stabilisers, an antidepressant/anti anxiety. Plus I have an anti psychotic for if I can sleep or go into a hypo.

I’ve been given a sleep routine to follow the ensure adequate sleep to try and stay stable. Too little sleep is usually a sign of me going up.

I don’t know if this helps any.

Hello @PolarOpposite sorry you've had all this to contend with. I hope they can iron out the meds for you - it can take a while to know if the meds are working well but if they can eliminate any you're not tolerating well it's a start.

Having supportive work and home environments will be important - not always easy to negotiate. Flexible work arrangements can help a lot especially in the first few weeks back.

Staying healthy in the longer term - in terms of lifestyle and maintenance on meds - may be a conversation for another time. For now, perhaps you should focus on recovery and not rebounding. Maybe you could try to muster a good professional support team using the hospital networks and expertise if you don't already have one - planning ahead for after discharge.

Best of luck, and I hope your partner and baby are doing OK.

Dimity

Thanks for updating us @PolarOpposite . It's great to hear your progress.

I hope you can work something out re your family situation... do persevere.

Best wishes

Dimity

Hi @PolarOpposite ,

Being in hospital is not fun, I have been in a number of times, sometimes at my request, others by the behest of the mental department. For me meds have always been a problem, it was the side-effects that really did me in. Many people find medication helpful, I hope you are still finding that.

It has been three months since I got out of hospital, and I am very happy to report that the medication has worked wonders for me. I take my tablets consistently and haven’t missed a single tablet on any day.

That isn’t to say there aren’t side effects - I’m exercising like mad to try and stave off the weight gain, fibre tablets to help me with the havoc the meds play with my digestive system.

The best side effect is sleep, but I have to take my tablets early at night to ensure that I am clear headed in the mornings. I haven’t (yet) suffered from shakes, sometimes muscle twitches. I’ve stopped drinking alcohol (104 days now) to both treat my disorder with the respect it deserves and also to ensure there are no unexpected reactions with my medications.

My moods are under control, they’ve restored my sleep patterns to more normal than they’ve been in years, I feel mostly clear headed and have been able to go back to work.

Im just glad to be out of hospital and feeling confident I won’t be going back any time soon. I hope that you are finding peace with treating yourself in a way that works for you, and thank you for reaching out to both related to me, and with such kind words of hope.