I am not a big fan of perscriptrion medication. I grew up in a family that very strongly believes in natural remedies. When I was first diagnosed bi polar I refused to take medicine. As a bi-polar teenager I also refused to take care of myself in other ways that I knew were necessary. I am now 25 and for the last 2 years I have had pretty good control over my disorder. I take fish oil, try to eat well, excercise practice stress relief and record my feelings in order to recognize patterns of when I may be heading toward a manic or depressed state. This has been working very well for me I was loving my job, getting very good grades, I am nearly finished with my Associates which had previously been started and abandoned at 3 different schools. I am not sure what happened but I suddenly flew into a manic episode and could not stop it. I quit my job, started missing classes, started wild shopping sprees with out a job oh and did I mention that I haven't had real sleep in almost a week. I am just starting a new job and I need to be able to keep it and improve my grades so I can graduate this semester. I am hoping that people have natural ideas but if you can make a persuassive claim for trying perscription drugs I will listen. At this point in my life I just want to live a normal life. I want to graduate college, get a good job, get married and possibly start a family. I can't do that until I am healthy though. I am open to any and all constructive Ideas. Please do not get on me about not being on my meds I know that many feel very strongly about this and I am willing to take what you say into consideration as long as it is not a critique on me. Thanks, it is strange coming to strangers with this. I have found however that other bi polar people understand it best.
you've said that for the last few years you've managed to keep your episodes fairly well managed... however, just recently something has happened and you've flown into the upper spiral which has caused quite a bit of issue and consequence in your life
question then is: think really hard about it and what has happened that may have triggered it?
see, much of the "sudden" supposed trip into mania or depression often comes from "changes" or stress or prolonged periods of stress. sometimes, it's something traumatic and sometimes it's something appearing routine but dishevels.. ya know, throws one off balance a bit
course, with Bipolar... there is always the possibility that absolutely nothing happened that caused it but I'd seriously give it some thought
I'm not a big fan of pharmaceutical meds only because I have such a high sensitivity... so, I am not going to throw you under the bus - so to speak - for not being on the pharmaceutical bandwagon BUT, you may want to contact a medical and/or psychiatric provider and just really talk things over with them
because you wouldn't want the mania to really go sky high to the point that you are not in any control of your behavior and/or actions... though you'd be aware to some degree
and the crash & burn after such a climb can be... well, a real doozy
I have put a lot of thought into what I thought it possibly could be that triggered this episode of mania. For the most part things are pretty stable I am in a stable relationship, I go to school, all of which have been going on for a couple of years. The only thing in my life that changed is that I switched jobs. I did this very responsibly not like my usual self of quitting a job out of the blue with no prospects. I had put in a months notice and started looking for a job before the other one ended. So it was all planned and working well. It did change my schedule as I was working during the day and going to school at night and now i am going to school during the day and working at night. That was all part of the plan though, since I am getting into higher level classes they are only taught at certain hours and so that is why I had to find a new job. I am still leaving plenty of room for sleep however I get off work at 8 pm get home do homework until about ten or eleven and then go to bed and get up at seven for class. That is why I can't pin point what it is that would have thrown me into such a manic episode.... my life was relatively stable. I did get a sinus infection which spread to my teeth so I was put on cough medicine, antibiotics and given percocet for the pain, I'm not sure if any of those medications had anything to do with it but like I said I am not a big medicine person and that is the first medicine I have taken in quite some time.