I was taking Unichem brand and the VA sent Cadista brand.... I was doing great on the Unicbem but thw cadista sjit, I am not doing well. Anyone have bad luck with Cadista? Does anyone take actual name brand lamictal? Or just lamotragine

I’ll keep this as readable as possible; I’m currently undiagnosed after over a decade of seeking mental health help from my GP (first appointment 2013). I’m 34F, and while I’ve consciously not self-diagnosed, potential bipolar is an option that’s been thrown out there by the mental health nurse (I’m currently in a long waiting list to see a psychiatrist.

I’ve been experiencing cyclical highs and lows since 2012, the first high was that year and the pendulum has been swinging ever since. For the first time, I felt heard by a GP two Fridays past, and he made a psychiatric referral when I called, but advised it could be up to 12 months before I speak to someone, and to see the mental health nurse in the interim. This GP is the first ever to ask me for examples of the behavioural terms I described. I find myself at times buying a new pair of shoes, and wondering what strange places they’ll see me impulsively end up in.

Being heard helped energise me to sit down and actually map out a timeline of how I felt and when, and looking at the result it isn’t hard to see why the mental health nurse asked if I suspect a potential bipolar disorder. I’d never really considered how important it was to describe what I meant by high and low, and I only ever saw the GP when I was down. At that stage I’d consciously avoided trying to self diagnose, and whilst I still am, it seems sensible to me to try to understand coping strategies that exist while I await my appointment with a psychiatrist.

When I’m in an ‘up’ I’m extremely productive, I feel good, I’ve historically disengaged with antidepressant therapy and at some point along the way, this behaviour is catalysed into out of character grandiose behaviour, at times I feel like I’m a porous membrane away from believing I’m a femme fatale in an early 90s thriller.

When I’m in a ‘down’ I’m more than likely physically horizontal, spending weekends under a blanket in bed or on the sofa, snipping at my partner and friends, and unable to see any point in a future. I experience passive suicidal ideation, and I can’t remember the last week that passed when it didn’t enter my periphery at least once. I lose all self interest, and look and sound like a different person.

What do you do, if anything, in your everyday life to try to manage the highs and lows, and the resulting impact on loved ones? I’d love to learn about any coping strategies you have now and maybe those you used in the lead up to diagnosis too. Whatever this is, it’s run amuck in my life and almost destroyed everything I’ve built several times, I just want to try to gain some semblance of control.

Thank you for reading all of this if you made it this far, sincerely, I appreciate any advice you can give.

how do you deal with seasonal depression? doesn’t affect you and your mood swings?

Anyone else with bipolar and ocd who can chime in?

Menopause and Bipolar??

Im 50 and have never talked about menopause to anyone. I've got no friends to talk to bc theyre all younger than me, my mom had a hysterectomy at 40 so no help there either. I had an endometrial ablation 7yrs ago and never had menstruation afterwards.

I cant count my 12mo of no periods bc I have none. Right now ive got a few symptoms that could be bipolar related.

Im at my wits end. I have bipolar disorder and have been stable for decades....some of the sx overlap of course. I've stopped sleeping thru the night bc I wake up wet in bed 3-4x per night...my shrink prescribed sedatives..ive gained a lot of weight in a couple months. The GP wanna put me on injectables for weight....my psych wont touch it bc "i dont do anything medical" i have dry vagina so badly i feel like a virgin every time.and incontinence, sometimes it feels like my urethra is tight and I can only dribble, body odor that I've never had before, sensitive teeth, dry eyes, and anxiety that ive never had.

The parts that are the same for bp1 and menopause as follows.....

Lack of focus, poor concentration, headaches, dizziness, balance control, falls, dry mouth, trouble swallowing, anxiety, restless legs, general restlessness. 🥺

Can anyone out there relate?? Anyone with a mental illness that's going/gone thru this?? I could use a shoulder

Please? 😭

The other night I all of a sudden heard a lower frequency humming. It wasn’t the tinnitus that I m used to. It scared me so badly. I awoke my husband to see if he heard it. He didn’t and threatened to go to another bedroom because I woke him. He didn’t but I knew I had to deal with it on my own.

I realize this could be due to my bp1, but I googled if anyone else had been hearing a low humming noise in the area and found several websites that document where there is a humming. Obviously, these occurred in the most populated areas. But also elsewhere, how do I know if it is physical or mental?

I've posted already earlier sorry sorry I just was wondering if anyone has any advice on how to stop thinking something is a Sign for oneself. Or that sort of thing. It's beginning to scare me cause they're also advising me to do things. Not seriously yet at all and I'm super good at ignoring commands bc I've had them for ages, I just don't like it. It's just the kinda vague you should take all those pills or you should drink that, not genuinely serious like compelling me or anything just it's beginning to not be me thinking that stuff again. I've been there before but I wasn't medicated then. It's still very ignorable but the possibility of it getting worse is kind of stressful. I know taking all those pills/drinking that, as in the examples, won't hurt me, I've known that for a while, but I still don't want to do those things adn it's stressing me out. I know I'm just getting anxious over what is practically not much at all, but it's kind of weird how my brain has just ... shifted in the last week or two? The Signs thing, it's not loads of times it's just happened a few times. It's weird how it's become the first thought even though I don't know what they're signs of or anything, they're just... I dunno, the world is filled with things for me to interpret.

Again though I know perfectly well that I'm overreacting and stressing over stuff that is functionally very little, it's just reminding me of times that were horrible. If I hadn't had that in the past I wouldn't eb scared as I am now with the tiny things.

So please help me :) thanks. I can elaborate more in commetns etc. and I've been around the place for a bit sorry. A few times you know. Thanks in advance!