New Medications

Medication changes can be so aggravating. I already feel like a walking pharmacy and when medications seem to just quit working it can lead to overwhelming feelins of frustration! So I wanted to take a minute to talk about my medication and how it seems to be affecting me.
Over the last 15 years I have been on a large variety of medications, some I cannot even remember. It seemed like every time I was put on something it worked for a few weeks and then BOOM it seemed to stop working altogether. This can be so frustrating when all you want to do is feel normal, happy, and be able to enjoy life.
Over the past two weeks my dysphoric mania has seemed to be relentless. I have struggled daily with episodes and no matter what I tried nothing helped. I went to see my psychiatrist yesterday and he prescribed Depakote ER 500mg once a day for a week and after a week I would go to 1000mg once a day. More medication to add to my variety pack as it was.
I did some research online about all the medications I am taking and it did nothing but scare me to death. I read positives and I read negatives about the Depakote and the combination of Depakote and Saphris. Having the brain that I have I started focusing on only the negative comments about the medicaitons.
I took my cocktail last night around ten, fell asleep shortly thereafter, and ended up waking up today at 4:30pm! Talk about sedation! I feel ok tonight but am a nervous wreck about taking them again tonight. I called my doctor when I woke up and he feels that maybe I was just exhausted from all I had been through this past week. Maybe???? Who really knows???
So the moral of my story...don't believe everything you read about medications, we are each different and certain drugs and combinations of drugs affect each person differently. I could be on a horrible path with these new drugs, but am trying to stay positive, hoping I can actually wake up in the morning. I am remaining hopeful because after all, hope is all we have!

Sunshine Day

The rapid cycling was non exsistent today! The days I do not have to deal with rapid cycling are definitely good days. Maybe the Saphris increase is starting to work, it has been a week. When I first started taking Saphris a couple months ago I was prescribed 5mg twice daily. A week ago tomorrow my psychiatrist changed it to 10mg at night and sticking with the 5mg in the morning.
One of the best things about the 10mg at night is that it puts me to sleep after about fifteen mintues, it is fabulous. I no longer have to take medications to help me sleep. So I am hopeful that the rapid cycling will continue to bother me less and less. I did read online that it can take two to three months to see the full benefits of Saphris, so there is still hope for improved mood. I am hopeful!
I was fairly productive today and have suffered very little. I was able to do a lot of online work and even submitted a short story to a website that was requesting submissions for those who suffer from mental illness and are tired of the stigma associated with it. I enjoyed writing the story and it really helped me cope with past traumas of abuse and my bipolar disorder. I will anxiously await hearing if my submission is chosen...just gonna stay positive!
Tomorrow I see my therapist, which always makes me feel better...so here is to a new and brighter tomorrow...just cannot get enough of the good days!