Bipolar friends needed!

I'm Bipolar I, and i would really like to meet some friends like me who are doing CC and dealing with this issue as well.

edited to pm

wyldemane, I am bipolar also. Sent you a pm. Did you get it?

I have bipolar disorder too. It can be tough. Talk to me whenever you want to.

I am diagnosed with bipolar II and I have added you as a friend. You can contact me anytime if you want to talk or for some support. :)

thanks to everyone who has responded to this post! It's so good to know that there are other people out there trying to lose weight and deal with the other stressors that we go through. Not to mention what the meds can do to us. I think I've added all of you as friends, if I haven't, I will.
Didn't feel like going on the site yesterday, was so stressed out by things going on with the landlord. I can't wait until we move to NC, we are starting to hear it might be by August. I hope I can last that long.......my husband and mom keep telling me to ignore the things this jerk does. But, how many times do I have to tell them that I react differently to stress than they do? Sometimes they just don't get it.
That's when those bad thoughts start going through my head, I don't like it, but I can't stop them either....
Today, I'm not going to weigh myself either, it's frustrating sometimes. I'm taking another day off from exercising, my body is just exhausted. I will watch my intake, i think i've got the hang of that now. And, I am eating healthy. I just don't need to get obsessed with anything right now. I have to just give myself a hug and be good to me on somedays, which is rare for me.. hope you all are good. Keep up the posts......:)
Beth

I am bipolar II and frustrated by the medicine I have to take which makes me feel constantly hungry.  It seems like no matter what I eat it's never enough.  I'm strictly sticking to my calories and eating enough but I go to bed hungry at night.  Anyone else feel this way w/ their meds?

I'm sorry, Beth, for your situation with your landlord.  sounds awful.  Write anytime. 

Hi all.  I'm Bipolar I but stable on medication for the past 5 years.  The meds I tried over the years were bad for my body and I gained a lot of weight since being diagnosed at 16.  My highest weight was somewhere between 240 and 250 (i don't know exactly because i was afraid of the scale).

But there is good news.  Last April I began a weight loss kick and started exercising and eating healthy.  I am about 185 now and hope to be 150 by my wedding next June.  It is possible to loose weight.

I guess it helps that I have OCD too and obesessed about loosing the weight and my health.

Good luck to you all.

Cynthia :-)

I'm not bipolar, but I'm ADHD with depression, OCD, and GAD.  I can sympathize a lot, too, if you want me to stick around?

You're allowed to be in the circle twirl, I've got anxiety too and panic, please stick around and if you need someone to talk to, please reach out to one of us.
I've taken care of my landlord, with a protection spell that is hanging on my porch..and I've got another spell to seal the peace and protection for my home....hope that doesn't freak anybody out.
Yes, I am STABLE right now, just imagine if i wasn't, ROFL! :0
Have a good day, everyone...........stay in touch!    Beth

The medications can cause you to eat the entire fridge.

I've just went through my third psychiatrist in one year. Two of them just moved away. My newest one listens to me more and we have longer sessions. It's great to have talk therapy along with medication therapy. I think it makes a world of a difference.

I'm not bipolar but I have "treatment-resistant" unipolar depression for which I have just started taking Lamictal, a drug usually for people with bipolar disorder or epilpsy (so I'm hoping that qualifies me to be in your group!).  I also have OCD (the medicine for that is what makes me gain weight) so I can relate, Missyrayn!  I make so many charts and graphs and binders full of stuff to track my weight and exercise, not to mention all the little gadgets like pedometers and kitchen scales that I buy compulsively off the internet (which my boyfriend thinks is really funny).  It's the only thing that makes me feel like I have a handle on my weight at all.  In fact I just made a post about how annoyed I am with the weight gain the drugs cause; I feel like at this point, losing ten pounds would make me feel better about myself than any drug could.

Hear ye. I'm with you on the losing 10 lbs making me feel better than any medication....

I'm bipolar as well and have experience with Lamictal (as well as almost every other stabilizer/antidepressant dru g on the market). I loved Lamictal, but I was in the 1% who started to get a rash from it...If you happen to start to notice anything that looks like a heat rash - STOP taking and talk to your doctor. It can be fatal. Now I am taking Seroquel (weight gain) and Wellbutrin and miserable from the weight gain.

Anyone else taking these and notice late night cravings and weight gain?

the seroquel will kill you with carb cravings.  it was like getting the munchies.

the wellbutrin for me has been energizing at least after i stop wanting to throw everything up on it.  and ive almost quit smoking!  but i also have it paired with celexa... which has a weight gain thing associated with it, but it crashes me out so bad that i dont tend to eat after taking it.  but i do wonder if it might slow things down even when the amount of food stays the same.

luck nice to meet you julie and such!

Hey everyone,

Im recently diagnosed with Bipolar II - Rapid Cycling. Im on Lamictal and Efexor-Xr, so far i havent noticed any weight gain with the lamictal but ive only been on it a few days. Ive been on Efexor-Xr for almost a yr now and not had any weight gain thank god. Ive also tried Seroquel, Olanzapine and Epilim which all made me gain weight. The olanzapine made me gain 10kg in 4 months ARGH.

Anyway if anyone wants to talk im around here alot.

Hello everybody......I've been awol lately, lol. But still working on my goal. OMG, Seroquel made me sleep eat mainly sweets, and I too have been on just about everything. I'm a rapid cycler too.
As far as the Lamictal I'm taking now, I love it----no weight gain. I saw my shrink 2 wks ago, and he did up the dose by 100mg. I now take 300mg. The only thing that I see as a side effect, is that I'm dreaming all night long. And that sucks, it's like getting no rest at all. 200mg. helped me sleep great. I just might go down to that again. My shrink trusts my judgement on my meds usually. There's no need to take more than you really need. I don't take antidepressants anymore, because I run manic, not depressed. I've only had 1 major depression in this journey. But, when I'm manic, youbetter look out! I get pretty wild and out of control.
And, by the way, all of the mood stabilizers also help with epilepsy. We're just lucky that they help US too!
Take care.....keep posting. Peace, Beth

BP I here, but not on any meds for oh, about 6 years now. My last episode was around 9/11 - that shock was a major trigger. It also didn't help that fall always tends to be my manic time.  

I used to take lithium which was a miracle cure for me. The other good thing about lithium is it got me in the habit of drinking plenty of water, LOL!

I went off the meds with my pdoc's blessing. I may someday need the meds again, but I have had good success keeping on an even keel through lifestyle modification, cognitive therapy, learning my triggers and avoiding them, etc.

I have a personal theory that they're going to someday determine that the rise in bipolar disorder is due in large part to the shift in our diets towards too many omega 6 fats and not enough omega 3's. I know I feel a lot better when I am careful with my diet. Can anyone else relate?

I'm Bipolar I-on lithium, seroquel, clonezapam, and something to make me sit still for more than 2 seconds. 

 

Sometimes I can just sit and EAT, and someone up there was right when they mentioned the carb cravings and seroquel. LOL!!!

 

Anyways, this is my first day back here with this-so wish me luck. Glad you guys are here. 

Welcome, dreaasha! I'm bipolar too, and am on lithium, valproate, and risperdal. I've had major trouble with manic episodes, but not for the past 8 years.

hi.

i'm struggling with a bit of bipolar and social anxiety. unmedicated as of yet.  just recently broke down and told my mom and sister because i desperately needed/need some help.  went to my first therapist last week, and have an appt. scheduled with a psychiatrist in a couple weeks.  i'm hoping the psych. will leave me with a script for some sort of mood stabilizing meds.  but, it is amazing how simply talking about it with my sister, mom, and this non-M.D. therapist helped a bit.  talking about what flies through my crazy mind makes me feel, well, a little less crazy. 

i see my moods as waves in the ocean.  needless to say today i feel towards the upper part of the wave.  last week and a couple days ago i was sucked into the trough of the wave.  my sister and mom wanted to admit me as an inpatient, but fortunately (??) i wasn't psychotic enough for room to be made for me...

anywho..not sure if this qualifies me as one who gets to join the circle, but regardless it's kind of nice to see there are more people struggling with bipolar/depression issues than i realized, floating around out here in cyberspace..

The hardest part was actually going to get help, so good on you for that. I, myself, am struggling with trying to get the right cocktail of meds-still anxious, paraniod, and I still have hallucinations. 

 

I know it'll all get better, though, and in the meantime, I'm going to try to be the healthiest me I can be.