Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Part: 1 Find Bipolar Disorder Medications that Work for You

“I don’t like side effects and I want to quit these @#$@# meds. “

If you are like me and probably wouldn’t be alive without medications, then the only thing to do is search constantly for the right bipolar disorder medications with the least side effects and then do all you can to take them correctly.

For many people with bipolar disorder, discovering the right combination of medications is the most difficult and frustrating part of treating this illness. I know that I spent many years trying to find meds that worked for me and when I did, I became even more effective at managing the illness.

Unfortunately, It took me over a year to manage my side effects and they are still a daily challenge.

Part two of this blog covers strategies you can use to find the right meds that have the least side effects.

Julie

Part 2: Find Bipolar Disorder Medications that Work for You

Strategies to find medications that work with your mind and body:

# 1 Microdosing. Everybody processes medications differently. Our bodies are very individual which is why some people can take a certain drug with no side effects while others, like myself can have every single side effect listed on the drug warnings. There is a way to get around this. My co-author Dr. John Preston introduced me to microdosing many years ago. If your body has trouble processing a medication at the recommended dose, you can start with very small doses of the medication (microdosing) so that your body can acclimate to the drug with less side effects. This is what I did when I started Lamictal- an anti convulsant used to treat bipolar depression, rapid cycling and psychosis. It took six months for me to get to the right dose, but for the first time in my life I was able to tolerate a drug. If you’re someone who has a lot of trouble with side effects, make sure you talk to your doctor about microdosing. This is especially true if you are concerned about the rash associated with Lamictal. The rash is extremely rare- there are less serious rashes that respond very well to microdosing.

#2 Understand the Medications You’re Taking. I remember being on six medications when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. I had no idea what they were for. I just know that they all seemed to make me more ill than I was before I took the medications. This was because my doctor kept trying new combinations– one on top of the other -instead of working with me to find what really worked. I would never go through this now. I know too much about medications and know what questions to ask. It’s important that people with bipolar disorder as well as the people in their lives understand exactly why a certain medication is used. Ask questions:

Why am I on this drug and what benefits should I see?
How long does this take on average?
When will the side effects get better?
If this medication isn’t working, what are my options?

You control what you put in your body. Become an expert of what helps you stay stable.

#3 Keep Trying- even when you feel hopeless. In 2011, I found a medication cocktail that ended my depression. My depression was so severe for over five years that I feared for my life. Then I found the right combination of medications through the help of my coauthor Dr. John Preston.

Part three of this blog follows………

The first year of side effects was hell. But I’m so thankful I kept going.

Julie

Pt 3: Find Bipolar Disorder Medications That Work for You

Bipolar Disorder Medications: It’s getting better.

Many doctors are much more informed these days. They seem to understand that side effects are not something we can simply live with. Drug companies are working on creating medications with less side effects-especially when it comes to weight gain. There will be new medications on the market in the future, so there is always hope that you will find something that works.

I don’t want to take meds. At all. But I do take them so that I can live. This means I have to find a way to live with what they do to my body. This is why I kept trying and found relief with medications that didn’t work in 1995, but work now because of my body changes and a different combination than used in the past.

A Final Tip:

Medications are often the most effective treatment for debhilitating bipolar disorder symptoms. This may be difficult to accept, especially if you don’t believe in medications or have a lot of trouble with side effects. Years of research shows that people who have the right meds lead more stable lives.

Maybe I won’t need bipolar disorder medications one day. I can dream!

For now, my goal is to stay on medications, remain depression free and manage the side effects the best I can.

Julie

Bipolar 101 and 102 Group Coaching Calls Available for Download!

The Bipolar Disorder 101 coaching call covers the basics of bipolar disorder in just one hour! The Bipolar Disorder 102 coaching call is on bipolar disorder medication side effects.

Click here to listen to or download the Bipolar Disorder 101 Coaching Call

Julie

PS: Bipolar 101 is a great call for those who don’t want to talk about the diagnosis. They can listen in private which really helps a lot when you are struggling with a bipolar disorder diagnosis. As a family member or partner, you can send it in a link and ask if I know what I’m talking about!

Click here to read more on my family and partner coaching.

BIPOLAR DISORDER AND COLLEGE ATTENDANCE: I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR ADVICE!

Hello! I would appreciate your help with my research regarding bipolar disorder and college attendance.

In my recent blog for BP Magazine, I ask the question: Do you think that people with bipolar disoder go to college more often than the general population? Interesting question! I present my personal research and then ask for your opinion.

Please click here to read the post. The comments after the post are priceless! Please feel free to add your own. Thousands of people read the blog and all tell me that the comments are as important as the blog itself.

Julie

PS: If you don’t have bipolar disorder, I’d still very much like your opinion as it will be from a different perspective.

PSS: The picture is a spring time photo of The University of Washington. I finally got my English degree from UW in 1990. It was my fourth college- and I graduated eight years after I first went to college at age 18. Oh, if I had known about the bipolar then! You may have a similar school story about yourself or someone you care about.

– If you don’t have a subscription to BP Magazine, you’re missing out on some great stuff such as my column!

What is Zyprexa? Is it used to treat Bipolar Disorder?

Zyprexa is an anti psychotic drug (also known as a neuroleptic) used to treat bipolar disorder psychosis.

Zyprexa is called an ‘atypical’ antipsychotic as it is a new class of drugs with less side effects that the old anti-psychotics such as Thorazine and Haldol.

Zyprexa is known for weight gain- an average of 20 pounds per person, but some don’t have the weight gain. It’s used to treat bipolar disorder psychosis and schizophrenia.

It’s hard to find a balance between the benefits of Zyprexa and the side effects- but for many, the benefits are what matters. I have a friend who was on the drug for two years to keep her mania and psychosis in check. It definitely kept her out of the hospital- but she felt over drugged and gained weight. She is now stable and no longer needs the Zyprexa. It did the job it was supposed to do.

Zyprexa is no longer the first drug of choice when a person is diagnosed. I see more use of Seroquel and Risperdal. It truly comes down to how sick you are and how much help you need.

Outside of the people with bipolar disorder, it’s all about big pharma politics- much is done to hide the negative sides of the meds- but that is another story!

The new anti psychotics (Abilify, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal, etc) basically work the same- a person’s physiology is what determines their success. It’s the same with the side effects. I find these drugs the most toxic- but I’ve also see them change a person from someone who literally couldn’t function in the world due to paranoid psychosis to someone who can work and be a productive part of society. He tells me his life is a lot better! But his face is puffy and he shakes.

What can we do?

It’s always a trade off. In one hand there are the dreaded and often physically destructive pills- on the other hand is a life out of hostpial and in the world.

It’s our choice.

Julie

I have absolutely no idea why I found a picture of a lemon with a zyprexa lable!