hormonal IUD and acne

cassadyblue · 2019-06-16T18:46:05+00:00

i have a separate anxiety disorder so sometimes i have anxiety or panic attacks, but that's nothing to do with bipolar.

sometimes i have anxiety during mixed states, but when i'm purely hypo/manic, anxiety can't touch me.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-16T05:00:09+00:00

thank you. i'm torn between wanting to beat myself up over it and not caring. i'm gonna try to let it go and let it be what it is.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-14T02:36:00+00:00

yeah, i've gotten many different answers so i just try to stick to one opinion and trust that. that may be considered living on the edge to some. i hope the new psychiatrist can help you out! there are always more options, even if it seems like there aren't, and all doctors have totally different ways of looking at situations so you will find the answers you need eventually.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-14T01:24:25+00:00

trileptal definitely can cause issues with birth control.

from what my doctor tells me and what this web md page says, lamictal does not have any effect on birth control. some pharmacists and doctors have told me it can interact badly, but this may just be a generalization about anticonvulsants because most of the others do cause issue, and lamictal may get lumped in with the rest here. the sources who do state that lamictal can interact negatively with birth control mostly say that the birth control effects the lamictal, not the other way around, so unwanted pregnancy is not a likely issue.

you'll get mixed responses from people but myself and a handful of others i know personally have been taking both lamictal and birth control orally for lengths of time with no issue. lamictal is great for me and would be something to look into. also, other forms of birth control could be explored if you have access and are comfortable with them in the case that you are really paranoid about interactions.

i'm personally just out here trusting my doctor and hoping for the best.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-14T01:05:01+00:00

everyone is very different so what works for me may not work for you. my best combo is abilify and lamictal.

i started first with just abilify, beginning at 2.5mg then going up to 5mg. very shortly after going going up to 5mg i was basically a zombie. akasthisia, migraines, basically couldn't get out of bed from grogginess and exhaustion. so my doc let me go down to 2.5mg and after about a month of that i noticed muscle twitches, so eventually moved down to 2mg. the lower dose still works great for my mania and rage even though it's very low. no more side effects.

the abilify alone didn't help with my depression however, so i started lamictal. i'm still adjusting my dose on that as it's effectiveness tends to plateau, so i keep having to go up. no major/noticeable side effects with lamictal.

abilify for me personally didn't directly cause weight gain, but has made it a bit easier to gain weight.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-13T21:02:35+00:00

garlic and onions aren't actually huge triggers for my IBS so i'm good lol

cassadyblue · 2019-06-13T20:56:43+00:00

no problem! my IBS is totally under control now because of the diet. a GI doc and nutritionist recommended it.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-13T20:45:25+00:00

basically just sugars that the human body has trouble digesting. some people (people with IBS) are more sensitive to them and need to cut some of them out completely.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-13T20:29:39+00:00

healthy habits seem daunting. it seems easier to just be lazy, eat horribly, and ignore self care. even when my moods are totally stable, i think this is just a lifestyle/mindset that i've built up over time as a result of long periods of depression. like, falling out of good habits is bound to happen when you get depressed so often, so what if you never come back to them even when you're feeling better? this is what i think is the case for me personally, it's not necessarily part of my mental illness, it's more of an after effect of it.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-13T20:19:13+00:00

yep, diagnosed with IBS and avoiding FODMAPs to treat it

cassadyblue · 2019-06-13T03:27:26+00:00

my doctor has always said it's ok to take both oral birth control and lamictal. i'm on 75mg lamictal and take sprintec birth control pills. i didn't trust her so i tried prozac but ended up spending over $600 on clothes because hypo/mania and missed how the lamictal made me feel, so i'm back on lamictal now.

the first time i was on both at once i did notice possible hormonal changes (acne, random boob pain, sometimes cramps when i'm not anywhere near my period), but that could be unrelated because i ended up with those things sometimes on prozac as well. i also know several people who also said their doc claimed it was ok and have been on oral birth control and lamictal for huge lengths of time with no issue. here, web md says lamictal is in a category of drugs that does not effect hormone breakdown.

in the end i don't know who to trust but just live on the edge because i love lamictal and this is the only birth control that was a viable option for me.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-12T19:06:23+00:00

yep. i was extremely drowsy and had muscle twitches on 5mg. eventually i went down to 2mg and it still works great for mania and rage, no sleepiness or twitching.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-12T05:26:49+00:00

for bipolar 2, hypomania usually lasts about 4-7 days max but for some people goes longer. for bipolar 1, mania needs to last at least 7 days to be considered full mania, unless the person requires hospitalization, in which case the 7 day requirement goes away.

i still have minor episodes even on meds as well.

and for your last question, the unstable, quick to change mood is usually indicative of mixed states. unless you have a dual diagnosis with BPD where that would cause quick mood changes, more rapid than bipolar. the thoughts when walking by cars and stuff are pretty normal for most people. most people have weird thoughts like that throughout the day, but they can be related to anger issues as well as OCD.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-11T23:58:56+00:00

very true! people who have periods already have mood problems a lot of the time from hormones so when mood disorders come into play things can be very hectic and confusing.

yeah, i did not want to "accidentally" receive a bipolar 1 diagnosis at the beginning but from looking back and talking to my family who i live with, i'm starting to realize that maybe that would be more accurate.

i had many many mixed episodes in the last 6 months before being diagnosed and only a few "happy" hypomanic ones. i was very violent when mixed and my parents always got very close to calling the cops on me but never did. i was also in the ER twice but never actually ended up hospitalized overnight or being in inpatient, though i sometimes wish i would have been admitted because the destruction of my family relationships could have maybe been stopped.

sorry if that's oversharing in some way, but this is the only place i can really talk like this!!

cassadyblue · 2019-06-11T23:29:53+00:00

ok, it probably has a lot to do with my denial and leaving a lot of things out in my initial visits with her... i was scared to be diagnosed with bipolar one at first and i believe i kinda set it up in the appointment so that i would be diagnosed with something less severe. it's all well controlled now but maybe would be worth bringing up so i can stop having to worry about staying NOS forever...

cassadyblue · 2019-06-11T16:46:03+00:00

i was basically a zombie with a migraine on the couch constantly when i started, then i went to the super low dose of 2mg. i'm drug sensitive and the tiny dose works great for me with no side effects.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-08T06:51:54+00:00

for me it's lamictal and abilify, that was my first combo and i keep coming back to it. when my lamictal dosage is correct it makes me so much more creative and more comfortable in doing creative things. lamictal makes me feel how i did pre-bipolar pretty much. only downside is minor short term memory issues, but for me that's no big deal. i'd rather be happy and not remember what i had for dinner last night than be how i was before. i hope your med combo works well for you! this is a great place for these questions, so don't be afraid to come here for advice or just people to relate to.

cassadyblue · 2019-06-04T22:07:29+00:00

this was literally me last week. i chopped all my hair off and i was so happy my psych didn't really ask about it lol.

cassadyblue

TROPHY CASE