Latuda has been working wonders for me. However, I still feel as if I need a little push to fight the depression I experience on a daily basis. My psych doctor told me that I'm not suppose to take an anti-depressant with latuda. I'm not sure what to do. I recently got diagnosed back in July (BP1 with psychotic features). I'm well aware that they're worried about another episode, but I feel so hopeless.

I had something like psychotic slip, not full psychotic break. (I did not end hospitalised against my will).

I had transient psychotic symptoms that lasted days then went away and then delusions/perception stuff came back.

Im on 2mg risperidone rn and it calmed me down. I finally get consistent sleep but im still not stable. I dont feel exactly like myself. I feel like something is missing.

I was pretty depressed, but now its a bit easier but i now feel a bit flat.

Antipsychotic definitely helped after 2 weeks but there are some side effects.

I'm waiting for hospitalization that will help doctors monitor me better and find better treatment.

I wanted to ask, is it possible to be on for example mood stabilisers only without antipsychotics AFTER being stabilised with them and antipsychotics?

Basically can i go off antipsychotics and remain only on mood stabilisers after im stable?

Lets say i might have shown psyhotic features...

Im 25, im scared of permanent stuff like TD.

Idk what is worse, lithium or antipsychotics...

Im really looking forward to working on myself with my psychiatrist but i wanna hear real world cases from people.

Or i should not overthink being on antipsychotics 24/7?

I 29F was diagnosed after having a mental breakdown (mania with psychosis). I was put on a psych ward for 3 weeks in July this year. I feel very lost.

I am now in a depressive episode and I am medicated. I am so tired all the time and I am on sick leave from work for months. How do you push through this. I am feeling suicidal. I was manic at work and I am so embarrassed by my behaviour. I am afraid the extreme fatigue will not lift. Any advice?

I had a mixed episode last year as my introduction to having bipolar disorder after getting kicked out of my old apartment and having to move back in with my family. I turned into an absolute menace and was acting in ways that I'm so ashamed of. It's been over a year and only a month or so ago have I really started to get memories back and have a clearer view of what exactly happened. My family no longer sees me the same way and are scared I am going to have another episode. I really scared them. My sister told me she was afraid I would kill her in her sleep, I thought she was being ridiculous because the only life I wanted to end was my own, but now I see because if I wasn't in tears I was enraged by something. I was throwing myself on the floor just crying and throwing things and screaming. I didn't know what was going on and neither did they, so I didn't go to the hospital, I rode it out at home for MONTHS until I got on an effective dose of lamotrigine. I genuinely thought I was going crazy.i thought my dad and my sister were conspiring against me and any time they were together, they had to be talking about me. They were happy I was coming home because they missed me and I came home and had my first episode...

In hindsight I wish I had gone to the hospital, it would have greatly shortened my episode and probably would have helped repair my relationships with my dad and my sister before I fractured them so badly. My sister used to be my best friend but now she cannot even stand to be around me. I have apologized and sobbed for how awful I acted, but nothing is the same anymore. I don't know if anything will ever be the same again. I'm not very good at making friends so I don't really have anyone now. I confessed my diagnosis to the one friend I did have and the shame I'm having over my episode last year, and now she isn't talking to me anymore. I'm so much more stable now but I truly am on my own now... I can't turn to my family for emotional support anymore. They don't understand and they are scared of my emotions. My step mom was in jail while I was in my episode, but it's almost like she holds it against me the most or I guess she's just finally able to hold onto some concrete reason not to like me. I was having delusions that they wanted to be a family of three without me and I guess that ended up happening anyway.

Hi, I am looking for any advice.
I am bipolar 1 and have EUPD (or BPD for people outside of the UK)
For some history,
I have been struggling for years , tried antidepressants since the age of 12, which I have a solid guess have induced mania every time (alongside taking substances which is a pattern for when I begin having hypomania I get impulsive and take them which usually is the push that turns into full mania which has resulted in being sectioned multiple times) so I have not taken any since I was around 15 and tried antipsychotics (aripiprozal, quitapine , rispiridone , propanonol , latuda, fluoxetine , ritalin, olanzapine and more) since yet none seem to of helped at all. I am currently unmedicated. I also have a fear of weight gain which cuts out some options for example olanzapine. I take benzos as a PRN.
My life consists of mood swings that feel like the world will end at small inconveniences stemming from the EUPD and mania that results in psych admissions, some being 8+ months long.

I am at a loss at what to for options for help, I have also previously been through a domestic violent relationship I left earlier this year which has completely destroyed any good mental health I had left.

Does anyone know of any medications, therapy’s, tips or ANYTHING! I am at a loss. Panic attacks almost everyday, scary thoughts, the fear of being a ticking time bomb of going manic and destroying my life.

I won’t take a medication with weight gain due to body issues, I am not allowed to do EDMR therapy as I am not in a well enough headspace, I have tried DBT, CBT, you name it.

Hi guys, I’m 23, and I’ve been going through a depressive episode lately. I’ve been crying almost every day for no apparent reason, and my anxiety has gotten so much worse. I’ve been dealing with depression for a while, so I’m already familiar with what my depressive episodes are like, but lately, it’s been really overwhelming. I can’t sleep properly, and I’ve lost my appetite.

My psychiatrist eventually added quetiapine to my medication. Fuck, you have no idea how much I don’t want to take yet another medication. I really thought I was finally getting closer to being stable, to the point where maybe I wouldn’t need to take so many meds anymore. Why does this have to be so difficult? I’m just so tired.

On another note, is it actually possible to have a healthy relationship when you’ve struggled with anxiety for years?

I feel so insecure all the time. I constantly find myself doubting my boyfriend, and honestly, I wish he could give me all of his attention, all the time. I spend so much of my mental energy thinking about him and our relationship, and I feel like I care about him a little too much, to the point where it’s starting to hurt me.

The thing is, I DO have my own life. I have a job, and after work, I go to the gym or spend time painting. I have things to do, hobbies I enjoy, and a life outside of my relationship. But even with all of that, I still desperately want him to pay attention to me constantly. It’s like no matter how much I have going on in my own life, I still can’t stop myself from wanting reassurance from him.

I keep imagining the worst-case scenarios out of nowhere. Sometimes, I don’t even have a real reason to suspect anything, but my mind just starts making things up, and I end up believing those thoughts enough to get anxious over them. It’s like I have to let myself spiral until my chest actually hurts before I can finally give myself permission to stop worrying.

God, I’m so exhausted. I don’t want to keep feeling this way. I want to be able to love someone without constantly being afraid, without overthinking every little thing, and without letting my own thoughts hurt me like this.

My psychiatrist scares me. Like if I make one wrong move, she’s going to take my meds away scared.

I recently went through a two week long mixed episode and it was awful. This is a new psychiatrist and I saw her at the beginning of my episode. I’m on abilify and lithium and all she did was increase my lithium which gave me toxicity and then I had to go back down. She’s given me NOTHING additional since and I’ve told her I feel depressed.

I hate this. I’m so overwhelmed by everything, yet somehow I also feel nothing. My Ativan helps with the overwhelming feelings and then I’m just blank. Going about my day with no emotions. It’s sad that I feel this way, I’m half-assing social interactions, my work is suffering, I never want to be at work and I am negative in my PTO from all this. I just got back from FMLA and I just can’t cope. I just want to go home and sleep. I go to bed at 7:45-8:15 every day and I’m not doing any of my hobbies.

I can’t live my life like this. I found a new psychiatrist but I don’t see them for another month and now my work is trying to change insurance plans to a plan where all my drs are out of network.

feels like the more you love your career the more you will succeed but i honestly don’t know what i really want. i have a decent job but exploring more hobbies and trying to learn new skills but nothing is sticking. one day im studying photography the next day im buying clothes to sell, tomorrow i want to become a travel content creator. this and more, loops until my body is recognizing its too much for me and decides not to function.

For those of you who have figured out your calling, how did you find it? esp if you’re someone who’s always chasing the next big thing without even giving yourself enough time to master what you’ve already started?
How do you learn to stick with something long enough to know if it’s truly for you?

Bipolar 2, strong tendency towards mania and psychosis when symptomatic.

So I have chronic anxiety. I've always had it, it's just how my brain is wired. I tried taking SSRIs, but it made me manic, and I didn't notice much of an effect on my anxiety.

I'm not asking for someone to tell me what to take, but as far as I know antidepressants are THE anxiety medication.

Is there anything we can take for chronic anxiety?

I am new to my medication journey for bipolar(no official type yet), they recently changed my Medication to 120 MG Latuda and Vistaril 25mg and Prozac20mg . I'm having terrible time with my sleep, like when I go to bed I sleep 2-3 hours then I'm awake for 2-4hours before sleeping again 2-3 more hours. I'm struggling with lack of motivation during the day due to the terrible sleep. I refuse to take seroquel because it made me gain a lot of weight quickly. Any insight what to ask my Psych next time I see him?(he's great about listening to me) I'm just tired of feeling like an empty zombie

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If so, what were the circumstances? Did you agree with the decision? Were you provided with resources or outpatient care?

What does Psychosis look like for you all?

So I recently started titrating Cobenfy and I made it to the 100/20mg dosage and was unable to continue due to severe vomiting and I couldn't function. I called my provider's office to leave a message and the lady at the front desk said she would get it through. That was last Thursday and I haven't heard anything back. I have called twice since then and have been sent straight to voicemail both times. I am so tired of feeling like a lab rat and not having good communication with my provider. I have no antipsychotic in my system and I am seriously down spiraling. I am fully ready to stop the rest of my medication and just live with being bipolar and having psychotic symptoms because I don't know what to do anymore.

I went off my meds for a few days and ended up manic. I took my meds again yesterday but I still feel a bit in the episode. How do you cope with that? I went to the hospital but they sent me home.

My doctor recently prescribed me for Fanapt to address intense muscle tenseness and akathisia on Vraylar.

It is such a relief! The med appears to be working great aside from some annoying but livable side effects. Hell, I could bear almost anything over what I experienced on Vraylar.

Anyway, anyone here on Fanapt and care to share your story?

Anyone developed gait issues on Seroquel? Like not being able to walk straight, especially when you’re walking next to someone and then you keep bumping into them and can’t keep your balance? Wondering if I should do further testing, I’m scared it’s a neuro thing.

After a pretty intense manic episode, my years of dodging medication / going on and off meds have ended these past 100 days. Im on lithium and olanzapine and during the beginning i felt numb pretty much, almost immediately (probably partly placebo). now its my first time making it this far and still taking medication. i usually lie or go off it. Manic me is very hard to snap out of.

So ive been stable, as much as i could say, and taking my meds and going to therapy. But these past 2 weeks ive noticed something, and because its so unusual, i feel worried. im actually Happy. But i have never felt like this. Like im really worried. its almost like im in a manic episode WITHOUT the delusions, im doing everything manic me would and cutting out the irresponsible parts (still irrationally spending money, but i feel thats just me as a natural person).

i want to reiterate im not exaggerating this, i know the difference between happy and mania, its such a striking difference. This is like mania but before the deep end, and im still taking my meds, i havent changed anything. ive never felt this uplifted while medicated. I have had people ask me if im manic, to which ive just replied “im taking my meds still!!” and that shuns them off, so now im even more confused.

so i guess what im asking is, can i experience a manic episode on my medication, do i have to tell somebody that its happening, is this normal? Like am i really feeling mania subdued due to my meds?

My psych just prescribed Vyvanse. I will start it tomorrow. I have been in a depressive funk for about two years. YEARS. Has anyone taken this med? My psych told me to watch for mania.

Seriously. Every antipsychotic I’ve been put on seems to MAKE ME IRRITABLE. I don’t honestly think I have bipolar 1 at this point. My antidepressant is Pristiq, my anxiety meds Buspirone. A combo that was working well sans the anxiety. I started seeing a new psych and she was determined to diagnose me with bipolar 1 despite my own hesitancy towards the diagnosis. She’s put me on Abilify previously (I quickly became angry) and then swapped the Vraylar (I’ve been on it over a month and am steadily become more irritable). Yall this happened before. I’ve literally had medications like Haldol make me violent in the past. I’ve been put on other antipsychotics too with similar results. I’m debating stepping away from this psych and going back to just using my primary for med management.

im someone who when I wake up i kind of need the first 4 hours to just be really slow and chill or else i'll be anxious and agitated for the entire day. recently i've had to start waking up earlier because im off of a school break where i could sleep in. im finding that waking up earlier has been putting me in a melancholic mood for the whole day and im worried about it snow balling.

currently I wake up on the weekdays at 5 am before i need to start getting ready at 8 am because again..I need those hours to just wake up and..do whatever I want even it it isnt anything because i get anxious when i wake up and immediately have to be occupied for..the next 7-10 hours of classes and obligation.

now i know the simple fix is probably just going to sleep earlier..but i get really anxious thinking im losing time on doing things that actually make me happy when i have to spend such an unproportionate time on school.

my life feels like it’s a never ending roller coaster that i can’t get off of. i am unstable and ive known this since i was 11yo. ive been aware my whole life but in-denial because i did not want to be different from others. they originally treated me for depression at age 13, but the meds made me feel like a robot and i went off of them for years and those were definitely some dark years, ive OD’d and been on 1799 holds in the hospital, tried to jump out of cars several times + more risky things & i’ve ruined so many relationships because i can’t get myself together. i’ve had some rough moments & i went untreated for 12yrs till i got reevaluated twice by two different drs both diagnosed me with bipolar and i still chose not to take the meds they prescribed me.. but now that i am getting older and have accepted what i have i started taking meds again, i am on 100mg of lamictal but this is not enough and at times i want to stop taking my meds because i feel like i am mentally strong enough to overcome this illness with out meds, i just really hate when im in a episode its almost like i cant stop it, like im on a rampage. i hate to admit it but if im being completely honest i like the feeling of raging out for days & i dont feel sorry for all the things i do or say within that time because i feel as if i owe certain people a hard time. i know it sounds like im a terrible person but in those moments i truly feel that way like everything i do is justifiable. i feel superior like it gives me this feeling i cant get on normal days. i can feel it coming on like a slow build up but there’s nothing i can do to stop it, then it finally hits me & feels fullblown & i just rage on and off for multiple days through out the week or so but when im finally done raging and im all alone i feel this empty kind of feeling, like im not good enough and cant seem to do anything right or be with anyone because i know im different and its hard to be around me. it feels so hard just to be me. &i know it's exhausting to be around me and i hate that. i hate the fact that i can't even escape myself. feels like im a prisoner of my mind. i enjoy the highs it gives me but sometimes wish i wasn't this way. i wish i could still have the highs but with out it being built off of rage & not have the low times. this disorder has taken so much of me, i can’t keep a job for more than 6mo luckily im actually able to get jobs with out any issues but i can’t seem to keep them for a long period of time & i am the same way when it comes to relationships, i have children with two different people and i also ruined those relationships as well. i dont understand why it had to be me that ended up with this ugly disorder but its made me hate myself for a very long time, im so tired of feeling so alone. i just want to be normal and feel real happiness for once. has anyone overcome this illness? is there any hope?

Hey everyone, I was diagnosed back in 2022 but have recently started taking Valproate as Lithium was causing me severe joint pain. Besides the Valproate, I am also taking Seroquel.

I already have fine/thin hair to begin with and have noticed that my hair is significantly more thin and the texture has changed completely. It's more coarse/rough. I'm feeling very self conscious and am wondering if anyone else has had this issue. I'd much rather be healthy and stable than risk coming off this medication, but was wondering if anyone is on Carbamazepine and their experiences with that one (I am going to be talking to my doctor about switching medications). I am allergic to Lamictal so that is a no go.

Looking forward to reading your guys' experiences with Valproate.