Best products from r/bipolar2

Me personally? I journal. I used a guided journal made for people like us. The ones that have goals, hopes, and dreams.

You can find it here.

Becka's Best Bipolar Mood Journal: Mastering mood disorders one day at a time https://www.amazon.com/dp/1072851601/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_D0ooDbGWW1CS4

It's not perfect, and it doesn't solve my problems but it keeps me going in one direction. It reminds me that every day is just a new page in my book called life and there will always be a new chapter. It also helps motivate me to establish some routines, set goals, and reminds me to take care of myself. It's become the one thing I do for myself on my down days. Even if I don't do anything else on my adulting list, I at least try to write in my daily journal.

Bonuses:

• there is no "think positive" or "be grateful" bullshit
  -it's a quick and easy check-in (I try to start and end my day with it.)
  -it helps me put my phone down and just think about myself for a while. I really find putting pen to paper (in addition to some other apps I use like Habits and Fabulous) that it is really therapeutic.
  
  I won't lie, this sounds a bit like a sales pitch doesn't it? Well, the truth is that it is and it isn't. I really do use this journal and I love it. I honestly feel like it has improved my life and understanding of bipolar for the better. But I did create this journal and made it available for purchase on Amazon.
  
  I made it in a hypomanic haze, post a massive panic attack. I actually predicted the hypomania and planned out how I was going to best utilize it (I get hyperfocused and obsessive) and decided I needed this book. I also have a touch of ADHD on top of my bipolar which is why I love my hypomanic states so much (too bad I can't harness that power for when I want it). I can literally do anything I set my mind to when I'm like that but the rest of the time it, life, bipolar, all of it is a struggle.
  
  But anyways, I hope this helps. You're not alone. Take care of yourself. Life is full of seasons, ours are just more frequent. ❤

I was going to ask whether you were Mormon, or had grown up Mormon. I grew up Mormon myself, and it's now 15 years after leaving the church that I'm realizing that there are still some latent issues I carry from growing up in the religion.

Your own experiences are yours to explore with compassion for yourself to get to what might be the underlying issues behind your compulsions / "addictions". It won't be easy, especially where your wife is an active member. If your experiences are like mine, you'll be happier and healthier when you find your own voice with respect to who you are, what you believe, and how you want to live your life... and I'm confident that you'll find the compulsions around porn simply fade away without much specific attention given to them as you grow into yourself outside of a Mormon identity.

I might suggest a book to help you move down the road a little: Healing the Shame that Binds You. It did a lot for me. Taming Your Gremlin also was a good read.

Individual therapy helps a lot too - and it may take you a couple tries to find the right one for you. Group therapy might help as well. Explore different things! There's no prescription here.

Don't rule out revisiting medications. I took only Lamictal for a long while, and recently added an antidepressant (Latuda) - which has helped.

AND be nice to yourself!!! Try to look at things objectively, removed from the shackles of religious (aka moral) understandings of porn and masturbation.

Journal everyday by putting pen to paper - just word vomit - get everything out of your head you might be internalizing - you'll know when to stop writing, something will just 'click' - look at your thoughts written down on paper - just observe - no judgement - let's give the negative critical thoughts a little less power - is there a specific voice where these are coming from? - some specific church leader? - just give him a "seat at the table" so to speak, a table you might sit around like at a Thanksgiving family gathering - just let him run his mouth - you DON'T have to listen to him - take his power away - treat him like a crazy aunt that's always spouting bullshit - just tune this person out - find your own words of encouragement - be your own best friend - what, after all, would an ideal best friend say to you - he certainly would not have horribly discouraging things to say - he'd probably just chuckle and confess, "everyone masturbates and looks at porn from time to time - let's get out of the house and go for a walk."

Me.

Late diagnosed BPII when I was 29. The next 8 years on lithium so I was stable and not trying to kill myself. Cannabis to try to increase mood enough to not weep all day long. Everything was hard. Everything was a struggle. Everything that went wrong was a tragedy. I learned about the effects of Adderall to bipolar brains after doing my own research. Then I provided all that to my pill shrink who said, "I don't feel like changing your meds and if i did i wouldn't try that." I asked him when he stopped being a real pill shrink and just became a script signer for a pay check. I took the ADHD test and it said I had ADHD. Found a new pill shrink and got put on 10mg x2 daily Adderall. That med has changed my life.

I am about to suck adderalls proverbial dick here for a second, but there are several issues with the drug that anyone on it needs to know, and if you are a man there can be some other scary symptoms too, but there are ways around everything i have learned and will be glad to share that info later if needed.

So everything is different. The first two months i got the euphoria. I was floating through the air. Hovering over the ground. No longer did I slog through oatmeal just to move or think. Now I was graceful.

I catch myself smiling all the time now. I sing in the car. I am social again. All the toxic negative shit my brain would do or say to me all day long to beat me, berate me, and stifle me is gone. Suicidal thoughts all day long are gone.

Thinking is clear. Actions are leveled. Energy is up. Food consumption is down. 22 pounds lost in 4 months on adderall.

I am a better me in every single way, but that is because I reigned it in. Adderall helped me to control my life, nay, LIVE my life now, but I had to get a handle on it too.

After feeling that euphoria that first month, I abused it a little too like some do. Take more than i needed. I parachuted it once. I ground it and tipped a joint with it. I was consuming it every way possible to see how it hit the brain.

It made me want to up the strength. DON'T. Make the adderall work for you, don't be a slave to it.

You may need to take some supplements on it. I recommend one to all, and the other if you are male and having... issues on it. Or female and just feel like your blood circulation is poor.

First: N-Acetyl L-Tyrosine (NALT) Powder When Adderall is working it's basically burning up these two chemicals in your brain. You deplete yourself and you get low mood and irritability. Little bit of this one or twice a day in yogurt or water keeps mood up and irritability down. Works wonders.

Second: Nitric Oxide Supplement with L Arginine, Citrulline Malate, AAKG and Beet Root. Are you a male on Adderall who was suddenly shocked to find you got coke dick? Do you have minor ED symptoms now? Male or female do you have blue tinges of color around toes, fingers, and dick (if a lady, i don't know if any part of your privates will tinge blue, we need a females story to know), but what this is poor blood circulation. Adderal, for whatever fucking reason, slows down or tells the body you don't need as much Nitric Oxide in the body as you do. Low Nitric Oxide, bad blood for doing anything physical from working out, sex, sports, etc. You can get the three ingredients you need as powder supplements too, but I find it easier to take this one in the capsule form. That was the last thing added and so far has fixed the worst of the negative side effects. Everything is now functionally very close to normal and i will take it. lol. It is fascinating stuff really.

I have done sooooo much gorram research on this drug, these supplements, why and how adderall does what it does, etc. It is a miracle drug for bipolar and ADHD. Just know you have to stay in charge of it. Don't abuse it, take breaks when you can, or drop your second pill out of the day when you are good. I have many days where I take 20mg in morning and only 10 or less in afternoon using a pill splitter. Some days I never take the second pill.

I am happy your are going to at least try it and see what it can do for you. It saved my life. I was stable, but so low all the time, never did anything less i was dragged out by friends. I closed myself off from everyone and everything. Now.. I am a social butterfly, sort of, at least compared to old me.

In four short months I have gone from sitting in the dark all day everyday, to going out and about. I have gone to parties without panic attacks or leaving early. I have gone back to loud bars and enjoyed myself. I started putting myself out there sexually again (after adding the Nitric Oxide Supplement) and had the first hook up in a long, long time. I make plans now. I look forward to things. I forgot, before the pill, what it was like to have a brain without suicidal thoughts. (That comes at a cost if you are a gamer, but that is a whole 'nother story). I forgot what it was like to live. Every year i reluctantly lived was agony, and now, I got a match under me. Life is worth living and I am going to fucking enjoy some of it for a change.

As long as you control the adderall and not the other way round, it is a a miracle drug. It can also be a cold hearted mistress if you ignore any warning signs.

I wish you all the best and if you need to talk about anything while on it, let me know. I am here for you.

There is a huge misperception about melatonin. 1mg or less is all anyone needs. Too much and it can have the opposite effect. (I can try to pull the article, but trust me.) When I took 1mg then 2mg then 3mg all that happened was I’d conk out and then be awake 2 hours later, unable to sleep. When I switched to 1/2 mg (there is even a 333mcg tablet) I slept through the night.

[Basically you make your own melatonin, just not enough to make you sleep. So a little bump from a pill helps boost your drive to sleep. BUT, if you take a large dose of melatonin, your natural production of melatonin shuts down. Your brain says, ‘there’s plenty of melatonin out here, let’s turn off the melatonin factory!’ So a few hours in your body isn’t making any, the pill runs out and you wake up.]

Magnesium is a muscle relaxant. When I went into premature labor, they had me on IV magnesium to stop the muscular contractions in my uterus. It also made me feel like a wet noodle and I slept all day. Epsom salt is a magnesium salt and is readily absorbed into the body. It works better for me than oral magnesium. But try Natural Calm (a powder you mix with water) or a magnesium pill.

There are lots of different forms of magnesium with various but similar benefits. I take this one which is a blend of a few different types. It keeps me calm.

Also consider reducing all your lights in The house at sunset to signal your brain to wind down. And make sure your computer and phone have f. Lux or similar to adjust out blue light at night which can cause insomnia.

I have been hospitalized 2 times in my life. Both times from mania.
I have never regretted spending the time to get help.
Time with care from professionals will help you immensely. Think of it as a chance to decompress and focus on yourself.

Your family will be happy you asked for help. There is nothing wrong with admitting you need help. Suicide is not the answer. Your pain MAY end but you will create exponentially more pain by doing so.

Research some psychiatric In-patient hospitals near you. Then admit yourself for treatment. Life has just begun at 17.
You have so much to experience still.

Also look into meditation. Clearing your mind of constant thought can really help. It will be very hard at first. It just takes practice.

This book helped me get control of my mind.

Turning the Mind Into an Ally

https://www.amazon.com/dp/157322345X/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_xigeBbRXXAZ3S


Stay positive and ask for help. Humans love helping one another.

Lithium was actually the least scary for me in terms of side effects! I’m still on it now and I truly believe it keeps my moods from reaching the super highs and lows, although I am on other medication as well. I also started low and adjusted up as we did blood work.

For me the biggest thing is to ensure I’m drinking enough water. If you think you’re drinking enough add one more cup/bottle/drinking vessel just to be sure. This helps to stop dry skin and I honestly didn’t notice any more hair loss/acne than I would normally through my menstrual cycle.

Also, I also have a huge med aversion, what really helps me: my sister got me a medication case for my birthday. this one here . Because I can set it up for the whole week I just need to remember to bring one container with me throughout the day, if I go away for two I grab the two. Not needing to see pill bottles every day has been such a life saver, honestly. The bottles themselves are overwhelming and trigger too much anxiety.

I also set up the Medisafe app on my phone, the reminders just say “hello” and the visual of the pill box is cute 😆

Edit: I was a little dizzy/shaky when I first started lithium, it wasn’t too bad and was an adjustment period. Oddly enough if I ate a little salt it helped

Okay. First things first, I think you need to have an honest talk with your doctor about your meds, side effects and your lifestyle. It’s gonna be hard to remember to take meds - especially if you think going back on them will negatively effect your ability to work or function. Not all meds do that to people. There IS a way to get an effective cocktail that won’t slow you down like that.

Next, I also have ADHD on top of bipolar because someone has a sick sense of humor. Anyway, I had to use this elderly talking medication reminder clock that would literally yell at me until I took my meds at night. I also worked with all my doctors to get me meds that I can all at once - at night. I take an antidepressant and a mood stabilizer- all at night.

Some doctors told me it couldn’t be done. Lots of doctors use their knowledge and authority to shut you down when they don’t want to do the extra work to help you. However, a doctor who understood ADHD and bipolar confirmed that it was possible and it happened. I’ve been diagnosed for about 20 years - and I’ve had to start getting these doctors together.

Link to medication organizer and alarm clock:

MedCenter (70265) 31 Day Pill Organizer with Reminder System https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000RZPL0M/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_yU5VDbRHFXFC3

MedCenter Talking Alarm Clock https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00CEZQ9U4/ref=cm_sw_r_sms_c_api_i_MT5VDbDQQ9DN5

Also, CVS and Amazon will now presort you’re meds into little packets and that may help you, too:

https://www.cvs.com/content/multidose

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/5C6C0A16-CE60-4998-B799-A746AE18E19B

Hope this helps!!!

I don’t have one for myself, but I’ve bought several for my son that has autism.

The best price for quality is on amazon.

I am pretty sure the last one I’ve got him is this one .

zen meditation has helped me a ton.

as /u/BornOn8thOfJuly said, continue to steer clear of the booze. no matter what, if I decide to drink (even just a couple glasses of wine), my anxiety is higher and my mood is lower the next morning. Most of my emotional breakdowns occur after a night of drinking.

I also would highly recommend The Mindfulness and Acceptance Workbook for Anxiety

Best wishes, my friend!

Hi! Sorry you're in this club, too. I've had symptoms of this disorder since 1984, but wasn't diagnosed until 2016.

I've found this workbook to be very helpful. Probably the section on acceptance has done the most for me.

https://www.amazon.com/Dialectical-Behavior-Therapy-Workbook-Disorder/dp/1572246286

Here's a good source of information that you might not find elsewhere:

https://psycheducation.org/

I just tried the following diffuser thing out and remembered this thread: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07Q3QG72Z/

5 drops of lavender, a 2 drops each of sweet marjoram, cedarwood, and frankincense. It smells both relaxing and medicinal. I put it in the bathroom while I had a bubble bath (purple light recommended), and have run it in the bedroom before sleep-time (red light recommended). Aromatherapy is not real medicine, but good smells are good smells.

For me psychoeducation has been key to improving my insight. I am a reader, so I'll recommend two for you, if you're interested.

First up, https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00I33KQGY/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1

This one is a workbook that helps you figure out what your symptoms look like, what your triggers are, and presents some strategies for coping with them.

https://www.amazon.com/Bipolar-Disorder-Survival-Guide-Second/dp/1606235427

This is a pretty comprehensive book. Have just started it, but I see it often recommended around the bipolar subreddits and I like it so far. It covers everything from medications to therapy methods, warning signs to strategies.

Sorry you’re feeling that way 💛 my husband’s psychiatrist recommended one of these lights to help him through the winter. Have you heard of them/considered them before?

I read a ton of books, found this one very good: https://www.amazon.com/Depressed-Recognizing-Managing-Bipolar-Disorder/dp/0071462376 - focuses on equal importance of exercise/diet + sleep + meds in effective management of bipolar.

This book was suggested by our therapist, was cheap And came quickly

Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder: Understanding and Helping Your Partner (The New Harbinger Loving Someone Series) https://www.amazon.com/dp/1608822192/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_h3uEDbK081XX7

https://www.amazon.com/Verilux-HappyLight-Compact-Personal-Portable/dp/B00K08ZDBI/ref=sr_1_3_a_it?ie=UTF8&qid=1541983830&sr=8-3&keywords=happy+light

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Same as the "light box" that Lismox just asked.

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It is set up to help get you going with broad spectrum light that you aren't getting with the dark. It's been helping a lot. My doctor recommended it.

This book helped my husband (and therefore me) so much. Highly recommend it.

https://www.amazon.com/Loving-Someone-Bipolar-Disorder-Understanding/dp/1608822192

There is one.