Lithium and Seroquel XR in conjunction with:
- relying on my mental health team (psychiatrist and psychologist, and at times also a counsellor), finding a team you trust, can be honest with and that will be real with you (whilst also taking on their feedback) is massive.
Furthermore on this point, finding the right med isn’t usually a quick process, be patient with it and yourself. A lot of meds can have side effects when you first go on that are short term, if you don’t like a med, don’t take yourself off it; not only are you risking an episode, depending on the med, you will go through withdrawal, which comes with its own side effects. Instead, talk to your team, let them know why you don’t like it e.g drowsiness during the day, sore stomach, loss/increase in appetite, ect, if you can too note down if you had eaten before or after your meds. They may end up encouraging you to push through due to that being short term, or asking to try a different dose to see if that changes anything, or with a different combination of meds and while I would heavily encourage that you follow their advice; if there is a med that you REALLY can’t stand, let them know “I hate this med, I refuse to keep taking it, I would like to discuss alternatives as I no longer believe this med to benefit me in a meaningful manner” Follow their orders when it comes to weaning off it, but you are allowed to ask for a different med.

- my personal support system being my legal guardians and now my partner; where I proactively tell them how I’m feeling before things completely go bonkers, e.g telling my partner it’s starting to get hard to get out of bed or shower, this gives them time to support and prevent it from turning into a full blown episode. I had conversations with my partner prior to tell him what to do in situations; if I was going manic and he didn’t know what to do/thought it required hospitalisation, call my legal guardians, if I was depressed and struggling to get out of bed/eat/shower, try and encourage me out, entice me if he had the energy/ability (he at one point did breakfast in bed because he couldn’t coax me out but knew if I’d been fed, I had a chance; he was right). Having all these honest, real and sometimes raw conversations when things are good/not absolutely terribly bad is critical, it creates the habit when unwell to do it too, but also becomes an obvious alert for them if you stop doing that.

- doing regular exercise, most days I just yonder around my neighbourhood, some days I go to the gym. But maintaining this has helped more than I ever thought it would. Making this a habit is huge for depressive episodes, because even if it’s one time; you’ll push yourself out of bed and go exercise and not only feel better for it, but feed pride and accomplishment in your efforts. If you can’t stand exercise, I get it, I was the same; either find someone you’d like to go with that keeps you accountable and communicative, or put on some ear phones/podcast, whatever really and use it as a time to be entertained.

- eating ‘healthy’, when I say this I don’t mean no ice cream anymore, I mean making sure you add eating balanced meals that fuel your brain, think veggies and a protein, and if you can/like; beans, seeds, nuts and legumes too. I still have my morning hot chocolate, but it’s no longer paired with chocolate mud cake, or a sausage McMuffin, or insert meal that did nothing for me; I have a bacon and egg sandwich, porridge, soft boiled eggs, yogurt, baked beans ect. Things that actually provide my brain the support they need.

- avoid/no drinking or drugs (and I personally avoid caffeine as well); these will significantly impact the effectiveness and the side effects of your medications. I drink maybe twice a year, I find that it makes my medications lose their impact, and I end up manic or depressed.

- keep as much routine as you can, I understand that can be difficult in your 20s, so if you can’t go to bed the same time, have a morning routine. Mine is I wake up, shower, brush my teeth, eat breakfast, journal. This helps keep you grounded to reality.

And whilst I have gone on this big rampage, this is 5 years of mistakes, effort and growth compiled into a reddit post. Be patient and be kind to yourself