that-bipolar-journey

[that-bipolar-journey]

Depakote: A Couple Months In

Hello Friend,

So as you might have read in one of my previous posts, my psychiatrist prescribed me Depakote and later bumped me up to 1000mgs after the tests came back a bit low. After that happened, there was about a month to two month span where I didn’t have any appointments with him. During that time, my moods were pretty intense. I mostly fell into deep depressive holes that felt a smidge difficult to crawl out of. Other than that, I felt almost completely numb. I had little to no drive to do much of anything other than basic tasks that were required. This was especially difficult because if I hate anything, it’s not being able to feel passion for anything. On top of all of this, I have gained a good 30 lbs since I have started this medication. Thankfully he was very receptive to my concerns and we made the decision of lowering the Depakote dosage and adding in some Wellbutrin. He said that hopefully the Wellbutrin helps with the depression and counteracts the weight gain. He said, if not then we’ll come up with another plan. I conveyed to my psychiatrist what difficulties I was having emotionally most of all. While talking with my spouse and thinking by myself, I realized that I have quite a lot of trauma that hasn’t been tended to. Some rather fresh and some dating back to my early childhood. Knowing this, I talked to my psychiatrist about getting into therapy again after around 5 years of not having it. He gave me some numbers of therapists to call that he thinks would be a good fit. I’ve reached out and I’m hoping to hear back from them soon.

I’m really hopeful about the changes that we’re undertaking with my treatment. I’m just thankful that I have a really good psychiatrist and that we’ve at least got a plan of going forward. I will say, these are just my experiences with Depakote and they will likely be different from person to person. Keeping that in mind these are my experiences and it’s a good idea to work with your psychiatrist and see how things go with you. I’m only here to throw out my experience that way you know about a possibility. Hopefully if you’re prescribed Depakote, it works on its own. For me, we’re still fussing with it.

I hope you have a great week. I hope you’re well. If not, try to keep with it and reach out when you need help. There is no shame in needing assistance with mental health.

Here’s a reminder to drink fluids (preferably water), eat something, take them meds, go to your appointments, attempt to do something pleasurable, be kind to yourself, and all that good stuff.

Love always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar #bipolar blog #bipolar medication #Bipolar Treatment #depakote #divalproex #mental health #mental illness #mental health treatment

[that-bipolar-journey]

A Big Disclaimer

Hello Friend,

I just wanted to make sure that I put this out there for those who may read this blog and my posts. I am in no way a medical professional or even well versed in the treatment of Bipolar Disorder. What you will find on this blog will not be medical, psychological, or psychiatric advice. This blog is merely to share my experience as someone who lives the day-to-day life of having Bipolar Disorder Type 2. My posts are more meant to give people an idea of what navigating the American Healthcare system with Bipolar Type 2 is like and what living with it is like for me. It should be known that medications, systems, and whatnot affect each person differently. Feel free to look at the notes on my posts that are from others who add comments on. I recently noticed that someone added a comment onto one of the older Depakote posts where I mentioned I was drinking grapefruit juice and they were totally right about the fact that you shouldn’t drink grapefruit juice on Depakote. So, do make sure that you do good research and ask your doctors before doing anything. That’s what I do. It’s the best thing to do in our situation usually. I just felt like this needed to be said because I don’t want to be taken as some authority on the subject of Bipolar Disorder. I’m honestly not. I’m just like any other person with Bipolar Disorder. I’m seeking help and trying to just get to feeling okay. I’ll have my ups and downs. I’ll not be perfect. So take what I post in while knowing this. Thank you for staying with me and reading this. Here’s a reminder to take your meds, eat something, go to your therapy appointments, talk to your psychiatrist, drink water, do something you like if you can, and all of that good stuff.

Love Always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar #Bipolar Treatment #bipolar blog #bipolar medication #mental health #mental illness #disclaimer

[that-bipolar-journey]

Depakote: Five Weeks In

10Hello my friend!

The last time I posted about meeting my new psychiatrist and him prescribing Depakote. Now I’m five weeks into the medication and I’m feeling decent. I haven’t felt too many changes but I will say that my psychiatrist had me go in to get some labs done to check my levels last week. They came back a bit low so he decided to bump me up from 750mgs to 1000mgs. Hopefully things kind kind of pick up a bit and I start seeing some more good changes but we shall see. I’ve been toying with the idea of trying to get into therapy again. I think the meds are important but I think therapy would help quite a bit as well. I mentioned to my psychiatrist that I was taking a multivitamin to help with liver protection and he said to stay on the multivitamin but what would actually help more with liver support are CoQ10 (Coenzyme Q10) supplements. He said most people (if not everyone) would benefit from a multivitamin but for liver support the CoQ10 supplements are helpful. I haven’t went down that route yet but I’m probably going to try it and see how I feel. The only side effects I’m currently seeing from the Depakote are some stomach pains right after I take it. If you are ever prescribed Depakote, then it would be great to take it with either food or milk. I think that has helped. Otherwise, I’ve been pretty lucky. I’ll try to keep posting on here about how things are going though. I hope you have been well.

Please remember to take your meds, go to therapy, do something small for yourself (or something nice), drink some water, eat somethings, and all of that good stuff! Until next time!

Love Always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar #bipolar blog #bipolar medication #Bipolar Treatment #depakote #psychiatristappointment #mental health #mental illness #mental health treatment #medication

[that-bipolar-journey]

The Next Step: Meeting My New Psychiatrist

Hello my dear friend!

So, last time I checked in on this blog I mentioned that I found a new psychiatrist and just needed a referral from my general practitioner. I got that and was called a couple of months ago to set up an appointment. This past week I finally went in to meet my new psychiatrist. I walk in almost right on the dot due to traffic but the secretary was absolutely sweet. I’ve known offices to get snarky if you’re not 15 minutes early, but not this one thankfully. I basically did the regular stuff of filling out some paperwork and then my psychiatrist came out into the lobby and called me back to the office. We go back into the room and it’s just like any other psychiatrist’s office. It’s mildly comfy but still rather clinical in atmosphere. He first off asks me what brings me to his office and I give him the spiel of my experiences, symptoms, and diagnosis. He’s very receptive and open minded it seems to what I tell him so that is a plus. He knows I’m Queer and he didn’t even blink when finding that out. He treated me just like my former therapist and former psychiatrist did. So, that was pleasant and it took away some of the fear. We basically talked about my symptoms and a treatment plan. He said that he agreed with my former diagnosis of Bipolar Type II and thought we should get back on some medication. We decided to try Depakote out again and I’m relieved to have at least that. I didn’t realize until after I arrived back home and looked at this blog that Depakote was the one that gave me vertigo that one time when I took it off schedule. If that happens again though, we can just switch it. One thing I was told by my psychiatrist though that I had forgotten was that if I switch to another, we have to do it gradually because it could cause seizures or other things if I stop it abruptly. I’ve also got to try to intake things that are good for liver health for the reasons I’ve written in the previous Depakote posts. As for now, I’m just happy to be back to working with a psychiatrist and being back on medication. I’ll try and keep the updates coming on my second round of trying Depakote.

Here’s a reminder to try and eat something, drink some water, take your meds, go to your therapy appointment, give yourself some love, and all that good stuff. Until next time.

Love always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar medication #Bipolar Treatment #depakote #psychiatrist #psychiatristappointment #mentalhealth #mental illness #mental health treatment #bipolar #bipolar blog

[that-bipolar-journey]

Checking in: Another step forward

Hello my dear friend!

So I have some tiny developments in the journey. I narrowed down my options of getting into a new psychiatrist to a singular practitioner. One day last week, I was doing a nice little phone call day to get some things taken care of. I called the office for my new general practitioner to get an appointment set up. That’s coming up in around a week or so. I’m pretty excited. I called my old psychiatrist’s office and it was confirmed that she is no longer practicing in the city so I’ve gone ahead and decided to get into another. I called the office of the new psychiatrist who was recommended to me by many friends of mine and who is said to be quite LGBTQ+ friendly. His office said that I’ll have to get a simple referral from my general practitioner and then they’ll be able to set me up. I’m not too bummed about having to go to my GP for a referral because I’ve already got an appointment coming up soon so we should be okay. If you’re trying to get into a psychiatrist, just know that this is usually a step that has to be taken. I’ve had to do it in the past with other psychiatrists so I think it’s pretty standard. When possible, just try to get that referral and you’re usually set. I’m both excited and nervous to get into this new psychiatrist. It’s the thing where you’re trusting someone you don’t really know at all with something so important. I’m relieved that he was at least recommended to me by multiple friends of mine and that his office staff seem to be really sweet. We’re getting there. I figure I’d just give a small update. 

Thank you for keeping up with me and for tuning in. Try to remember to take your medications if possible, hydrate, eat something, and try to get to your therapy appointments. You’re doing great! I send my love and appreciation to you!

Love Always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar #mental health #mental illness #bipolar blog #Bipolar Treatment #phone call extravaganza

[that-bipolar-journey]

A Nice Development

Hello There!

So I have more news on the Insurance dealio. For months I was waiting for my insurance to be updated to a more helpful plan. I didn’t hear too much from the insurance company so I had to make some calls. This is always a dreaded task to undertake due to being Autistic but nonetheless, I buckled down and did it. First I called my insurance provider and asked if my benefits were upgraded. They were not. The plan I was on basically covered a portion of the cost of visits to the doctor and medications I might be prescribed. That’s absolutely better than nothing but it didn’t include dental or vision. Due to being both mentally ill (meaning there are days when dental hygiene is difficult) and extremely nearsighted, I need both of those. The insurance company gave me a number to call to ask about how to get my benefits upgraded and if it was a possibility. So some days pass and I finally get to calling that number. When I called the number they gave me and asked them my questions, they referred me back to my Insurance provider and said that they were in charge of that. They were gracious enough to transfer my call to my insurance provider. I spoke to them again and they again said that they didn’t work with that side of things and to call the other place. So essentially, I was put in a phone call roundabout. After being told to call the other office the second time, I just decided to call my caseworker from the clinic I mentioned in a previous post who had actually helped me sign up for insurance in the first place. She told me to call if I was ever having troubles with the insurance company or if I needed any help with insurance at all. So I did. Let me tell you, this woman is an absolute boss and a blessing. When I called and told her what was going on she called the office herself and said she’d get back to me when she spoke to someone. The night passes and then yesterday morning I get a call from her. She had not only called to check in on my insurance herself but she took it all the way up to a supervisor in the office. Long story short, there was a mishap and it just needed to be switched over. She said that it hadn’t been done yet but that she would call me when she was notified that it was taken care of. Like I said, she’s a total boss and an extreme blessing. Fast-forward to today, I get a call from her saying that she was notified that it had been changed over and that she even checked my status herself to make sure that I had the proper benefits. I swear, I have her to thank for even having my insurance, as well as so much more. So now, I have proper coverage and I can begin looking into psychiatrists and therapists. I’m nervous but I’m sure we’ll get to that good point eventually and I’ll find a good psychiatrist and therapist.

So my piece of advice to you is: If you can, find someone good who can be your caseworker or advocate. It makes all the difference and it can help you get past the brick wall that some insurance companies have.

I hope you are well. Remember to take your meds, drink water, eat something, maybe get some sunlight, love yourself a bit, and all of that good stuff.

Love Always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar #bipolar blog #Bipolar Treatment #mental health #mental illness #mental health treatment #dealing with health insurance

[that-bipolar-journey]

One Step Forward

Hello there!

I know it’s been a couple of months since my last post but, to be perfectly honest there hasn’t been all that much to post on here about until now. Recently, I got some pieces in the mail that notified me that I was approved for health insurance under a decent provider. It’s not the fanciest but it should take care of what I need. I had to mess around with getting my General Practitioner switched back over to the one that I’ve seen for most of my life. So after I did that, I had to wait about a week but a couple of days ago I received my updated insurance card in the mail. I’m beyond excited and relieved to have insurance again! For the past four years, I’ve struggled and worried about it so much. There have been times where I was afraid that I would have to go to the doctor for an emergency and wouldn’t be able to afford it. Anyone with any sort of illness can attest to the American Healthcare system being extremely messed up. Those of us with mental illnesses can surely attest to this. From my experience, it is a complete pain in the butt to deal with and I imagine that the current system has led to people dying from lack of access to healthcare. I could complain about the current system of things forever in a day, but I digress. Now, my next two goals are to get back into a psychiatrist and to get back on my medications. I might have to get with an entirely new psychiatrist sadly. I hope I don’t get a total butthole for a psychiatrist, but we’ll see. Just as long as they let me get back on my meds, that’s really what matters most. I’d like it if they would be someone who I could attend therapy sessions with as well but hopefully at the very least, I can get into one that will let me get back on my meds. Fingers crossed! I hope to have more news and developments in this journey that I’m on, through the American healthcare system as someone with Bipolar Disorder.

I hope you are well and that things are going great for you! Just a quick reminder to drink fluids, eat something, take your meds, maybe go to that appointment, and all that good stuff. Until next time!

Love Always,

S

#bipolar #bipolar disorder #mental health #mental illness #mental health treatment #American healthcare system #healthcare #health insurance issues #moving forward

[that-bipolar-journey]

On The Quest Again

So in my last post, I mentioned that I still didn’t have insurance. Hopefully that changes soon. I recently had to go to the “free clinic” to get some other health issue checked out that was bothering me really bad. That’s a whole other dealio that I’m not quite interested in getting into. Things that come with age and mental illness, I’ll just leave it there. Anyway, I was told that I was severely dehydrated and just needed to drink more fluids. Then, when it came to the end they sent me into a room to try and help me apply for insurance again. We went over the forms, submitted some documents, and then my application was complete. Now it’s just a waiting game to see if I get approved or not. I don’t imagine that I’ll have too much going against me. I’m a full-time student again and I don’t have any income currently. Hopefully all goes well and that I get my insurance back. It’s wretched not having it and my symptoms have been really coming at me lately. Not been in the greatest headspace for a bit but I’m trucking through it as best as I can. Thankfully, I haven’t gotten nearly as bad as I used to be. Thankfully, I’ve been keeping it together relatively okay.

I hope you all are well. Try to remember to do all of the self care stuff. Drink fluids and water so that you don’t end up dehydrated and with health problems like I did. Try to remember to go to your appointments, take your meds, get some rest, and all that good stuff. Until next time my wonderful friends.

Love Always,

S

#Bipolar #bipolar disorder #Bipolar Treatment #mental health #mental illness #health insurance issues

[that-bipolar-journey]

Resurrected

Hello my friends,

I know you may have been worried or wondering about what is going on with me. I am pretty fine so let your hearts be at rest. Since my last post, I have been uninsured and off of my medication. I unfortunately haven’t been to therapy for a good while. I’ve made several attempts to write an update on here but I’ve had troubles with the site and posting.

I have made it through many setbacks and tumultuous times since my last post. I made some questionable decisions for a couple of years but had learned from them. I struggled with the weight gain that I had experienced from being on one of the medications and it took a toll on my self image for a good long while. I haven’t been as low as I was prior to seeking treatment thankfully. I guess that just goes to show that those coping strategies my therapist taught me in our sessions have really helped out. It will be better once I can get my insurance back and get back on track with my treatment. It is a goal of mine, to be perfectly honest.

Some good news is that I am in a very happy relationship and have been for over 9 months now. This month will make it 10. It has been such a blessing to have my boyfriend in my life and to have his understanding and support. I’m also going back to college except for IT this time. I’m extremely excited to get back on track with my education. I still struggle but I’ve developed a decent repertoire of coping strategies to keep my head above the waters of Bipolar Disorder. I’ve been very open and honest with others about me having Bipolar Disorder. That has helped things and I am thankful to be where I am at now. I hope to have more updates about my journey in the coming months or year, but for now I hope it will suffice to know that I’m alive and doing okay.

Until next time, I hope you all are well. Know that you are valid, loved, appreciated, supported, and adored. Here’s a reminder to take your medications, drink water, try to eat, and all of that fun stuff.

Love Always,

S

#bipolar disorder #bipolar #bipolar blog #updates #mental health #mental illness

[that-bipolar-journey]

Update: It's getting real

Hi my friends!, It's been a while since I've posted on here and I apologise. A great deal has happened in the time I've been silent on here. I still haven't gotten my insurance back and I've been off of my medication for roughly half a year now. I've been having tons of ups and downs. For two or three months, I thought I was handling it all okay considering everything. After that, it started to get bad again. I've slipped up quite a few times. I've put myself into a few dangerous situations. One of those, I thought for sure I messed up my life completely. I've shacked up with 5 different individuals since I've been off the meds. Most under shady conditions. It feels like my delusions take control and next thing I know, I'm in a bad situation that I don't want to be in. I can sometimes control it and stay strong, other times I just lose control and mess up. I recently got news from my therapist that she'll be leaving the clinic I go to. I always knew it would happen and she tried to prepare me for it but this will be my last month with her as my therapist. Then I won't have another therapy session for a while until they get someone in to replace her. I'm happy she's moving on in life and that she's advancing but it's sad to see her go. I've gotten so used to her and I feel comfortable. Now it's scary because I don't know who is going to replace her, if they're going to help as much, or what will happen in that time that I don't have therapy. I'm barley keeping it together as it is, it feels like. Sometime it feels like I'm losing my mind. Maybe just the loss of stability. Hopefully I can get everything set up for my meds soon. I just hate the weight gain. It upsets me a lot. I feel unattractive as it is. It's going to be hard to gain more from the medication. I just can't keep going unmedicated though. My mind can't take it. I'll eventually lose it. I'm sorry this post wasn't as happy and full of new but positive changes. This is my truth though and I started writing this blog for a reason. To chronicle and to tell the real stuff. I hope things change for the better soon. Until next time, I hope you're all well. Please try to keep taking your meds if you have them, take care of yourselves, and try to reach out for help when you need. Love Always, S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Episodes #Medication #Manic Episodes #Depressive Episodes #Mania #Depression #Bipolar Blog #Mental Health

[that-bipolar-journey]

A bump in the road

Hello again! I know it's been a hot minute since I've posted. Over the past few months I was on Olanzapine/Zyprexa. It was working pretty well. I didn't feel nauseous all the time like I was on Abilify. I haven't been to a psychiatrist appointment since she switched me to Olanzapine/Zyprexa. Part of the reason for that is because the dreaded thing happened. I lost my health coverage. I am no longer insured. I have no way of paying for my medication or my psychiatrist appointments. It's really unpleasant because I was doing so well. I was finally able to function as I should. The Elephant was lifted off of me for a good part of the way. The only downside to the medication was a bit of weight gain but that was it. I would have rathered a bit of extra weight than the alternative. Now, all I have is my therapy appointments which are better than nothing. Thankfully the cost of my therapy appointments are super cheap so I can still go to them. It's just going to be hell again when it comes to the mood fluctuations. The paranoia has already started to peak it's head out again. I've had thoughts that people are trying to deliberately leave me out of the loop of things and replace me. I try to remind myself that it's probably just my symptoms coming back and that these people aren't out to sabotage me but I just really feel like some of these thoughts are true. It feels like it. It's scary, facing the reality that these symptoms are coming back. I'm hopeful that I'll get insured again soon. I've reapplied for insurance so hopefully I hear back from them and get it back so I can get back on my medication and go back to see my psychiatrist. I'm going to need some good thoughts and energies sent my way. Hopefully I get the energy and motivation to bathe again soon. It's been rough. Love Always, S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Mental Health #Health Insurance issues #Olanzapine #Zyprexa

[that-bipolar-journey]

Abilify: Month 2

Hello again, This second month of being on Abilify isn't entirely a planned thing. The reason I'm on month 2 is because the office of my psychiatrist had a computer glitch and didn't insert my appointment in, so I had to get one a few weeks later. I'm more stable but still not where I'd like to be. It's like where I was with the Lamictal. I'm back to being nauseous more frequently. It's to where I can't eat as much or certain things I used to like. I tried eating something I used to like just last night and the second it hit my taste buds, I started to gag and feeling sick. It was hell on earth. It was just a cheesy potato thing with sour cream. The sour cream made me feel sick. Certain foods just set it off now. My moods have been as they've been but my impulse control is getting better. Still have some impulse issues but they're improving. I've been going to see my therapist still. She has been helping me with coping strategies. I haven't been keeping up with my mood tracker though. It's just an app but I honestly don't feel like it. My energy levels have crashed and I've been sleeping more. I guess that means my mood fluctuations are still doing their thing. My mind is a bit scrambled lately but we'll get there. Remember to go to your appointments, take your meds, and get help if you need it. Love always, S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Mental Health #Bipolar Blog #Abilify

[that-bipolar-journey]

The Next Step

I've had an appointment with my psychiatrist just a few days ago. We decided to get me off of the Depakote and switch to something else. We decided to try out Abilify (aka Aripiprazole). Oddly enough, I had some really weird troubles with getting this one. Not any troubles with my psychiatrist but with my insurance. I'm poor so I have poor people's insurance and they wigged out there for a second. I received a text from my pharmacy telling me that my medication was delayed due to an insurance issue. Naturally, my mind went wild and started wigging out in thinking that I lost my insurance. I called them up and thankfully that wasn't the case. The attendant on the phone informed me that my insurance had a weird thing where they wouldn't pay for a certain amount of the Abilify (which is weird. It's an Antipsychotic like...why does it matter the amount I get???). The attendant was kind enough to help me out and call the pharmacy and request that they just give the amount the insurance pays for. They did. I picked it up and was shocked at how few there were. I was given 15 pills to last a month. We'll see how this goes. I'll try to post more on it among other things. Send me questions you have or things you want to read about. Love Always, S

#Bipolar

[that-bipolar-journey]

Depakote: Month 2

My second month on Depakote has been a great deal to take in. I don't think that it has really done anything. We upped the dose to 1000mg but I'm not feeling any affects. If anything it feels like my episodes are coming back. It's to the point where I spent most of my paycheck in one day two weeks ago and now I'm plummeting. I have an appointment soon with my psychiatrist so I'm going to have to break the news. I'm less than stable right now but hopefully, it'll be better soon. My romantic life sucks and I have little motivation to go to work but I should get through it. Love always, S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Mental Health #Bipolar Blog #Depakote

[that-bipolar-journey]

Depakote: Month 1

In my Hiatus post, I mentioned that my psychiatrist switched me off of Lamictal and onto a new prescription. I'm now on Depakote (also known as Divalproex) so that's a change of pace. From what I've heard, it always takes around a month for everything to really build up and kick in. I've been taking this for almost a month now so the whole experience probably isn't developed yet. At my last appointment with my psychiatrist, we realized that the Lamictal wasn't doing too much other than side-effects so she decided that it was best to switch to a stronger but different medication. I started out on one 250mg tablet per day for four days, then I was instructed to take two per day after the first four days, and now I take three tablets. I'd like to stress that I increased because I was told to do so by my psychiatrist. It's dangerous to do so without instruction so please do not. So currently I'm on 750mg of Depakote and I'm just waiting on everything to kick in. I did hear that it can mess with your liver so I've been eating a lot of foods that help the liver and drinking orange and grapefruit juice. So far it's been easy going. I haven't been as nauseous as I was while taking the Lamictal. I'll have to see it all further. If you have any questions about anything, just ask away. Thank you for reading. Love Always, S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Mental Health #Bipolar Blog #Depakote #Divalproex #Medication #Bipolar Medication

[that-bipolar-journey]

I'm Back: Return from the Unintended Hiatus

I apologise greatly for taking a long hiatus. I've got a few updates and I'll briefly discuss those on this post as well as make a post about a few of them. So my psychiatrist switched me off of the Lamotrigine and onto a new prescription. I'm now on Depakote (also known as Divalproex) so I'll make a post about that. I also went on that trip to Los Angeles that I talked about previously and that'll make for another good post. Thank you for sticking with me. I've been incredibly forgetful and have neglected this blog for a while. My Duolingo and Daily Mood Tracker Apps have been screaming at me lately because I have been so off of my game. Those two posts should be up soon-ish so stay tuned! I apologise again for that unintended hiatus. Love Always, S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Mental Health #Unintended Hiatus #Sorry Everyone #Lazy Blogger #Updates

[that-bipolar-journey]

Lamictal: Month 2

I meet with my therapist weekly and my psychiatrist monthly. In my last appointment with my psychiatrist, we decided that we wanted to see a bit more improvement so she bumped up my dosage to 150mg per day. Half a pill in the morning and a full one at night. I’m still on Lamictal so we’re still in early stages of medication stuff. I heard that there’s usually some adjustments and additions made. Not sure if that’ll be the case for me but I heard it's a thing. I think I may change formatting on these now that I’m up to date in posting things. I’ll probably edit this as I get further into the second month.

Week one: I’ve had some side effects like usual. Nausea and sleepiness. Over all it’s just nice not to have to take four tiny sharp diamond pills anymore. These pills are still diamond shaped but they’re not pointy like the other ones were.

Week two: Over the past few days, I’ve had dizziness added on to the other two side effects. Last Friday, I was super dizzy to the point where I had to lay down or sit. If I stood too long, I would get super nauseous. I can’t tell if it’s Vertigo or just dizziness because sometimes it’s like the room is moving rather than spinning. I’m kind of hoping that things get sorted out a bit before next month. I’m supposed to be taking a trip to Los Angeles so it would not be fun to just spend the time feeling sickly. I think I may be getting dizzy because the past few days, I’ve been taking my meds at different times though. I’m talking an hour or two difference from when I usually take them. I think things may clear up hopefully.

I’ll update this later.

Love Always,

S

#Bipolar #Bipolar Disorder #Mental Health #Mental Illness #mental health treatment