Question about Bipolar Disorder???!


Question: Question about Bipolar Disorder!?!?!?
I have known I am bipolar for quite sometime now but didn't have insurance so it went untreated!. I started lithium treatment yesterday, I don't really know how long I have been bipolar but I was told when I was 19!. I am now 22!. Anyways I have been married for 7 years and my husband is at wits end with my mood swings and I don't know how long it is going to take to get them under control!. I am afraid he is not going to be able to handle me much longer!. My disorder has taken its toll on both of us!. As people and on our relationship!. Please help me if you can!. I know this is hard to understand but I am really needing some support and it seems like he is pushing all of my buttons!. I feel like I could just knock the **** out of him!. Has anyone been through this!? If so can you give me an idea of how long its going to be!? Please help me if you can!.Www@Answer-Health@Com


Answers:
I am Bipolar and I'm also 22 years old with a bunch of other things(panic disorder, borderline personality disorder, post traumatic stess) an I do have mood swings that leave me resenting them in the future!. But the best medication i take for it is Lamictal!. You do not have to take a blood test with it and there are no side effects!. I'm at 200 mg and I have less mood swings and people can deal with me(also no weight gain!.)!. Also i take ambien at bedtime so i can get a good night sleep because sleep is VERY important for us Bipolars!. I find myself to be quite calm and balanced the next day and very fnctional!. Ambien is a little expensive if you buy brand but generic is pretty cheap!. It slows your mind and clears it before bed!. You wake up with little side effects in the morning!.

I'd say switch to Lamictal, I tried ALOT of medication that was horrible and I was so happy with Lamictal!. Ask your doctor for samples!. If you have trouble with the cost of it I suggest you go to a hospital and ask if they have some community insurance!. I am on Phoenix health care and I am registered with Magellan, a mental health center that helps people with expensive medicationand cost of therapy!. I live in Arizona!. Ask the hospital for information for hel with mental healthcare costs!.

Also!.!.Stay away from antidepressants, they are also bad for people that are Bipolar, they make everything much much worse!.

Good luck with your husband!. I know they will get better!.

-AlyssaWww@Answer-Health@Com

Well for a start if you have been married for 7 years you must have got married very young!. Having been in a similar position I would say that the 7 year mark is a time when frustrations tend to rise their ugly heads anyway, regardless of the bipolar issue!. I would say that you both could do with some marriage counselling without focussing on the bipolar or using that as a reason!.
You personally sound like you could do with some help to deal with your disorder, please remember not to let it define you in a bad way as that is the surest way to let it take over your life!. You can use it to build on and learn to be strong! And for goodness sakes remember to keep a sense of humour, it is hugely underrated!Www@Answer-Health@Com

idk about the whole lithium treatment but i knew some family friends when i was younger and the guy who had abused his brother when he went into his low but the way he told me he tryed to cope and it didn't always work, but he said he would think of the best moment he had shared with that indiviual and he focused only on that till he got to a punching bag that they hung in their garage and would take it out on that and he never was on any kind of medical treatmentWww@Answer-Health@Com

It takes a month for there to be noticeable effects and about two months for the full effect!. Then the dosage is adjusted if necessary!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

may GOD help u in ur crisis which i know very well !.!. i only wanna tell u that u should have serum lithium test after two weeks to adjust the dose of the drug !. that s very important!. best wishes 4 u!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

Just stabilize On The Meds Honey ! You Will Be Fine ! Tell Him if HE wants to leave then do it ! You need A Man that will stick with you through thick and thin !!! You Deserve the best !!!Www@Answer-Health@Com

keep taking it as directed, after a couple weeks it will kick in!.Www@Answer-Health@Com

you got married at 15!?Www@Answer-Health@Com

Hi

First thing Monday call your doctor!. For now, make sure to increase your fluid intake -drink a lot of water!. If you are feeling tense and agitated - take a very long walk!. If you feel you are going to have a conflict with your spouse - take a time out and go somewhere quiet by yourself until you are completely relaxed!.

Do not consume caffeinated beverages and sugary foods - or at least decrease them them if you consume any!.
It will take a bit of time for the lithium to kick in, but give it a chance!. Make sure to take your meds exactly as prescribed!.

If you cannot wait until Monday - call the doctor's office where you are being treated and get ahold of the "On call physician"!.
Be very clear on what you are experiencing and what is happening and the med you have just started!. If that does not work -then go to a weekend emergency clinic or the ER!.

Lithium is nothing to play with and I cannot put enough emphasis on drinking plenty of water!. When you do see the physician who has prescribed this med, make sure to set up an appointment where you and your spouse can meet with the doctor and discuss strategies to curb and deflect the mood swings!.

If you need anything further feel free to email anytime!. :0)Www@Answer-Health@Com

My hubby is bipolar!. He's been off of his meds once since he was diagnosed - insurance reasons!.

First, there are programs that help you pay for the meds!.

Second, it does take a little time for the meds to really work!. Sometimes, you need another med, but lithium stablizes the moods so that you don't have the mood swings - or at least, not nearly as bad!. My husband is on disability now, but most people on meds can lead fairly normal lives!. He was able to for a while - he found he could concentrate, and didn't get so mad!.

You might call your doctor about the anger issue!. He/she may be able to prescribe you something (low cost) to get you through the next couple of weeks!.

I understand your hubby's frustration!. I also understand yours!. You might simply show him this post - once the meds kick in - as long as you stay on them - life will seem a little easier!.

I can tell when its time for my hubby's meds to be adjusted, but this rough spot is only temporary!.

But I stress, for both of you - give it a little bit of time!. 2 to 4 weeks!. Your doctor will probally want to do blood tests to check your lithium levels!.

I wish you the best of luck - and sweetie, hang in there - I promise it will get better!Www@Answer-Health@Com

Lithium takes a fair while to achieve therapeutic levels, and achieve full effectiveness, so ask him to be patient with you for the next several weeks, and to provide feedback about any differences he notices!. If lithium proves unsuitable, there are subsidies for other bipolar medications: see section 10, below!.

My standard post follows: See bipolar disorder, at ezy build, below, in section 10, and take the quiz, if unsure, and if the results are positive, ensure you get an expert diagnosis from a mental health professional, not doctors, who are much better dealing with physical ailments, and don't diagnose complex disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder often enough to develop any real expertise!.

Bipolar disorder usually involves major mood swings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over many months, or a matter of years, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling)!. I'd take 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements daily, replacing 2 of them with cod liver oil supplements in the winter months, (or, as probably a better alternative to the 2 cod liver oil supplements: 1 teaspoonful of cod liver oil, with a little butter, to ensure its use; I take mine on sourdough rye bread, or toast, covered with fishpaste, and pepper, to mask the strong taste)!. Those people who receive adequate exposure to sunlight, daily, won't need the vitamin D from cod liver oil, but many people, particularly those in latitudes far from the equator, find this difficult, to achieve!.

If you decide to use allopathy, (modern Western medicine) I recommend trying Lithium Carbonate, or Lithium Citrate!. (regular tests are necessary, for these) before trying the other mood stabilisers, but if you aren't good at taking medications regularly, drinking adequate water, and keeping up your salt intake, something else, such as Lamictal, or Depakote, may suit you better!. Check out "lithium" at http://www!.drugs!.com/, and http://crazymeds!.us/ and always research medications first, (read, and keep the labels/information sheets) so you will be aware of the risks, and on the lookout for side effects!. (Personally, if I wasn't bipolar type 1, and didn't experience hallucinations, or serious delusional states, I know I'd first try the orthomolecular, and Omega 3 fish oil supplements, vitamins, minerals; a herbal remedy, and a mostly raw food diet, for several months!. Note: St!. John's wort, and also antidepressants, may cause mania, or hypomania, in people with bipolar disorder!. I'd aso eat in accordance with my "nutritional type"!. Enter that term in the searchbar at http://www!.mercola!.com/

If not considerably improved, after a maximum of 6 months trial period, consult your primary mental health care provider: you may be one of those who need medications to prevent this serious disorder from worsening!. If you have bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic medication may also be needed!. Everyone should take the Omega 3 supplements, or preferably "krill oil" for its other health benefits: use the searchbar at http://www!.mercola!.com/ !. Some people refuse medication, using supplements, and a selective, mostly raw food diet (I do not recommended trying this, if bipolar 1, unless you aren't troubled by hallucinations, or delusional states)!.

Maintain the treatments for the depressive phase, in section 2, at: http://www!.ezy-build!.net!.nz/~shaneris Some topics in section 10 include: treating bipolar disorder with supplements, vitamins, minerals, and herbal remedies (except for St!. John's wort, which may cause mania, or hypomania)!. As with all medications, there are risks, and the possibility of side effects, which is why I inform people of the alternatives, to see if they can cope sufficiently well, without resorting to medications or, at least use less of them!. Don't use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe, anytime!.Www@Answer-Health@Com





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