Straight Talk on Managing Bipolar Disorder

Bipolar Hypomania: Reader Comment

I just received the following comment from Melissa. I am sure many of us understand! Hypomania is very slippery as it’s often not bad enough for us to stop it before it causes a lot of trouble. It causes trouble eventually, but it’s easy to convince yourself that things will be fine!

Hey Julie!

I’ve been dabbling in my hypomania for quite a few weeks now with increased stress being the culprit that let my balloon fill up. I always watch out for the three S’s when I’m feeling good – Speeding, Shopping and Sex. I’m currently training to walk the Eugene Half Marathon. It is motivating me to keep up on my self-care and exercise but it also seems a little grandiose I guess. Oh well, that’s my world in a nutshell.

Melissa

This is great because Melissa has such great insight. Speeding, Shopping and Sex! I didn’t think to add the speeding part- though I can drive like a maniac when I’m hypomanic. If you just came out of a manic episode, you’re probably very tired and possibly embarrassed. All you can do is remind yourself it’s an illnes, truly apologize to the people you hurt, and start now to have a plan such as the Health Cards in place to make sure it never gets really bad again. I’ve done this- Melissa has done this!

I think a half marathon is just fine- a full marathon would make me think twice- but only if it were a spur of a moment decision. If you are carefully planning over time and taking things slowly- that may not be mania!

Julie

Bipolar Disorder and Office Visits

Three ways to get the best from office visits:

1. Ask for the first appointment of the morning whenever possible. This guarantees that you won’t spend a half hour in the waiting room!

2. Take someone with you to ask questions if you feel too overwhelmed to ask them on your own. Whether you’re alone or with someone, it’s always a good idea to write down your specific questions before you see your HCP. I even tell people to hand the list to their HCP as it saves time.

3. Have a goal before you go. Is it to get new meds? Find a support group? Ask a specific question about bipolar disorder? Often we get to appointments and forget what we need from the HCP. I have often come out of the office and said- darn! I forgot to ask ….… and that was one of the main reasons I wanted to see him!

HCP visits can be short- it helps to make the most of them every time.
I have a chapter in Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder that goes into this with me detail. It can be complicated to manage an illness and manage office visits!

Julie

Bipolar Disorder and Hypomania

Lovely mania.. not!

I float a lot when I’m depressed. As my brother said, it’s like I spend all day working hard to get nothing done! My hypomania is so different. I get it all done in one day!

I love hypomania- the good, euphoric, mildly up kind. It’s the best drug in the world. The problem is that in the 30 years (OMG!) I have had hypomania, it has never stayed good for very long. Before I knew how to treat and ultimately prevent it, the mania was very destructive. It only felt good, but it wasn’t good. Right now I am feeling better than I have in a long time. I’m getting work done- my thoughts seem normal and I’m really sticking to a positive view on life despite these interesting economic times.

How do I know if this is the beginning of hypomania? That is always a question for me. I can look at my mania Health Card and see the definite signs that I’m going up. I can check my sleep patterns, see if my thoughts are grandiose or if I don’t feel like eating.

Managing this illness is 100% about catching symptoms before they go too far. It’s also the purpose of our medications and the only way for us to stay stable. Some people can take meds and get back to a normal life where bipolar is in the background. Their checks and balances don’t have to be as stringent. I have mood swings 99% of the year, so I have to be vigilant! This is why I am questioning my good mood. A few weeks ago when my meds weren’t working I was suicidal. Now, I feel pretty darn good. This is not a good sign and I can’t ignore it. But I can get a lot of work done!

Julie

PS: It was one day of hypomania and then it was gone. I am glad I did not go too far down afterwards. If you are new to bipolar disorder terms, you can look up mania on the menu to the right. It explains the different types of mania: hypomania and full blown mania. You can also read about rapid cycling.

Bipolar Disorder and crisis situations

Questions to ask yourself when you’re not doing well…

How do I get past this?

How do I get through this?

How do I stop this mood swing?

How do I learn to live with this?

Who can help me with this?

How do I make my future different from this?

What can I do right this minute to feel better?

When you’re in the middle of being ill- i.e in a mood swing that is causing you pain- or causing pain to others! it’s always a good idea to methodically ask yourself questions in order to focus your brain. I ask myself the above questions when I’m depressed and I force myself to answer them positively. If I’ve had a relationship problem that is eating away at me and affecting my sleep, I can ask myself- OK Julie, how do you get past this? It’s three in the morning. What do you need to do right now to change your thoughts so that this is not controlling your life?” I often come up with realistic and helpful suggestions for myself when I ask the right questions.

Julie

Small business and individual finances for people with bipolar disorder

Bipolar Disorder and Business Finances

Wow, this is an interesting time in our country financially, isn’t it. And yet, as I have said before, it’s also a time for opportunity. I know that I have not been as fiscally responsible as I could have been in terms of my business. A lot of it has to do with my limited work hours due to bipolar disorder, but some of it is definitely from choices I have made.

My dear friend Lorraine Haatia is very fiscally responsible! She is a continuous improvement specialist for companies large and small. She recently published a very interesting article on how companies can cut costs during these interesting economic times. Here is the link to the article. I think it has great ideas for individuals as well!

http://www.exchangemagazine.com/morningpost/2009/week4/Tuesday/012007.htm

Julie

Bipolar and Lamictal (generic Lamotrigine) the Thread on My meds are working….

I just did a post called My Meds are Working- there are some fantastic comments under the post. I have learned a lot from readers.

Here are the facts on generic Lamictal (Lamotrigine). There can be problems with the generic formula. This does not mean it won’t work for you- it does for many people. It does mean that you will need to monitor your moods once you switch. It’s a gradual change if the meds are not working- it seems to be around five weeks.

I really want to stress that generics are good things in many ways- costs, availability, etc. But as people with bipolar disorder, we have to take charge of our own health care. If you use my Health Cards treatment system, it’s a good idea to read your normal card while you take the generics.

Doctors can prescribe ‘brand’ Lamictal if the generics don’t work for you. I can’t believe that I lost a month of work time simply because I didn’t know the meds weren’t working!!!

This is about awareness- when and if you start generic Lamictal, educate your health care professional on the reality of the drug and then work together to make sure you stay stable. Most people do!

Julie