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 Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:25 pm
razorgod As for only gaining 40 lbs, that's excessive. I guess if you weigh 100 lbs, it isn't that bad, but to something who weighs 200, 40 lbs can be enough weight to endanger their lives.
I have a friend who is also bipolar and who gained so much weight on the meds that she now weighs something close to 200 when she used to weigh like 160 and before she gained that weight (not because of meds) she originally weighed like 140. Still, she says she would rather be overweight and not manic than skinny and mentally ill. I have to agree. I mean, I'm not looking forward to fighting off the weight gain either, but that's mostly so I won't have to go out and buy an entire new warddrobe.
For the record, I never said that everyone was the same or that everyone should take Lithium, I'm just trying to say something ******** good about it so that people won't be scared away from trying it, that's all.
And if apparently most drugs that treat bipolar cause weight gain as a side effect, which would you choose? Some people can't go without meds, particularly if they are Bipolar I with psychotic symptoms.
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Posted: Fri Jun 16, 2006 10:44 pm
roothands
And if apparently most drugs that treat bipolar cause weight gain as a side effect, which would you choose? Some people can't go without meds, particularly if they are Bipolar I with psychotic symptoms. I'm Bi-polar I with Psychotic features...the works-rapid cycle (Ultra cycling as well.), mix state, borderline personality and all that jazz. Personally, the physical disadvantages weren't worth it to me. I'd prefer to have to go to a hospital once or twice a year, and attend a regular group, then to sit around dying of thirst...weak, lethargic and over weight on top of that. No thanks. I've since discovered herbal therapy, and have had some success in controlling my mood with herbs like St Johns Wart. (I wouldn't recommend it for everyone, I started looking into herbal therapy when I discovered that it's how Robin Williams deals with his disorder.) My overall point was that you shouldn't try and critisize someone else's experience because it doesn't match up to your expectations. It really is insulting. I was sincere when I said I am glad it works for you, and that you don't mind the weight gain or any other side effects...but it really isn't for everyone. I can't speak for everyone, but I hate the idea of trading one set of problems for a whole new set of problems. And that's primarily what the meds game is all about.
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Posted: Sat Jun 17, 2006 9:03 am
i know someone now who is on lithium... she has no side effects and is like so skinny it's almost creepy... it's a genetic skinniness, i think... but anyways... that just goes to show even though possible side effects can be outrageous... they can also possible not even happen... so yeah sweatdrop
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Posted: Wed Jun 21, 2006 3:50 pm
razorgod I've since discovered herbal therapy, and have had some success in controlling my mood with herbs like St Johns Wart.
Good for you at the holistic therapy thing, but that doesn't work for most people. I know someone right now who is off meds, but he still had to take Lithium for a few years after his suicide attempt. Right now he exercises every day (running mostly) to keep his endorphins and serotonin balanced out. Exercise is good at improving mood.
PS. I've started to gain weight (I just gained like five pounds, and even more disconcerting, I now jiggle while I walk, which never happened before) when weight gain was usually never a problem for me (I've never been overweight though I have had some excess fat around my belly area I've been trying to get rid of for years). So no more beer for me (I shouldn't drink on the meds anyway) and no more junk food. I drank two Smithwick's and had an entire plate of fish and chips while watching the World Cup the other day, so no more for me, that was my last. crying Sucks because I'm quite a beer drinker and I love the calorie-ridden dark beers too...
I'm doing 25 crunches and 10 sit-ups a day, and as soon as I find some exercise clothes (I need to go to the thrift store) I'll be using the gym every day I'm on campus (which is four days a week) to run the treadmill or use the stationary bike for about thirty minutes.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 8:32 am
I went the route of medication first, spent years on cocktails, trying to find something that leveled me out with some out there sideffect. I don't wanna go manic or hit full blown depression, but I don't wanna be left a zombie either. I couldn't work or anything else on the meds.
I still have full blown fits of either, but it's not as bad as before I learned about my illness. I've got the best support system in the world, when I miss the signs of a shift, they usually catch it and take appropriate action to help me from damaging myself. Between that, diet management, excercise, and my herbal meds...I've done a lot better off.
As far as everything I've heard, the herbs work best when you get plenty of excercise and eat the right kind of diet. So far, no complaints...haven't suppressed my shifts 100%...but then nothing I've ever heard of, ever will.
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Posted: Fri Jun 23, 2006 9:00 am
i tried st. john's wart... and it made me, like, edgy and angry... and happy and cheerful... but the anger wasn't worth it to be happier. i'd rather be like sad than mad, cuz i go crazy when i'm mad and can't be sad and i'm just... well, mad sweatdrop
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 12:16 am
heteria i tried st. john's wart... and it made me, like, edgy and angry... and happy and cheerful... but the anger wasn't worth it to be happier. i'd rather be like sad than mad, cuz i go crazy when i'm mad and can't be sad and i'm just... well, mad sweatdrop
When I was on Lexapro (no side effects from that except drowsiness, so I took it at night), it made my mania (and my irritability and anger) ten times worse than before I even took the medication. I would expect St. John's to do the same thing. From what I've read on it it's just a natural anti-depressant.
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Posted: Mon Jun 26, 2006 10:45 am
St. Johns doesn't alleviate the depression 100%, it takes the edge off it. I've never had mania worsened from taking it, nor have I spun from depression straight away into mania with it. But it isn't the only herb I use on a regular basis.
The idea with not using hte meds is the same as using the meds. When you use meds, you use each medication to combat the symptoms of not only the illness itself, but of the other medications as well.
Same thing with using herbs and physcial stimuli. Living with this illness without the use of meds isnt easy, it takes a lot of work, not just from you but the people who make up your support system. It cetainly isn't for everyone.
I don't suppress my shifts, I've found ways to take the edge off the pain of it. I've taken what nature has given me and found a nice middle ground where I could live and cope with the illness.
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Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2006 11:46 pm
The way I see it, Lithium is as natural as any herbal or holistic remedy. I mean, Lithium occurs in nature, it's on the periodic table of elements and it can be found all over the universe. They mix it with carbonate so it will hold together long enough to be digested in pill form, that's all. It's naturally occuring, just like sodium chloride.
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Posted: Tue Oct 10, 2006 6:20 pm
lithium works, it just takes a while, and its not for everyone, plus you HAVE TO GET TIME RELEASED!!! if its going to work. Im on lithium, works like a charm....as well as any medication can.
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