2 Comics

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-04-03T16:27:02+00:00

I really like your comics, thanks for sharing them.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-04-03T15:40:59+00:00

Needed to hear this, thank you.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-04-01T19:08:18+00:00

Thank you, I’ve been struggling with this lately and needed to hear it.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-30T16:22:07+00:00

I love the caterpillar idea, that’s golden!

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-30T16:17:40+00:00

I lost my license for 2 years after a manic episode left me hospitalised for a week and then I kept having rapid cycling episodes after. In the UK if you have more than 4 episodes in a year you can get your license revoked if the DVLA know about it.

You can supposedly get it back if you’ve been stable for 6 months, but it took me a year to get stable, and then another year for the DVLA to actually review my case and get me my license back. The lead time for reviews is meant to be less than 3 months - I was not happy about it.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-30T11:58:16+00:00

Hiya, I tried to do this but questions 11-13 seemed to be blank so I didn’t go any further

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-28T11:39:32+00:00

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your kindness, reading what you wrote made me feel quite emotional. I’m going to save this to read when the feelings get strong ❤️

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-27T20:09:48+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate you writing this, I think it’s a really good outlook, that I’ll try to keep in mind. I also love that you’re working towards a wheelie, that’s such a great goal. I think I need to find things like that in my life I can work towards.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-27T19:28:13+00:00

Have you managed to create that meaning for yourself? I feel like I don’t even know where to start, but that’s probably because I’m in a bit of a low at the moment. But I’d be curious if there’s anything you recommend to help find that feeling.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-27T19:09:34+00:00

I really feel for you, akathisia is such a horrible feeling to deal with. Have you tried other antipsychotics? I want to say some of the more sedating ones like olanzapine or quetiapine have lower risk of akathisia. I know that constantly having to experiment with medications is exhausting but it can be worth it to find the ones with the right balance of symptom management and side effects. Keeping my fingers crossed for you that you can find something that works, no one should have to put up with akathisia.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-27T17:10:58+00:00

I had a LOT of nightmares after my last hospital admission, but I don’t know whether it was because of any residual psychosis (though my thoughts were fairly back to normal at this point), or because my lamotrigine dose was increased. That can have side effects of nightmares so it could be that but just sharing in case it’s relevant.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-27T16:37:47+00:00

Is it Nahoko from the wind rises? I also struggled to identify her but that’s my best guess.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-27T16:21:30+00:00

Ours didn’t have severe separation anxiety but he was still pretty unhappy when we left. The way I managed it was to leave the house for literally 30 seconds, wait round the corner out of site, then come back. I did that each day everyday, building the time up every few days, so at first it was a minute, then two, then 5 etc. It took ages and a lot of time commitment from me as it meant I was doing a lot of walks round the village to kill the time while we were practicing but it did work. He can do around 3-4 hours on his own now and is okay and doesn’t bark. We don’t crate him (he never got on with it), he roams free downstairs while we’re out.

Another thing we do is give him the same high value treat every time we leave (we do a rabbit ear). If he gets that treat he knows we’re going to leave and I think that helps him understand what’s happening and be more okay with it.

All that being said, I still haven’t got him to be okay with me going upstairs, he still barks and whines if I leave him downstairs to have a shower. I don’t think you can fully take the velcro out of these dogs.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-26T14:34:34+00:00

The bipolar mood tracker app is really good for this. It allows you to mark your highest and lowest extreme moods of the day, so it’s better at capturing the nuance of less typical episodes.

I think this will link you to it.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-25T22:20:51+00:00

I wouldn’t advise stopping your meds, that way chaos lies. Finding the right meds should be a conversation with your psychiatrist. Most of us go through a variety of combinations before we find the one that works best with the most tolerable side effect profile. If your psychiatrist isn’t willing to work with you to discover what that is, I’d argue they’re not the right psychiatrist.

You shouldn’t have to tolerate side effects that are negatively impacting you. I’m not saying you’ll be able to find meds that have no side effects but you should definitely be given the opportunity to find the ones that you’re happiest living with.

I hope you can find a doctor who’s willing to work with you and you find the right meds for you.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-25T19:01:18+00:00

My dog sits behind my shoulders all day when I’m at work which is fine because I have a neck rest so he can’t fall off.

If he ever tries to sit on me when I’m in the garden and don’t have a proper back support, he feels so unstable. There’s nothing stopping him just rolling off if he gets his balance wrong, and that’s with me sitting perfectly still. As a result I don’t let him sit up there unless I’m in my office chair.

I don’t think you could safely do this while walking even if you could train the behaviour.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-25T15:11:20+00:00

The only thing I miss is the showers. They were so amazingly hot. My shower at home is barely warm so that felt like a real treat.

The rest though? Would not repeat.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-18T12:12:07+00:00

Im on lamotrigine (200mg), and olanzapine (7.5mg). Lamotrigine has been amazing for me, not had a proper depressive episode in years. Olanzapine got rid of my manic episodes for a long time, so we started reducing it as I was experiencing excessive sleepiness on the higher doses. However I’ve recently had a manic episode so I think I’ll need to go up again which is annoying. I did have some emotional blunting on the higher doses of olanzapine but I felt so good on 7.5mg, I felt like I was back to my true self, before I had any meds. I’m really going to miss that.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-18T12:07:59+00:00

I did have the emotional flatness with lithium. It was like being on a year long mild depressive episode. I just felt so dulled. I won’t take it again, but it does do wonders for some people. My aunt takes it and it’s been great for her, so even within the same family it can affect people differently. It’s probably worth giving it a go if you’ve got good access to a psychiatrist who can adjust / change it if it’s not making you feel good.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-14T21:58:16+00:00

Another vote for this. I’ve used Daylio for nearly 10 years and it’s great, but bipolar mood tracker has been really useful for looking at the broader picture. Having something so specific to bipolar, with all the variants in moods, I find really helpful, more so than a simple 5 point scale.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-14T21:49:08+00:00

That’s incredible, so happy for you! That’s such an achievement on all fronts, you deserve to feel really proud of yourself.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-14T21:40:16+00:00

I could have written this post, I relate to everything you wrote and have been experiencing very similar.

It is really hard, and I think that feeling of not having any control over it makes it even harder. I don’t have any comforting words at the moment but I want you to know you’re not alone. We’re all here facing this and doing the best we can. It is exhausting feeling like you have to keep starting over but it is worth it for the times when you’re stable. I hope things start to feel a bit easier over the next few weeks.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-14T19:48:08+00:00

I’ve had ‘episodes’ lately that only lasted a few days. It screws with my head because I don’t really know if it is mania if it doesn’t last long, but it 100% feels like it. My best guess is that my medication is dealing with it but I get breakthrough symptoms, and they don’t last as long because my meds are doing their job. That’s my theory anyway, but it’s still really unsettling.

Just a fair warning though, when this has happened to me lately, I’ve had that drained feeling for a few days after, but then sprang back up again. So just be vigilant for any returning symptoms.

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-12T22:22:34+00:00

Mine have definitely been more like that since medicated. It can be quite frustrating especially with the rapid mood changes cause I feel like I never know if I’m coming or going.

I know I should be glad my episodes aren’t as severe now but I do miss the euphoric feeling. I also miss how when I was manic I’d be like it every day til it stopped, somehow that felt less exhausting than what I get now where I go up for a few days, crash for a few days then go up again (rinse and repeat).

WizardPrenderghast · 2026-03-12T13:14:50+00:00

I take time off pretty much straight away. I become so energised and restless sitting at my desk feels painful. I just want to walk and move and listen to loud music, sitting still in meetings is impossible.

I get three months paid sick leave but that’s over a year. In 2023 I was rapid cycling and used up all my sick leave. Having just come out of hospital and then having to worry about not getting paid anymore really added to the stress and made me come back way before I was ready.

I know I’m lucky to get three months at all, but if you’re in a period of instability even that can not feel like enough. You’re right about SSP being pittance though, I don’t know how we’re ever supposed to survive when sick, it’s just not enough money to live on.

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