Julie A. Fast's Blog, page 61

Pt 3: Find Bipolar Disorder Medications That Work for You

Bipolar Disorder Medications: It’s getting better.

Many doctors are much more informed these days. They seem to understand that side effects are not something we can simply live with. Drug companies are working on creating medications with less side effects-especially when it comes to weight gain. There will be new medications on the market in the future, so there is always hope that you will find something that works.

I don’t want to take meds. At all. But I do take them so that I can live. This means I have to find a way to live with what they do to my body. This is why I kept trying and found relief with medications that didn’t work in 1995, but work now because of my body changes and a different combination than used in the past.

A Final Tip:

Medications are often the most effective treatment for debhilitating bipolar disorder symptoms. This may be difficult to accept, especially if you don’t believe in medications or have a lot of trouble with side effects. Years of research shows that people who have the right meds lead more stable lives.

Maybe I won’t need bipolar disorder medications one day. I can dream!

For now, my goal is to stay on medications, remain depression free and manage the side effects the best I can.

Julie

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Published on April 08, 2013 17:14

Part 2: Find Bipolar Disorder Medications that Work for You

Strategies to find medications that work with your mind and body:

# 1 Microdosing. Everybody processes medications differently. Our bodies are very individual which is why some people can take a certain drug with no side effects while others, like myself can have every single side effect listed on the drug warnings. There is a way to get around this. My co-author Dr. John Preston introduced me to microdosing many years ago. If your body has trouble processing a medication at the recommended dose, you can start with very small doses of the medication (microdosing) so that your body can acclimate to the drug with less side effects. This is what I did when I started Lamictal- an anti convulsant used to treat bipolar depression, rapid cycling and psychosis. It took six months for me to get to the right dose, but for the first time in my life I was able to tolerate a drug. If you’re someone who has a lot of trouble with side effects, make sure you talk to your doctor about microdosing. This is especially true if you are concerned about the rash associated with Lamictal. The rash is extremely rare- there are less serious rashes that respond very well to microdosing.

#2 Understand the Medications You’re Taking. I remember being on six medications when I was first diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 1995. I had no idea what they were for. I just know that they all seemed to make me more ill than I was before I took the medications. This was because my doctor kept trying new combinations– one on top of the other -instead of working with me to find what really worked. I would never go through this now. I know too much about medications and know what questions to ask. It’s important that people with bipolar disorder as well as the people in their lives understand exactly why a certain medication is used. Ask questions:

Why am I on this drug and what benefits should I see?
How long does this take on average?
When will the side effects get better?
If this medication isn’t working, what are my options?

You control what you put in your body. Become an expert of what helps you stay stable.

#3 Keep Trying- even when you feel hopeless. In 2011, I found a medication cocktail that ended my depression. My depression was so severe for over five years that I feared for my life. Then I found the right combination of medications through the help of my coauthor Dr. John Preston.

Part three of this blog follows………

The first year of side effects was hell. But I’m so thankful I kept going.

Julie

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Published on April 08, 2013 17:04

Can Depression Get Better? Yes, depression can get better.

The following is a blog post from two years ago:

Will This Depression Ever End and Can Anyone Help Me?

When I’m seriously depressed every single minute feels like I’m living in hell and I am just closer and closer to death.

I sometimes get so depressed that I can’t move my head or have a conversation. I still make myself get out and do things. I cry and I feel I can’t go on, but I do. I feel better for having done something. Every minute when I’m well is filled with possibility because I can choose what to feel and what to do. People take this for granted. They take for granted that they can decide not to be mad about something or not to let others bother them.

Bipolar disorder is not about fixing problems. I can fix my problems. I have a choice with that. The main problem I have is that I can’t always fix bipolar disorder. I can manage it, but I can’t fix something that is so broken. I feel this will last forever and that nothing will change for the future. I will be alone and old and have no purpose. What is the point of my life?

** Back to the present!

Over one year ago, I found a new medication combination that I now use along with my existing management skills.

I HAVE BEEN ALMOST DEPRESSION FREE FOR OVER A YEAR.

Never give up. Keep trying new meds- new methods- reread my books- get help, but never give up.

Julie

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Published on April 08, 2013 00:01

Bipolar 101 and 102 Group Coaching Calls Available for Download!

The Bipolar Disorder 101 coaching call covers the basics of bipolar disorder in just one hour! The Bipolar Disorder 102 coaching call is on bipolar disorder medication side effects.

Click here to listen to or download the Bipolar Disorder 101 Coaching Call

Julie

PS: Bipolar 101 is a great call for those who don’t want to talk about the diagnosis. They can listen in private which really helps a lot when you are struggling with a bipolar disorder diagnosis. As a family member or partner, you can send it in a link and ask if I know what I’m talking about!

Click here to read more on my family and partner coaching.

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Published on April 01, 2013 10:26

BIPOLAR DISORDER AND COLLEGE ATTENDANCE: I WOULD APPRECIATE YOUR ADVICE!

Hello! I would appreciate your help with my research regarding bipolar disorder and college attendance.

In my recent blog for BP Magazine, I ask the question: Do you think that people with bipolar disoder go to college more often than the general population? Interesting question! I present my personal research and then ask for your opinion.

Please click here to read the post. The comments after the post are priceless! Please feel free to add your own. Thousands of people read the blog and all tell me that the comments are as important as the blog itself.

Julie

PS: If you don’t have bipolar disorder, I’d still very much like your opinion as it will be from a different perspective.

PSS: The picture is a spring time photo of The University of Washington. I finally got my English degree from UW in 1990. It was my fourth college- and I graduated eight years after I first went to college at age 18. Oh, if I had known about the bipolar then! You may have a similar school story about yourself or someone you care about.

- If you don’t have a subscription to BP Magazine, you’re missing out on some great stuff such as my column!

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Published on March 31, 2013 15:43

What is Zyprexa? Is it used to treat Bipolar Disorder?

Zyprexa is an anti psychotic drug (also known as a neuroleptic) used to treat bipolar disorder psychosis.

Zyprexa is called an ‘atypical’ antipsychotic as it is a new class of drugs with less side effects that the old anti-psychotics such as Thorazine and Haldol.

Zyprexa is known for weight gain- an average of 20 pounds per person, but some don’t have the weight gain. It’s used to treat bipolar disorder psychosis and schizophrenia.

It’s hard to find a balance between the benefits of Zyprexa and the side effects- but for many, the benefits are what matters. I have a friend who was on the drug for two years to keep her mania and psychosis in check. It definitely kept her out of the hospital- but she felt over drugged and gained weight. She is now stable and no longer needs the Zyprexa. It did the job it was supposed to do.

Zyprexa is no longer the first drug of choice when a person is diagnosed. I see more use of Seroquel and Risperdal. It truly comes down to how sick you are and how much help you need.

Outside of the people with bipolar disorder, it’s all about big pharma politics- much is done to hide the negative sides of the meds- but that is another story!

The new anti psychotics (Abilify, Zyprexa, Seroquel, Risperdal, etc) basically work the same- a person’s physiology is what determines their success. It’s the same with the side effects. I find these drugs the most toxic- but I’ve also see them change a person from someone who literally couldn’t function in the world due to paranoid psychosis to someone who can work and be a productive part of society. He tells me his life is a lot better! But his face is puffy and he shakes.

What can we do?

It’s always a trade off. In one hand there are the dreaded and often physically destructive pills- on the other hand is a life out of hostpial and in the world.

It’s our choice.

Julie

I have absolutely no idea why I found a picture of a lemon with a zyprexa lable!

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Published on March 27, 2013 00:01

Bipolar Disorder Euphoric Mania Symptoms

Bipolar Euphoric Mania Symptoms

An extreme desire for

- sex with no thoughts of the consequences

- spending with no thought of the cost

- travel – no matter who or what you leave behind

- creative projects where you stay up all night with an ‘amazing idea!’

- demanding quick results – the manic person finds ‘slow’ people very annoying

- talking with strangers

People with bi-polar euphoric mania also experience:

- less need for sleep with no tiredness the next day

- excessive ideas that just feel so wonderful they have to tell everyone about them!

- a general sense of well being that is hard to describe unless you have experienced it!

- inability to let others talk (pressured speech.)

Have you ever had bipolar euphoric mania? I have!

If you’re experiencing a few of the above symptoms, now is a good time to get some help.

Julie

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Published on March 25, 2013 02:25

Find Your Inner Drill Sergeant: Get Up! Get Out! Get it Done!

This is my blog from 2007. Isn’t it amazing how this illness just keeps chugging along even when we do our best to stay stable! My depression is so much better, but I still have the tough days – the stunned days. I have to get out my drill sergeant pretty often!

From 2007: I woke up depressed. I was up a few nights ago so I’m obviously rapid cycling. I called a friend to tell her I was manic- this is part of my treatment plan- and she said, “Ok. What happens next?” I said, “Well, I feel so good right now, but I will probably go down. It always happens even though I never believe it will. I just have to look at the way it has been in the past.” Two days later I am down.

When I was sitting in my bed with what I call stunned depression- this is where I just sit and worry and can’t seem to move- I used my drill sergeant voice I talk about in Get it Done When You’re Depressed and I said, “Get up Julie. Get up and get on with your day. Get out of this bed!” And I did.

I feel better.

I don’t like bipolar disorder, but I’m glad I have a plan to keep me going. I may cry today and get upset at my life today- but it’s an illness and I have to remember that.

Julie

PS: Depression is an illness that can be managed. I never thought I would get so much better, but I have. If you are depressed right now, keep going! Find your inner drill sergeant and use it to get yourself out of the house so that you can feel better!

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Published on March 04, 2013 00:01

Stunned Bipolar Disorder Depression

I have a many names for the myriad types of depression I experience.

For 10 years, I had ‘stunned depression’ off and on. This type of depression is especially hard because it makes movement difficult. This rotten mood swing makes me sit on the side of the bed with my hands in my head like I’m in a daze. It’s harder to think. I have all of the normal upsetting depression thoughts- that is bad enough- I just can’t beleive how it stuns me. Like a sucker punch. Technically, it’s catatonic depression… it still feels like I’ve been hit from behind.

I could go on and on. Living with this for so long wore me down.

Here is a journal entry from 2011:

I have to get out of the house and did everything I could to feel better. I watched football, played with my mom’s new puppy, saw my nephew and am now going to meet a friend. I have to deal with immobility as a normal person would- if they had a broken leg. I can’t let the depression take hold- I wrote Get it Done When You’re Depressed for this stunned depression. I often think of the table of contents and use what I can. I can use Think Like an Athlete- I’m always amazed at how athletes keep going even when they’re sick. I can do it too. No matter how depressed I am. Come on Julie. Move no matter how immobile you feel.

I am going to be like an athlete. I will not let depression stun me all day!

**

Skip to 2013. I’m better. It’s so interesting to read my journals. I was so sick for so long. I got better last year when I found a better combination of medications. I write about this alot on my Facebook page. I use the plan in my books and work hard to stay on the medications despite the side effects.

Ten straight years of depression- and I was better in less than two months when I tried the meds. I still get depressed, but it’s rare. This is possible for you – this is possible for someone you care about. Never stop until you find relief from depression!

Julie

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Published on February 17, 2013 00:01

Reader Question on Lamictal (lamotrigine) Side Effects

Lamictal is a mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder depression.

The generic name is lamotrigine. The basic dose is 200 mg, though the dose can vary greatly depending on the person. It usually has very low side effects, but there can certainly be some that interfere with life! Here is a question from a reader (Jon) about Lamictal side effects.

Hi Julie,

I’m taking 800mg of lamictal a day for epilepsy, and Ive had a problem with my throat for the past 2 years (almost since Ive been on the medicine. Primarily continual clearing of my throat and a sensation of something stuck in the back of my throat. Ive seen tons of drs, checked me for all nasal and stomach issues, all to no avail. My last dr said it could be some type of tic, but I wasn’t sure. Has anyone else heard of something like this? Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated!!! And thank you all for sharing your stories. Jon

**

Hi Jon, this is a normal side effect of Lamictal. I’ve noticed a lot of side effects that affect the head area. Neck pain and twitches, itchy face, yawning, trouble breathing, trouble catching your breath. It’s a great drug (in terms of having to take meds)- and it usually has few side effects. 800 is a LOT of Lamictal. I take 700 and that is also high. These doses are not studied in terms of bipolar disorder. So these side effects are not well documented. I’ve been on it since 2005 and if I go off it, my depression is quick. I wish I could have stayed on a lower dose, but it stopped working. The 700 has helped for a few years. I don’t think I will go up with it. I would rather add something than risk going higher.

Another thing to get checked. An ear, nose and throat doctor can check for cysts on the thyroid. This doesn’t mean there is anything wrong with the thyroid- they are very common- but I often feel there is something stuck in my throat.

Spreading out your doses can help.

And finally, is it there all of the time? Or does it come and go? Or…. does it start when you take the meds.

Regular medicine rarely understands the side effects we go through- they are so odd! Who would think a medication could cause constant yawning!

Hope this helps!

Julie

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Published on February 15, 2013 20:21