Just a couple of words.. Don't be too quick to label yourself bipolar, that label will stick for the rest of your life. If you've been a heavy drinker then it would probably explain a lot of your behaviours.

Also don't let a General Physician diagnose you, it has to be a psychiatrist, and then be sceptical.

:2 cents:

I've had the same thing all my life.. been on all the medications there are, so if you wanna know anything about em other then what the doctors say feel free to ask.

As for lithium it's ok, you'll feel a little slow at the beginning, not too bad side-effects but it will take at least 3 months before it has full effect and they expect about a year before they can tell if it's taking you in the right direction.

As you said tho, at least ya know what's wrong ... good luck to ya!

:rasta

Amp! I think it's awesome you finally have some kind of an idea what's up in your life. My ex was manic-depressive.. but he refused to get help, and not only did it destroy our relationship, it's still destroying his life. You've taken the first step, you're getting informed. I will say though DO be careful with the medication.. Sometimes it will help, and sometimes it can practically makes you a vegetable. If so, ask your doctor.. there are other medications/helpful solutions.

Bi-Polar disorder definitely stems from a chemical imbalance in the brain. Seratonin is a huge contributing factor to your emotional stability/well-being, and it is one of the chemicals that is lacking in Bi-Polar people. Shrimp is a good source of seratonin, and if you do a search on the internet, or perhaps health food stores, you can get more information on more suppliments etc that you can take to assist your condition. A good diet definitely contributes positively. If you ever need to talk, advice, etc (I'm fairly well read on these types of subjects), resources to do some research, I would be pleased to extend my help. Feel free to icq me 3522039 or email [email protected]. Best of luck Amp!

hey man....stop listining to what a lot of these people say man, they just don't know. Your right that you need to fix your problems....and taking most meds is not the end of the world, shit most of the time you will want to take them. I have someone that is really close to me that went through the same thing 3 years ago. I can't remember what med he is on now, but when we talk about it he is like "I could never go a day without this stuff" He holds 2 jobs, works like 14 hours a day (he is unskilled and needs a few jobs to make ends meet) Most of the meds that control unbalance DO NOT CONTROL your mind....that just fucking stupid. Stick right wtih your docs and shit will be normal before you know it. :thumbsup

Amp,

Hey, Samantha pointed this thead out to me (This is Eddie) Samantha's husband.

First off I would just like to say that this is a very interesteing topic to me since I have be a diagnosed BP MD for over 15 years. I took the meds roads also in the beginning and after time have learned to tell when my "moods" are switching and take actions to help. Sounds odd but the best thing I have found is Light and Music and with them have remained med free for 10 years. (Don't get me wrong, I still have the ups and downs but learning to control them in the beginning of the signs has prevented them from being full manic or depressed states.

I use full spectum lights that, to your body, are the same as being outside dring the summer which has had the effect of keeping the depression states at bay. Manic states are a little harder cause of the natural high you will tend to have with it. (which means you sleep very little and will do stuff like work on you computer for 36 strait hours or go and party or do the other wild stuff that tends to get you introuble after you come back down...ack) during those time I try to listen to soft music, normally some celtic stuff I enjoy and the relaxing sounds help to bring down the manic state. Of course these help with the mild "first signs" but will also help you not reach the next levals. I actually spent a lot of time with what is refered to as a "music therapist" to learn how and when to listen to the different types of music and you should be able to find out quite a bit of information here...

Music Therapy Org

Do a search on google for "light therapy" and you will find a bunch in information about it. The products I have come from
Sunbox

Before trying these speak with your doctor and get his input on them.

Have your blood lithum levels checked. Lithum is not some of the wall drug but basically a natural salt that everyone need a certain level of to fuction "normal" if your body is not using it right you have BP problems.

The main thing to remember is that there are a TON of people with this. Some of the most famous and suggesfull people in the world.
(I think that this might be because of the manic side of the disorder that allows us to work nonstop. Maybe they have just enough of the manic to be effective without disrupting their thinking to the point of being desctructive) but, whatever the case you will have no problems at all finding plenty of people that have and are dealing with the same things and will be glad to work with you to help bring it all under control.

Feel free to hit me up on our ICQ 4009474 if you ever have any questions and I would be happy anytime.

For anyone who does not really know what BP MD is like, just run out and rent a copy of Pink Floyd The Wall and watch it.

www.nami.org I am active in it where I live. My sister is Bipolar. They use lithum less and less it can be very toxic, there are many great drugs out there. Also feel lucky that they could diagnosis you, many dont get one for a very long time.The key is to take your meds no matter how good you feel. Everytime my sister stops taking her meds, a trip to the hospital happens.

Very well said!!

I dated a guy for about a year that was bipolar. When he was on a high it was HIGH, he thougth that he was invincible. And when he was low he was real LOW.

The problem was when he was on a high, he didn't think that he needed the medication and the cycle continues.

Along with taking the drugs, you must also have a support system.

Hmmm, after reading this info, I'm starting to think both my ex-wives might have had this, especially my last one who would be happy one day, crying in bed the next, drinking wine like it was water every chance she could, moody one moment, fine and nice the next, yelling about things like a maniac one day, then talking normally as if the day before never happened.

I just assumed she was a typical psycho bitch all this time.

:1orglaugh

Hey, Amp..you have me more concerned than ever.

First. Being bipolar is not a mental illness...it's a chemical imbalance, just like being anemic is physical...or diabetes.

Taking an anti depressant or anti anxiety for this condition is ludicrous and will only cause further problems.

The ensuing behaviours are a manifestation of this imbalance.

There are ways to deal with what you've got.

Most of the medications, such as Lithium or DepaKote, have side effects. If you take Lithium, you will have to have frequent blood work, to ensure your levels stay within very narrow boundaries. Not everyone can handle Lithium.

You already know that drinking excacerbates the condition...

This is not a disease, being bipolar...it's physical. Period.

Therapy and the cessation of drinking are definitely in order. Reason being...before diagnosis, your actions become patterns of behaviour.....which need to be addressed, so you can achieve balance, as Boneprone stated.

There are other adjunctives that will help....yoga being a great way to relieve the stresses caused by the chemical mayhem going on inside you.

It's alot of work, my friend.....you have me on ICQ....I will be glad to talk to you.....which, I believe you already know. :)

Brujah, I think folks believe Amp, those that don't will do anything for a tagline, fuck them.

Buy some melatonin at costco/price club and take it at night for sleeping. If it works, it will give you a good idea if you are lacking melatonin.

Quote from Melatonin Miracle.

" An excess of serotonin and shortage of melatonin has been linked to some forms of depression and mood disorders, In fact, a number of psychiatric drugs , including Prozac, are called serotonin uptake inhibitors beacause they maintain normal
serotonin levels and stimulate the production of melatonin".

My hubsand takes melatonin and it works great for sleeping. :)

An excellent doctor can diagnose if you have any depression.

Also, I have found out from personal experience that severe allergies and asmtha can mimick depression. :)

Glad to see you are posting about this and getting nice responses..
:)

Has any doctor ever given you prozac for the pain ? It can be used to fool the neurons going to the brain regarding the pain.

The guy that set up CNN was just in his manic episode when he did that.

Good luck my friend. If your doc feels you need the meds by all means don't let anyone talk you out of it. My husband is bi-polar and won't take his med so sometimes it's a bit of a challenge around here. The meds won't stifle your creativity and might actually inspire it some since some of the meds can cause slight hallucinations. j/k But in all seriousness it's a good thing you got a diagnosis and can now take some actions to correct the imbalances in your life. :thumbsup

Oh, I just noticed the smilies are fixed. YEAH

It's not all about drugs but I'd probably recommend Zyprexa or something similar instead of Lithium, it has a similar effect but it reaches full effect faster... it has recently been registered to work against manic depression. I was among the first ones here in Sweden who got to use it, not bad.


:rasta ... lots better.

MrPopup sounds like my hippie, dope smoking cousin who thinks there is an herbal cure for everything and that all the drug companies just want to get you hooked on their drugs. She tried to self-medicate herself for an infection last year and nearly ended up losing a limb. Pretty bright.

Whether or not this is just another gfy fantasy story I wish Amp luck in getting his life back in order.

I was bi-polar in high school. Ok, so I was self-diagnosed and I'm probably wrong, but I had every symptom. My life was a complete roller coaster.

One day I would be high as a kite, it's unexplainable. I actually felt like I was floating. A surge of energy would be rushing through my body, ALL day. I loved everyone, and everyone loved me. It was absolutely crazy. I couldn't figure out what was going on, but it made me feel like I had total control over my life.

The following weeks after a "high" were absolute hell. I was always depressed. I hated my life. I felt like I was a terrible burden, not only on my family but also my friends AND society. During my lows, I cried myself to sleep every night asking God questions about life and myself. This was the point in time I still had SOME faith in God.

I'm the type of person who never asks for help, no matter how much I need it. And I never like to give others the impression that I'm upset or depressed, so I always hid my feelings. Nobody really knew what I was going through, even my friends. To this day, my family still has no idea and only a few friends know.

Due to this and the fact that I don't believe in psychological medicine unless the case is very extreme, I never saw a doctor and refused to look into treatment options.

One morning of the summer after my junior year I woke up and something seemed different, I couldn't pinpoint what it was. The sun was shining, was a beautiful day, and the birds were chirping. My little brother was going crazy in the other room playing Final Fantasy 7 and my mom was making lunch.

Something clicked.

I still don't know what clicked, but it clicked. It was like I woke up from a terrible nightmare full of lies. I could almost see the polluted clouds in my head be pushed aside to make way for the bright sun.

It was over. The Hell I called life had stopped. I stopped crying. I stopped blaming God. And I stopped looking for answers to questions that nobody could explain.

That day was the beginning of my real life. I had goals; graduation day was coming up, soon I was moving to San Diego all by myself, and I was ready to meet new people and start a new life from scratch.

So yeh, nice little warm and fuzzy story, eh? I've been depression free for almost 3 years and I've loved every day of it. Life sucks sometimes, you just need to roll with the punches. When life throws you a curveball, step up to the plate and hit the fucker out of the ballpark.

Amp, don't be afraid of what lies ahead. Be excited. Now that you've identified your enemy, it's time to defeat it.

Don't most of them drugs cause erection problems, or lack of. Thats what others have told me that are bi-polar and hence came off the drugs.

They fix that side afffect yet?

its a pretty common side-effect on anti-depressants.
also on stronger medications since they're making ya kinda numb...

usually you can have an erection, you just can't cum ...
which isn't always a bad thing.

:rasta

assuming this isn't all a put on

Amp, best of luck. You gotta do what you gotta do to get healthy. My only advice would be this: before signing up for a lifetime subscription to the happy pills, follow through on quitting drinking for a bit and see how you feel.

once again, best of luck

uuhh yeah ...

happy pills + :glugglug = :throwup

makes your tolerance go buh bye ... might be cheap in the long-run tho.

:rasta

Shit, bi polar is pretty common. I know a few people with it. One guy has moved beyond the meds, but at times he can be a real dick. I grew up with this guy... when I was young he would drink and party all the time and be a great guy about 50% of the time... the other 50% he was a big asshole. He lost his wife and kids and then went to the doctors... pretty similar story to amp. Anyways, he is like.. 8 years older then me, my friends older bro.

The other two guys take meds and have for as long as I have known them. The one guy has some pretty good artistic talent - draws manga and such... so I dunno how much effect the drugs have on creativity....

Anyways, best of luck amp. Get your shit together. But dont trust just one doctor - go get checked out by a specialist!

straight from the pamphlet.

pills make everybody better.

Dr. Boneprone up in this mutha fuckah

This is a golden oldie :1orglaugh

man, i guess bi-polar is a bad maladie...

just can't imagine being in a depression 50% of my life...

:warning

Given that the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes it illegal to fire people due to their disabilities, does this mean AMP can sue Adult.Com if he ever got canned?

This is so sad.... in a retarded brother kind of way. Oh well.

Good luck with your problem.

Many years ago I was diagnosed with schizophrenia and was on medication...but the doctors could never regulate it well enough to where I didn't hear voices or feel really strange everyday.

I ended up killing my wife and kids.

The strange part is I never felt any remorse for that...even to this day I have no feelings for what I did.

I spent 17 years in the psyche ward of a very brutal prison and was released 3 years ago.

I have been working in the adult field for a little over 2 years and have 2 very sucessful TGPs.

I am not sure why I am posting this...maybe to show no matter how bad things are you can overcome them.

can we put this under the thread ...disturbing confessions ?

holy fucking shit dude... :eek7


yo, the shit I do here is more or less for entertainment purposes... but are you for real? That's some fucked up shit if you're serious man...

please don't kill me. :helpme

Dude, relax. He's clowning on Amp.

im not a dude ..im just a :girl

i was gonna ask him if he was my ex brother-n-law and had they released him for good behaviour:1orglaugh

Ampiezza,
My brother-in-law was bi-polar. Unfortunatly, he did not seek help and tried to commited suicide for the 3rd time in his life and this past Jan 30, 2003, he succeded. There was nothing we could of done. He went on a business trip and hunged himself in his hotel room. He was married to my sister with a 6 year old son and another son who was born 2 months after his death. To this day, we dont quite understand it. He seemed fine on the outside, but was very troubled on the inside which he hid. But make sure you seek help and if you feel hopeless, get some company. Do not be alone. Talk to someone. Come on GFY and get in touch with someone fast. Suicide just hurts and affects everyone else.
Take care,
Let me know if you need anything.
Calvin