I’m not doing my best. I’m happy to be here. Thanks for asking. I’m having a tough day, but it’s better now that I’m out of the house. It’s not a great day, but I’m happy to see you! I’m using my treatment plan! It’s chasing me today. It’s lurking.
There are many more. Usually, I just say- “I’m really depressed today.” or, “Yesterday was really tough.”
Since I wrote Get it Done When You’re Depressed I feel better- I can visualize the list of tips in the front of the book and pick one when the days are tough.
Bla. Dumb depression. Terrible depression! But I will not let it ruin my life. The days may be difficult, but I will keep going- always.
I just had an email from a person who is moving to China. He wondered how he would get his Lamictal and Risperdal in China.
Here is my answer….
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You ask an important question about medications. Lamictal is with Glaxo Smith Kline. Risperdal is from Janssen. – I would assume they have different contracts with different countries. Of course, if you are taking generics, you should talk with your pharmacy and see how they work with other countries.
If you still take the brand names:
Here is the contact for Glaxo Smith Kline- the makers of Lamictal. 1-888-825-5249
Here is the number for Janssen- the makers of Risperdal: 1-800-526-7736
I am sure they can answer your questions or at least point you in the right direction. Considering all of the people from the US who are working in or moving to China, there must be a way to get the information.
I took Lamictal for five years- it worked wonderfully for me when my depression simply wouldn’t calm down. I certainly never thought I would use the word medication and wonderful in the same sentence! But I love the fact that there are some drugs out there that work without 24 hour side effects. The generic for Lamictal is lamotrigine.
I always stock up on the meds before I travel so that I have emergency rations when I’m there. You can also leave extra meds with a family member in the States. I always recommend this when a person travels. You can ask for extra meds from your doctor-though it’s not loved by insurance, your health care professional can prescribe a higher dose than you take, so that you can have extra meds.
If you simply have a copay for your meds, then this saves you a LOT of money.
Also, if you travel with meds on your way there, make sure they are clearly labeled- you can even take a letter from your doctor. Just in case.
As you probably know, a move can be a big, big trigger for bipolar disorder- especially mania. A lot of this has to do with sleep changes. I suggest you have a plan in place before you leave. I have lived in Japan and traveled in China, so I know the risks that come with the excitement.
I’m very impressed that you’re taking care of things before you travel- believe it or not, some people don’t and that’s when problems start.
Julie
PS: I just had a great comment below about my opinion on generic Lamictal. Michael asked if I had changed my mind about Lamictal and it’s generic form lamotrigine- I answered the comment with the following:
Hi Michael, this blog chronicles my experience with generic Lamictal (lamotrigine) the first month it came out many years ago. You probably read an older post. It was not well regulated and people all over the world were having different experiences with the lamotrigine. It didn’t work for me at all– whereas others found it exactly the same as the brand Lamictal. It’s now many years later and the generic lamotrigine seems to be working fine for people. Lamictal is the most benign of all bipolar disorder drugs- yes, it has the rash- but if you’re careful, the rash is extremely rare. Overall, it helps the most for bipolar II and has the least side effects of any bipolar disorder drug on the market. These days, I think it’s very safe to use the lamotrigine. I stuck with brand name Lamictal for years simply because I didn’t want to risk the generics. Now, if I were jut starting out with a prescription, I would take the lamotrigine- but if it didn’t work, I would try the Lamictal. The problem is that Lamictal is incredibly expensive and insurance companies don’t like to use it. I believe in big management plans with the least drug use possible, but many of us must take drugs and Lamictal/ lamotrigine is a good one. Julie
Many of our readers have asked for updates from our guest bloggers so we reached out to see what they were up to. Karen Tyrrell has been busy and is excited to announce her next great project, her latest children’s book, Stop the Bully has arrived! Here is a wonderful update from Karen: If you would like to read her original guest blog post for BipolarHappens.com, click here.
I, Karen Tyrrell, am an Australian award winning mental health author and teacher, as well as a survivor of Bipolar Disorder. I keep myself resilient on a day to day basis with my pro-active wellness plan. When I was a teacher, parents at my school bullied me to the breaking point, triggering bipolar disorder. I wrote Me and Her: A Memoir of Madness, this was my journey into and out of bipolar. Later I published the sequel Me and Him: A Guide to Recovery,two books in one. Part 1 is a self-help manual with30 steps to recovery and wellness. Part 2 is a memoir from the caregiver’s perspective revealing the effect bipolar had on my husband, Steve.
Why I write Mental Health books for Children
I’m a passionate mental health advocate for children. Prevention is better than cure in my opinion. I write empowering books to lift children’s moods, strengthen their resilience, boosting self-esteem and self-confidence. I wrote Bailey Beats the Blah, an empowering picture book to help kids overcome sad days and worry thoughts.
BLURB: Bailey hates his new school. His tummy aches. He has no friends.
His dog Fuzzy slobbers all over him. BLAH! How can Bailey change his BLAH to HA-HA-HA?
I was bullied as a child and as a teacher. Now I’m an anti-bullying campaigner educating children, teaching empathy and resilience. My junior novel STOP the Bully empowers boys and girls with assertive anti-bullying strategies, revealing the bullying dilemma from all perspectives.
BLURB: Eleven year old Brian is hiding something. His life is falling apart. Dad abandoned the family. Brian hates his new school. And now an aggressive bully attacks him every day. Can Brian STOP the Bully without revealing his shameful secret?
I enjoy presenting storytelling sessions, pantomimes and author talks at schools, libraries and festivals. STOP the BULLY is endorsed by Kids Helpline, teachers and counsellors. Download FREE teacher notes and FREE kids activities from my website. STOP the BULLY is available on Amazon Kindle for just $3.99 here.
Thanks for the opportunity to tell your readers about what I’ve been up to.
Visit KarenTyrell.com to read more about my work. Here is my Twitter @Karen_Tyrrell.
– Thank you! Karen
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PS: Wow, what an inspiration! Please ask Karen any questions you have below and I will make sure she get them and answers them on the site! Julie
On your radio show from a few years ago, you spoke of your “brain chatter”? Can you explain what you mean by this?For myself, sometimes I just run the same words over and over in my head when I am anxious, maybe in a group of people. I do not believe it to be psychosis (i.e. audio hallucinations), or even a delusion, but one thing I do know it to be: annoying. It is even as if it exists in a certain physical location in my skull.
Weird—huh?
I told my sister about it who said, “No you don’t!”
I lied and agreed with her, “You’re right, I don’t.” 🙂
C.
Hi C.
Ah, brain chatter. This is what I call the brain in a blender feeling I get when I’m sick. I have so many thoughts and sounds in my head I have trouble functioning. It’s like having a group of people following me around while talking to each other through my ears.
I get it with agitated depression – the opposite would be catatonic depression where I don’t really have thoughts at all.
Agitated depression is noisy- there are often comments about what you’re doing wrong and how you’re never succeed. You can hear conversations you have already had or ones you’re going to have.
The brain chatter is really bad when I’m psychotic as the noises are distorted and very confusing. They just won’t be quiet. Sometimes I hear someone talking to me or feel like I’m at a very loud party where I’m not a welcome guest.
You can have manic brain chatter as well.
I simply use the term brain chatter to mean the thoughts, sounds, noises, voices, music, etc in your head that you don’t want there. You didn’t ask for it and you want it to go away so that you can think clearly.
When I started to get a lot better last year, the main improvement was LESS BRAIN CHATTER.
My book Get it Done When You’re Depressed has techniques for getting rid of it.
That’s funny that you had to lie to your sister! We can’t expect everyone to understand our weird brains!
I got really sick for three days last week. It was terrible. I thought my two month stability streak was going to last forever.
I’m always shocked when the depression comes back full force. It is so nasty and horrible. No one can understand it, unless they have a mood disorder!
It’s like living underwater with no air- but you don’t die! You just struggle!
All of us with bipolar disorder know what it is like.
The day it started I said to myself, “Oh no. It’s back. But I’m going to get rid of it starting now.”
It sounds like a cliche, but that is how I have to talk to myself when I get sick.
In three days it was gone. I’m a lot better today. I woke up and knew I was fine – I knew this because I woke up and didn’t think that getting up was pointless. I just got on with my day. It’s so wonderful to have a normal day!
Julie
Thanks for the pics from Miss E. They depict what it feels like sometimes! Alive, but underwater!
Bipolar Happens: 35 Tips and Tricks to Manage Bipolar Disorder is a top ten Bipolar Disorder Book on the Kindle!
That’s exciting. I went to the Kindle store to see how my books Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder and Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder were doing on the bipolar disorder page. These books are in the top ten ranking- and then I saw that Bipolar Happens! was right up there as well!
Fantastic! Bipolar Happens! is an enjoyable book about a serious topic.
Guess what- it’s only $.99 I want it to be available to everyone.
Yes, I think this is a great deal and a good way to get helpful information about bipolar disorder at minimum cost. Bipolar Happens! was my first book. I knew I wanted to talk about how I manage the illness, but I also wanted to tell stories about how it affects my life daily.
There are stories about anger, manic spending, anxiety at a baseball game and what it feels like to be psychotic! It’s a book that family members love too. I love it myself. It’s hopeful.
Click here to go to amazon.com. You can read part of the book and then add it to your Kindle. Wow, $.99!
Julie
PS: If you’re new to my work, this is a great way to experience my writing style and the quality of my information. If you like it, you can come back for more.
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The health information contained herein is provided for general education purposes only. This site should not be seen as a substitute for an official diagnosis or for professional health care.
I’m not doing my best.
