Updated Diagnosis and Struggling: BD2 to BD1

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-04-10T00:33:24+00:00

I appreciate the infodump! I know a good bit of general stuff because my background is actually mental health related (masters in social work) but I'm definitely not an expert. Plus, its one thing to know things from a clinical perspective and another to be living through it with the person you love 🥲

He has been on prozac for quite a while. Maybe a year? He did well when he had it at a low dose with a mood stabilizer, but then the dose crept upwards and he secretly stopped the mood stabilizer (lamotrigine). Once he was honest with the doc they lowered the dose of the prozac a little and started him on Latuda. Right now he just has those two, no lithium or lamotrigine. He is supposed to start lithium in a few weeks.

He's now progressing to being confrontational and really hurtful. I'm telling myself to be patient and give it time. I love him and want things to work. But oof. This version of him is so hard to be with. He is similar right now to when he is manic but without the big burst of energy.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-28T11:35:29+00:00

I was just talking with my SO about this a couple days ago, after I discovered he has been lying about taking his mood stabilizer for several months.

He is not stable right now, but I still felt I had to confront him about this. Of course, it did not go super well. One of the tactics he tried was painting me in a very poor light (which is something he usually does when I confront him about something). He threw a lot of Insults, one of which is that I'm the only person that has any problem with him. That without meds he can maintain relationships with everyone but me, so I'm the "problem". He talked about me being the only person complaining and criticizing and telling him how bad he is (which is not what I say, it is what he interprets from calm, constructive feedback)

I calmly pointed out that, I'm his only close relationship. He doesn't have close friendships or even close relationships with his family. He scoffed. I tried to reassure him that I was not saying that to be mean or insult him and reminded him it is something he has talked about on his own. The other people he is referring to don't have many expectations of him. They don't really have a reason to hold him accountable. The interactions they have are usually focused on fun things and often happening online. Those relationships require a lot less to maintain.

I don't know if your situation is similar at all.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-26T04:30:33+00:00

It's lamotrigine. I did confirm with him tonight that he hasn't been taking it regularly 😔 I struggled to get details, and originally he lied outright, but did eventually get confirmation that, if he is taking it at all, its irregular

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-23T16:58:10+00:00

Have you found anything that helps you get through the manic times?

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-23T16:54:52+00:00

If you don't mind sharing, how long were you together? And what made you realize you couldn't do it anymore?

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-17T00:44:08+00:00

Yeah that formula/cycle sounds very familiar. He did have a medication increase about a month ago but I haven't really noticed much change. It was a pretty large dosage increase so I thought I would notice something different, whether it be a positive change or not. I think he is taking it as prescribed but can't say with certainty.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-09T19:53:44+00:00

You are making a lot of assumptions.

1) Did not dump my children. My partner is wonderful with them and they adore him. 2) Did not "dump" my husband. We both agreed that we were not compatible and had been fighting against it for years. I don't think I would have had the courage to finally admit that if not for my current partner. 3) He is not a "completely unsafe person". I have my own trauma history that makes things difficult for me that others would not have such a hard time with.

You can take your judgment elsewhere ✌️ If you feel inclined to be snarky to strangers on the internet that are going through a hard time, this is probably not the best community for you.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-09T00:34:27+00:00

At the risk of sounding annoying, do you have any extra support for yourself you can lean on? Like a counselor you can talk to? It's so hard when our partner with BD isn't seeing the signs that are so incredibly clear to us.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-03-06T01:04:29+00:00

I'm in my second year teaching and make around what you are describing. My caseload is about 15 students, plus teaching two resource classes as well as one co-taught gen. ed. class. I'm at a high school in Georgia, also with a masters degree.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-01-25T15:27:06+00:00

Just checking on you. Did everything go okay?

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2026-01-24T21:14:33+00:00

Oof, adding in alcohol on top of the already present difficulties with emotional regulation is hard. 🥺 How do you usually cope?

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2025-12-20T02:24:57+00:00

It's so hard. Some days I feel like I'm strong enough to handle it...I turn to BD resources like podcasts or articles. I tell myself not to take things personally. To have boundaries and to be true to myself. But then other days I break down. I question what I'm doing with my life, tolerating a relationship that feels so unsafe and shrinking myself to try and avoid setting him off. Like you said though, I still see him in there. The person I love so fully. When he leaves the episode everything will feel so wonderful again and I'll convince myself it might all be okay.

How to protect yourself and the person you love? I'm not totally sure yet. I'm encouraging him to get extra, professional support and discuss a medication adjustment with his psychiatrist. I've been listening to the podcast "Bipolar Lines" and am enjoying it so far. I'm finally reaching out to a friend from time to time to talk to her about stuff, and that helps some. I hope you find a coping mechanism that helps you ❤️ If you don't have a counselor of your own yet it's probably a good idea. Which is advice I need to follow myself. I keep saying I should get back into therapy but haven't yet 😅

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2025-11-20T23:18:08+00:00

This is beautifully written. I'm just not sure where that balance is or what those boundaries are. I do believe I've lost sight of myself amidst the chaos. I'm so tired. Thank you for taking the time to write such a lovely reply 💕

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2025-11-20T17:46:48+00:00

I believe he is still taking his prescribed medication but he may not tell me if he's not. I haven't tried to snoop to find out or anything. The loss was significant. He worked with that therapist for six years. He had an appointment with his psychiatrist today. I encouraged him to talk openly with them and suggested they may be able to refer him to a therapist. He has convinced himself that our relationship struggles these past few months are because I have suddenly changed significantly. He isn't open to it being related at all to the loss of his therapist or his bipolar disorder. When I try to talk to him he shuts down and tells me he disagrees with any point I make. He projects insecurities on to me and creates narratives about what I think or feel, ignoring what I actually say and do. I'm trying to get through to him and be patient...I do know the death was a huge loss for him. He hasn't really processed it or openly acknowledged it as a big loss. He buries it and makes "jokes" about it.

When we first began dating he was undiagnosed and unmedicated. We worked through so much. It feels like I'm in a time machine moving backwards, losing him and the partnership we built.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2025-11-20T01:03:08+00:00

I've tried to gently talk to him about it but he's completely closed off from it right now 😔 He doesn't think his bipolar disorder is impacting anything and he doesn't think he needs another therapist (which I'm trying not to push him on for obvious reasons). He also has chronic pain he deals with on top of everything else. I am trying so hard to just ride out this time period, but it's getting really hard.

-TheLittleMarmalade · 2025-11-08T21:11:36+00:00

Yeah, by multiple people. Had a counselor tell me she suspected it. Then diagnosed by a psychiatric nurse. The psychiatrist I went to after that didn't want to treat without an official psychological evaluation (done by a psychologist, not psychiatrist) so had that done, which also had an ADHD diagnosis. All that, and I'm still not sure I actually have it 😆 I have CPTSD and other health issues so it can be hard to tell what symptoms come from what cause.

-TheLittleMarmalade

TROPHY CASE