Bipolar experiences with medication and sport support?

What I'm really looking for by posting is to hear some positivity about having bipolar disorder. All I'm hearing is the bad side of bipolar and I need to hear something encouraging.

Does anyone have some good responses from the medication to share?

Has anyone found regular exercise possible and helpful even though some of the medication can make it difficult?

Does anyone find the stability we all need eventually?

Please don't start telling me about the day to day struggle of life with bipolar (silly arguments or getting confused shopping...) because I've know the day to day struggle of it since my teens.

There must be someone with something helpful to say???

As I'm adjusting more and more to my medication I can say it is possible to exercise regularly. I tend to be able to do gentler forms of exercise if I'm lower and something a little more strenuous if I'm higher. It takes a lot more motivation on a low though.

Life has improved with the medication, the quetiapine helps me sleep and stops me from getting out of control high and the venlafaxine stops me from getting cripplingly (if that's a word) low.

I seem to be slowly heading to more stability, I haven't felt suicidal or really self destructive for a while. Being around people when my mood is at the most distressing is something that's improving slowly with time.

I haven't piled lots of weight on, I drink green tea and the rest is activity and exercising sheer will power. I just keep telling myself that I've been through hell at times and a bit of craving in the evening won't control me to over eat. I do give in occasionally but I think that goes for everyone with healthy eating.

hi

i ahve bi-polar sorry cant offer ant advice about the meds as i am still trying to find some that works my self just wanted you to know you are not alone

m2j

Hi there,

I self medicate using low dose slow release tegretol, it works great.

I exercise, eat well, and work hard to get 8 hours sleep.

I think many patients over medicate and this can be a problem. The Docs in my experience treat you like a guinee pig and the experiement they run can often have bad side effects.

Biggest thing i have learnt after 18 years...!! is fatigue is a big factor. Mentally if you have a bipolar diagnosis your head will be less able to cope with getting tired. Head is generally les able to cope with most things but thats ok, you can adjust to look after it better.

If you let your head recover, and you keep it free from alcohol, nicotine and stress. It can get better. You'll never be cured but you can beat the condition to a large extent. I am 100% sure of this.

At the moment i'm pretty good. It wont stay this way for ever. But i've learned to get it under control and you can too. If you are stuck in a rut then change the patten of what you do every day. Change is always possible and is needed when depressed. Change your patten, day/night routine. Alot of the symptoms are related to your circadian sleep wake cycle.( see link)

However dark the day seems, there will be sunshine for you one day if you look for it.

Links for you.... good ones too!

****

All the best to you.

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psycheducation dot org is the link that PUK removed.

There is no reason to remove this link. Have a think for a second PUK, you're stopping the thing you say you are there to do by removing links. ie help people.

[color=red:82a2b0e87e]Hi All!! I know you are annoyed about the fact we remove your links, but please try to understand. The reason we do not allow links is to protect our forum users from sites that are not trustworthy. Our site contains many useful links, all of which are added by request. The link is then verified before featuring on this site. I understand your frustration, but if a user recommended a link to you, you clicked on it and consequently infected your PC, you'd be really annoyed!! :x Happy posting people!! [/color:82a2b0e87e]

Dear PUK,

Post moderate the links. Take a look at how good the sites are and see how much useful info there is on them.

Add a dislaimer that all links are not endorsed in threads, if you need to cover your back.

Maybe stick an approved PUK links section/page on the subject pages.

the psycheducation do org website it a fantastic expert resource.

No spywhere, no viruses i promise, just essential information for desperate people who suffer from this condition which messes up their life.

All I want when I post here is a bit of chat about coping with bipolar. I do have the support of loved ones and a really good psychiatrist but conversation with people diagnosed themselves can be helpful.

Thanks for trying to post the links to look at but I wouldn't have looked at them for 2 reasons, one would be because I don't want to be directed to another site and the other because I don't want a load of information thrown at me.

I find this site holds lots of valuable information on bipolar anyway and adding the capability to chat with other sufferers is a bonus. When I say chat that's what I mean too.

I do care about the complexities and science of my condition and I do care about how other people feel and sympathise.

I really don't want to look at loads of websites, been there, done that, got the t-shirt etc I also don't want to be insensitive towards anyone when they waffle a load of confusing day to day struggles either, I wouldn't do that to another person because it's unfair.

Thanks for the replies anyway

Only one link there for you and really is worth a read when/if you seek some answers. If its not for you then that's ok, might help others so worth posting it up i think.

Hope you are doing ok, i have the T shift also but i'm very pleased to say i haven't really worn it since 1998!

I think if you can get to grips with this condition like many do. You can do great things. Glad you have support, that helps a whole lot.

All the best,

JB

PS Many live with an \"I am a manic depressive\" label. This is a mistake imo. You are a person with a condition you are not the condition from which you suffer. If you separate yourself from your diagnosis, you can, one day, leave it behind you.

I've always found that it's other people who apply labels. I couldn't get some of the support I'm now getting since being diagnosed, I didn't need a label just a name for my collection of symptoms. My condition had been dismissed many times over and a few things that are now part of my care plan and some recently being offered where not available to me without diagnosis. So when people talk of what diagnosis means and whether it matters or not the answer is that without it (unless a person pays for private care and gets to choose the help they receive with mental health) there is less medical help and less financial support.

I personally don't think it's possible to separate ourselves from Bipolar because (this is just my opinion) being a severe condition it's profound effects can't simply be ignored or forgotten about.

Without medication I never sleep, my depression is crippling, my highs lead to...lets just say further problems. I believe I will always be doing something to work on my condition because I have for so long anyway, I can't neglect trying to be as well as I can because life really has little meaning and I can't forget about the people I love and try to end it ever again.

I see it as part of me because I take responsibility of my condition in order to accept myself and as a result do everything it takes to have as much stability as possible.

I didn't really want to get too heavy about it all...on a lighter note...I'm currently fighting a low, with my medication pushing myself to do a half hour jog on my trampette. Ever seen a semi-zombie bobbing up and down on a little trampoline!? :?

Diagnosis is definitely a big help. Took the docs years to nail down what was up for me. But the life long label ain't much fun, the condition has a habit of becoming all you are. It doesn't have to be this way. You have choices/options.

It took me 3/4 years to get on Tegretol and dump the other SSRI i was on, many can spend years on text book doses of the wrong drugs which can be worse than the condition themselves.

Best medicine you can take is the right sleep and good CV exercise in my experience. But important to get it at right level. If you are burnt out your adrenal glands may need to recover so in the past i've worn myself out. I have a rower now and 30min on that is excellent for my body and my head.

I pretty sure I've beaten this condition, but i am not arrogant enough to say I'll always have this completely under control. I'll do my best

That said, when you do get out the other side. Its a real nice place. The sky is always blue above the grey clouds!

With work, time and support you can get out the other side!

Exercise would, I'm sure, do me a world of good. My complete lack of motivation has been preventing me from taking any, but you've inspired me- if you can jog on a trampoline, I can do a half hour on the Wii Fit!

Hello - I dont know if this will help but I am on Topamax which I FOUGHT for as its not well known in UK. I dont take an anti depressant as well as I feel ok on just the topamax (topirate I think is the other name). I am type 2 and am 43 and have been diagnosed since 2000 but showed signs since I was 8 and have had a lot of traumatic experiences and times including losing custoday of my daughter , my marriage breakdown and everything I owned twice. However I work in a very stressful job, 60 hours at least a week and I do ok. I have moments but I deal with them. I am not any better or worse than any of you but the meds work when I take them everyday (I am on a maximum dose and always will be). I have worked with my illness, accepted it , will never love it but hate it and yes I do feel bitter I have it from time to time BUT I am doing ok !!! I have a positive outlook as I WILL NOT let it beat me, define me or EVER let it take from me again...... I hope that helps someone out there...........every single one of you has the potential to lead a life albeit not quite what society calls normal but who wants to be boring normal anyway. I am wonderfully wierd and get on with it. I dont claim benefits and never will, I work damn hard and that does get to me and yes I do have many minor meltdowns but I am here and still fighting because I know there are many "me's" out there that do too and I know I have to !!!xxxx

I think you are better than a lot of people with bipolar because the lows and highs are often too extreme to hold down a job with medication too. Bipolar is an illness and I don't believe it's an achievement to feel ill and carry on regardless as if we're doing something wrong by struggling with the symptoms.

Your post doesn't help me personally (I can't speak for anyone else) because all it's saying is that you're annoyed and totally stressed out that you work and have a problem with people who claim benefits. You put it aggressively that you mostly feel bitter.

I'm surprised anyone has posted again here because it started 2 years ago. In that time one thing I've learnt really helps is to ignore total strangers on the internet who don't know anything about me and I'd advice others to do the same (concerning illness and personal problems).

We're all different with problems and symptoms on different levels, one medication doesn't work for all.

The internet and mental illness make a nasty mix, people rarely help one another in this scenario.

NEVER FEED TROLLS!!!

Shouldn't really get into any internet discussions unless I know someone personally and they are in my life. I've had games played with me when I was at my most vulnerable so I'll always be defensive in forums now.

I had actually set my preferences to not receive emails from here so I'm surprised that I got one.