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Everything posted by AnnaBanana

  1. I am bipolar II and I am on Latuda. That worked for most of my "bipolar" symptoms (racing thoughts, paranoia, anxiety) but I still had some lingering depression. We added Lamictal (I take 200mgs, but we moved up very very slowly coz I had a bad reaction to it before.). It completely took away my depressive symptoms.
  2. I had metro pcs. I switched from an AT&T go phone to Metro PCS coz it was cheaper. I lasted 1 whole week on metro PCS before switching back to AT&T. It dropped calls CONSTANTLY. I had about 10 incidents of my phone not ringing at all, but all of a sudden I had a voicemail. My daughter tried watching netflix on my phone and it said the connection was too slow and wouldn't let her watch. Metro PCS was hands down the worst service I've ever had and I think I've had every one.
  3. I have very dense breast tissue and I'm a heavy caffeine drinker. I was told long ago that my caffeine addiction is making my breasts more dense.
  4. I also take my Latuda with Ensure Plus (though I buy store brand) because I eat dinner at 6pm and I go to bed at 10pm and if I take it with dinner, I'm knocked out by 8pm.
  5. I take Latuda and Lamogatrine. I am currently at 60mg Latuda and 200mg Lamogatrine. When I'm feeling depression or symptoms like it, we increase my lamogatrine.
  6. If you don't eat with it, it doesn't work. Ensure plus is 350 calories and I simply drink it with my meds, I've had no issues doing that for about 6 months and I've had no issues.
  7. Yeah, I get mine filled at Kroger. I started out on 40mg and stayed on it a year. I then went up to 60mgs, but now looking back, it would have probably been better to stay at 40mg and just increase my lamictal. I was suffering from low grade depression and we increased the Latuda. I've noticed much more instant and better response to depression by raising the lamictal. Oh well. The combo works and has for years, so no complaints.
  8. I think that you need to get into therapy for it. You are both doing unhealthy things, so it's not he's being bad, or you are being bad, the relationship is equally dysfunctional.
  9. I tell anyone with whom I have the potential of getting serious with in the first month. Shit might be under control now, but there's no telling when that will change, or how dramatically. Some people don't want to mess with long term illnesses, it's better to know that upfront before you get too involved. I am with my boyfriend going on 3 years now and I told him within the first 2 weeks. I'm pretty stable, have had a few minor episodes, but he has hung through it all. It's a major thing. You are not defined by your illness, but it is a big part of your life, so only fair to be upfront about it.
  10. I don't know if you've been told, but it has to be taken with at least 350 calories. That's why I take mine with dinner, but 350 calories is not all that hard to reach, but I hated eating late at night just so I could take my meds. But I didn't gain any weight from it. I was on Seroquel XR. I didn't have cravings, I didn't eat any differently at all. Well, I actually probably ate less than normal because it so completely knocked me out that I was basically nonfunctional for 15 hours a day, that's why we took me off of it. I would sleep 12-13 hours and then be so very groggy when I did wake up that it would literally be like 3 hours before I felt awake. And it did nothing for my mental symptoms. But I gave it 4 months effort anyway.
  11. I am on Latuda 60mgs. I have been on it for 3 or 4 years now. I started out of 40mgs, and after a year went to 60mgs, I've been on it every since. I'm bipolar II, leaning more towards depression. I take 60mg Latuda and 200mg Lamictal. The Latuda makes me sleepy, so I take mine at night with dinner. When I first started taking it, it IMMEDIATELY made me sleepy and I absolutely had to take it at bedtime, but now it takes a while for the sleepy to kick in, so I take it with dinner. For me, it's not as sedating as Seroquel, it just makes me sleepy enough to actually go to sleep. I can power through it if I have a need too, so it won't like knock you out for the night or anything. As far as weight, I haven't gained and have actually lost weight, but I went through a period of really trying. I lost about 26lbs. I gained 45lbs on seroquel. I could probably lose more, but I have so much going on, it's hard to find the time to exercise. I intend to do something about that soon. Me and a friend were on it at the same time and we both had horrible heartburn. I had horrible heartburn before Latuda so I'm not sure I can blame it solely on the drug, but I have to take prilosec to keep mine in check and she had to switch drugs because it wasn't controlling her symptoms and she said that as soon as she quit, her heartburn went away. It has a strong possibility of causing some type of gastro system upset, so that could be the Latuda or not. I also have high blood sugar, and there is absolutely no history of diabetes in my family. NONE, but I did have gestational diabetes when I was pregnant and they said if I didn't watch my weight it could turn into type II diabetes. THEN I went on seroquel and gained all that weight. Even though I've lost weight, I'm still probably 30lbs over weight. So, again that could be the drug, or it could be nature. Right now I take 750mg of Metformin once a day and it pretty much keeps in in control, so it's not something I'm overly concerned with right now. But overall, I love love love Latuda.
  12. Didn't you have a therapist tell you that you needed to work on positive thinking? Have I met some fucked up people in my life? Oh yes. Have I met some mean people in my life? Oh yes, but over the many years I've been alive, the fucked up downright mean have been very few in numbers compared to the good and kind. I mean, it would be like 1 mean person to 20 nice people and I've been a server. I mean servers can get treated like outright shit because a portion of mankind equates server with servant, and figures us a lower form of the human species as it is. But yeah, I'm 42, been a server off and on for 10 years and still, there are more good people than bad. You seriously spend entirely too much time on the what if's and you never think of the positive, everything is always negative for you.
  13. When I started taking Lamictal, it really messed with my sleep. I recently went up in dosage and it has also messed with my sleep. If I read it right, you are taking it at night. I take mine in the morning because it can be activating for some people, and that is the case with me. When I took it at night, I'd wake up every few hours, then it stopped. Went up in dose, same thing, awake every few hours. I started taking it in the morning and that stopped. I'd have no problem sleeping. It is a rough start up, but after 6 weeks or so, the side effects do go away, at least for me they did. I had headaches mostly and trouble sleeping until I started taking it during the day. I just went up 50mg to 200mg and I'm nauseous all the time now. That is also a side effect, but I'm pretty sure it will go away after a while. I'd just rough it out. It will get better. And just as a side note, 200mg sounds outrageous. Of course I'm not a doctor, but the standard starting dose is 25mg for 2 weeks, or so, then starting up. I'd get a second opinion coz lamictal can be dangerous to mess with. I missed a week of meds due to scheduling issues and insurance and my doctor started me back up at 25mg and I had to work my way back up to 150mg, after only missing it for a week.
  14. I think you should ask around. My therapist is not an intern, but does not take my insurance. She has a sliding scale fee and I pay $40 a session. To me, it's worth it.
  15. I've not necessarily had facial flushing, but it does make my heat tolerance much lower, so I get red and overheated easy.
  16. I have something going on and I go to the pdoc on Thursday, but I just wanted to get some like minded opinions first. I've been mildly depressed for about a month now. I figured it was just situational, I'm under financial stress, I hate my job, me and my mom are at odds, etc. It's definitely getting worse, so I think I'm past the situational and moving more into full blown episode territory. It's been a really long time since I've been depressed so I'm having trouble figuring out if I'm heading towards a more depressive episode or into a mixed episode. I remember the feelings of a deep dark intense depressive episode, but the starting down the path symptoms elude me. Mostly I am unmotivated, tired, irritable, a little snippy, have some minor anxiety about decisions (minor and major), my concentration is pretty shot, but I can focus on some things, like a good book. The thing that bothers me the most is the irritable, impatience and snippiness. Fortunately I'm mostly managed the keep the impatience and snippiness in my head. I haven't vocalized it yet, much. But I do notice my mental thoughts are getting increasingly negative. So does this sound more like your depressive symptoms or does it sound more like going into a mixed territory? As I said I see my pdoc on Thursday, but some opinions would be greatly appreciated.
  17. I have used a phone book if I plan to pay out of pocket, asked various doctors for referral's. Use your provider directory through your insurance, etc
  18. I would get blood work done to see if there is a physical reason that you are tired all the time. I went through a period of being tired all the time, sleeping 12-14 hours a day and I went and had blood work done. Ends up I had high blood sugar. Since that has been under control, no more sleepiness.
  19. I took XR and I gained 40lbs in 4 months. I'm pretty sure it was a metabolic thing, coz I didn't eat any different. I didn't have cravings or get super hungry or anything like that. In fact, I probably ate less because I was so sleepy and drowsy all the time. It was not a good drug for me.
  20. I don't know if how it would do for anxiety, I don't suffer from it, so was never an issue for me.
  21. Why do you keep changing therapists? Now I've had a couple a met with once and knew we were not going to mesh, but in the 6 years I've been receiving therapy I've had 4 therapists. One I was with for 2 years, she left to go work with the police. Set me up with another therapist, first visit was a disaster, so got a different one. Next therapist I worked with for 5 months, then she also left to do something else, so got set up with my final therapist and I've been with him for 3 years now. Do you just not want to hear what they are saying or what? I mean in all your posts about all your "disastrous" encounters with people, there is only one constant, YOU. We keep telling you your perceptions are distorted, you keep NOT listening.
  22. I took effexor and lamictal and latuda for 2 years. I didn't have any highs or mania or hypomania. It's individual to each person. I wouldn't knock it til I tried it anyway.
  23. Metaforin is not going to suppress your appetite. It doesn't work like that. It won't stop cravings, none of that. It can help you lose weight, I was put on it for high blood sugar, and in a year I've lost 40lbs, but it took several months of taking it before it even started to work. After about 3 months of taking it, I lost 27 lbs. I'm pretty sure it was just the drug coz I didn't do anything else differently. I lost the other 13 lbs from trying. But before metaforin, I could watch what I ate and work out and nothing happened. But yeah, your appetite is all you, it's not going to do anything for that.
  24. So, this post has appeared several times in my feed today. I've commented negatively on it each time, but was on my phone. So, get home, do some research and hopefully I can post a link here, but I'm confused about this new format and how to do it, but if not, just google Brady campaign facebook. So, Kenneth Cole, yes the CLOTHING DESIGNER, has taken out several billboards in various cities which reads as follows: "Over 40m Americans suffer from MENTAL ILLNESS. Some can access care....all can access guns. Kenneth Cole #gunreform #areyouputtinguson" Seriously? Kenneth Cole the fucking clothing designer is a know all about mental illness? People are liking this and not finding it offensive? This is the equivalent of Donald Trump saying all mexican immigrants and rapists and murders! People are in an uproar about that, but THIS billboard is ok?
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