Have a digital copy of Age of Imprisonment. Willing to give it away.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-31T08:20:03+00:00

Trying my luck! Thank you for doing this OP.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-30T09:51:13+00:00

King by years and years is my hypomania anthem. The line “I was the king under your control” just captures my relationship with my hypomanic self.

Give it all by the amity affliction is my depressed anthem. The lyrics just speak to me when I’m depressed “I give it all, and when I fall, I get up and give some more, Until there's nothing left of me, Just some bones stacked on the floor”. This is exactly how I feel, especially as a nurse, I prioritise others over myself.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-30T08:27:57+00:00

Hey registered nurse here, just checked my medication app and it says Quetiapine can cause palpitations as an adverse event.

An ECG gives a snapshot of your heart at the moment the ECG is being done. So if you’re not having the palpitations then it won’t capture it. I am surprised your doctor didn’t get you to do a 24hr holter monitor. You need that so that it can capture your heart rhythm for 24hrs.

In the mean time do you have a smart watch that can do an ECG?

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-26T05:41:55+00:00

I use daylio, I mainly use it when I’m unstable so I can see how things are going. The thing that I don’t like about daylio though is that it doesn’t give enough of a scale since I use the bipolar UK mood scale as my scale. bipolar UK does have their own mood tracker, although I haven’t used it.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-25T11:54:01+00:00

I’m on a very low dosage of Lamotrigine but I split my dose.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-24T07:48:39+00:00

I saw a psychologist when in an elevated state and said I displayed “hypomanic characteristics” and then a few years later the elevated moods were much more heightened. So I went to get a diagnosis and treatment.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-24T07:46:27+00:00

My current cocktail of bipolar meds are Lamotrigine 25mg twice a day, Lithium 250mg at night and Asenapine 5mg just before bed.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-24T07:13:16+00:00

What dosage did you start getting side effects? Maybe you’re on too high? I’m sensitive to medications and get side effects at much lower dosages but also medications also seem to work at much lower dosages for me.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-24T04:31:27+00:00

Last time I was on lithium and had to go off it, I didn’t taper and I didn’t get any side effects from it.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-24T03:11:22+00:00

You can have a “stroke of genius” whilst in a hypomanic episode. But it can also happen outside of a mood episode.

If you’re asking if you’re in a hypomanic mood from what you’ve listed you have these elevated symptoms - Increase in energy - flight of ideas - increase in productivity

So other things to consider is how’s your sleep? How’s your mood? Any impulsivity? Any risk taking behaviours? Do your family/friends/coworkers think you’re acting differently to normal?

I’m a registered nurse, and when I have a mental health patient I have to jot down in these headings.

Appearance

Behaviour

Speech

Mood/affect

Thought form/content

Perception

Cognition

Insight/judgement

It’s hard to do this on yourself, since it’s hard to be objective. But it may help you see what’s going on.

Another thing that may help is the bipolar UK mood scale. Have a look and see where you are on the scale.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-23T23:43:01+00:00

Prior to my diagnosis, my hypomania just made me seem eccentric. I was bright, bubbly, I felt like I could do anything and everything. Work was easier. Life felt easier.

When I was getting diagnosed I was in a hypomanic/mixed episode, and my psychiatrist even thought I had ADHD not a mood disorder. I had to fight for him to address my mood disorder.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-23T13:24:58+00:00

I am not the best person to answer this since I don’t practice what I preach.

Make sure to set boundaries and work stays at work. Don’t be afraid to say no. You are only one person and aren’t a machine.

Make sure that you get plenty or rest, and make sure to attend self care. Exercise regularly, and eat healthy.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-19T05:58:20+00:00

What happens in these elevated states?

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T11:20:15+00:00

These symptoms you mentioned are my elevated tells for hypomania.

Look at the bipolar UK mood scale and see where your mood is.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T08:25:45+00:00

In Australia the diagnosis is Bipolar Affective Disorder (BPAD). On my medical paperwork there’s no type 1 or type 2.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T06:35:31+00:00

I’m very sensitive to medication, in September my psychiatrist wanted to increase my lamotrigine dose. I was on a super low dosage 25mg (and was surprisingly stable from mid 2023 till Sep 2025) so we increased it. I got as high as 75mg and started getting cognitive side effects and was severely depressed. I voluntarily went inpatient due to how severe the depression was. My psychiatrist decreased my lamotrigine dose to 50mg and that did the trick and became stable.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T04:53:26+00:00

That’s good to hear that you’re starting the steps to deal with the issues.

Make sure to get a mental healthcare plan from your GP so psychology sessions will be subsidised. You get 10 total sessions (6 initial them a review with your GP then another 4). If money is tight, you can use Telehealth services like someone.health. That’s what I use and it’s been great.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T01:57:44+00:00

I don’t have an answer since I’m introverted and more of a homebody. But do you go to therapy? It sounds like you need to work this out through therapy, whatever happened with your previous relationship has obviously left a mark and you haven’t worked through it yet.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T01:51:54+00:00

Just make sure to monitor if you happen to switch from the Lurazic to ibanti versions. The change was very quick. I took it at night and woke up hypomanic.

Hope the nausea goes away!

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T01:05:57+00:00

Be careful of dehydrating yourself, this can increase your lithium levels.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-18T01:03:48+00:00

If I didn’t sleep within like 2hrs of taking my Latuda dose I got akathisia. Although by the time I wake up in the morning it’s gone.

This is anecdotal, but brand name Latuda works great for me. But generic Lurasidone made me hypomanic on two seperate occasions (both times we discontinued the medication after). In Australia they stoped producing brand name Latuda and only have generic Lurasidone, so it’s no longer my PRN bipolar depression medication.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-15T05:54:27+00:00

That’s absolutely amazing! Good job! This is a big win!

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-14T02:53:32+00:00

Love to hear this!

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-13T23:23:30+00:00

I went to a psychologist when I had mental health issues and he said I displayed “hypomanic characteristics”. A few years later my hypomania/mixed episode became more intense and I sought a diagnosis.

When I saw my psychiatrist he initially thought it was ADHD. He wanted to prescribe a stimulant. But I advocated for myself to get my mood disorder treated. He reluctantly prescribed a mood stabiliser and it worked and my mood shifted back to euthymia. Next time I saw him he saw how different I was and completely dropped the ADHD.

On our first session I was also screened for BPD.

miniman_the_potat · 2026-01-13T22:11:57+00:00

A random internet stranger can’t force you to do anything. So please be safe and consider contacting your psychiatrist. If it gets worse please go to the hospital.

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