self medicated

[lorne]

hi, fellow bi-polar friends.
I just joined the board today. I want to say hi to you all. I'm just coming down from a 2 month manic episode. the last month was insane. has anyone had a 'hi' episode lately? I feel like it was a dream but the things i did and said were very real. lot's of substance abuse and other bad stuf was going on, then this wednesday i woke up and it was over. It felt like a had slammed the brakes on going 150 mph and now i am doing 55 again. Except i think i am running out of gasoline .. I am terrified a low is coming fast on the heels of the mainia. I've tried a lot of different meds but i usually only use effexor for the lows, and I'm ashamed to say lots of pot when I'm high, It helps me sleep. Just trying to reach out and find out how other Christians who have it are dealing with it. It's not the best way to handle it but that's how i deal with the mania. Plus i spent tons of money and now i am broke.

 

[Zita123]

You should ask your doctor about Trimictal for bi-polar and serequel at night..That is actually a phscotic med but, it is also used for a sleep aide. I am in the middle of a manic episode but, I have GOD in my life and I'm loving it!! I'm dancing with my grandchildren having a ball with my kids ( they are 16,18,20,22) They love me this way!! I hope I never come down!! Although I do have depressive episodes in between.. I'll pray for you to maybe try a new med instead of pot. GOD BLESS!! Zita123

 

[419gam]

Zita Ive never heard of trimictal are you mixing up the names of Lamictal and Trileptal?
Anyway back to the OP, glad your stable now hope you don't get depression as an after effect of mania. I wouldn't worry to much about smoking pot while your manic, but fyi it does destabilize some people with bipolar while it seems to stabilize others. I find that in small doses it helps me but in large one's it causes some problems. Also you might be interted in knowing that a fairly large percentage opf people who self medicate use substances that correspond to thier symptoms not counteract them. In other words people will use cocaine while manic and liqour when depressed.

stay well,
419gam

 

[Jeshu]

.. I am terrified a low is coming fast on the heels of the mainia. I've tried a lot of different meds but i usually only use effexor for the lows, and I'm ashamed to say lots of pot when I'm high, It helps me sleep. Just trying to reach out and find out how other Christians who have it are dealing with it. It's not the best way to handle it but that's how i deal with the mania. Plus i spent tons of money and now i am broke.

For me a low will always follow a high and the higher I have been the lower my low will hit. Agonizing as I used to love my manic times before I fully realized that I was setting myself up for another monsterous low.
(By the way do you still abuse pot when you are down or does your intake stop/reduce dramatically then?)

 

[lorne]

For me a low will always follow a high and the higher I have been the lower my low will hit. Agonizing as I used to love my manic times before I fully realized that I was setting myself up for another monsterous low.
(By the way do you still abuse pot when you are down or does your intake stop/reduce dramatically then?)

oh yes, I used to love my manic episodes but like you the higher I get on the manias, the more crippling the depression that followed. I'd like to be on a more even keel, but I weigh 215 and am diabetic so I'm terrified of using meds that will fatten me up even more than i am now. My life is slipping away before me. My oldest is 12 and it seems like the kids are growing up so fast. I'd like to be able to more helpful to my family but during the highs and lows I'm in a world with a population of 1. I generally avoid any substance other than effexor when depressed- nothing really seems to get me out of the depression other than antidepressants. When I'm in that state I can't enjoy anything, sex, pot, food, life in general. But when I'm climbing high the world seems like such an interesting place, so much to do , so much to see. And smoking pot just seems to go with the care free exuberance. Then i get angry, paranoid, agressive, and i know the good times have come to an end and it's mixed states time. then comes the crash. I think the Lord may have delivered me from this one, it ended abruptly and gently, I've had a little depression, but nothing severe....

 

[419gam]

Do you take a mood stabilizer with your effexor, if not you might just be setting yourself up for more mania. Its not universal but anti-deprseants can be dangerous to people who are bipolar. I didn't realize I was bipolar untill I had a manic episode that required hospitlization that was brought on by taking zoloft.

 

[lorne]

Do you take a mood stabilizer with your effexor, if not you might just be setting yourself up for more mania. Its not universal but anti-deprseants can be dangerous to people who are bipolar. I didn't realize I was bipolar untill I had a manic episode that required hospitlization that was brought on by taking zoloft.

No, the only thing I'm taking is effexor XR 75mg. just enough to chase the blues away. I suspect is does exacerbate some of the mania, but I can't quit taking it, it's feels really weird and just awful when i stop taking it after about 3 weeks ( when I'm not depressed). I think my body is used to it (I have been using it for 5 years...) and it reacts really badly when i stop it. I have considered cutting back to 37.5 XR every other day from spring to fall when i have no depression. Winter is really rough for me and I have a lot of depression from Nov-Feb ( winter in Canda is , well, it's hell., even people without depression will admit that ). Are there mood stabalizers out there that do not precipitate weight gain? I was on lithium and then tegretol about 7 years ago and I gained the 40 extra pounds I have on me now and never did shed them. I became diabetic at the same time and I blame the lithium/tegretol for that. I'm, not sure what the answer is for me because so far I don't seem to tolerate mood stablizing medication well, too many side effects...

 

[419gam]

Not sure about mood stablizers and weight. I am currently taking topomax which actually causes most people to lose weight and not gain it, but it kinda messes with your cognitive functioning so I am planning on stopping it. If you are diabetic I can see why you would want to stay away from Lithium and Depakote and the like, because anyone who says that these don't cause weight gain is full of it.

Good luck and I hope you stay stable.

 

[Alive again]

Please go see your doc and talk about other mood stabilizers out there. There are many to try and don't give up. every one will have some side effects. My doc and I finally found on ethat works for me. i have recently lost 50 lbs and am doing much better on the one we finally found that helps me. Also I continue on my anti depressant as most of my moods are depressed. I am bp2, but I know if you keep trying you will find something to help even though you will probably have to live with some form of side effect.

 

[Jeshu]

Please go see your doc and talk about other mood stabilizers out there. There are many to try and don't give up. every one will have some side effects. My doc and I finally found on ethat works for me. i have recently lost 50 lbs and am doing much better on the one we finally found that helps me. Also I continue on my anti depressant as most of my moods are depressed. I am bp2, but I know if you keep trying you will find something to help even though you will probably have to live with some form of side effect.

Good on ye, what mood stabilizer are you using now, if I may ask?