- Date posted
- 3y
- Date posted
- 3y
Bipolar 2 here. Re: meds- Most OCD meds are antidepressants of some type or another. It’s (extremely) important for people with bipolar biochemistry to take a mood stabilizer if they are taking an antidepressant (regardless of why it was prescribed). This could be lithium, Lamictal, or other options depending on the individual person and their situation. But this isn’t always common knowledge if they aren’t working with someone qualified to manage psychiatric meds. When I see stories about OCD meds propelling people into manic or mixed episodes, I often suspect they are working with a prescriber who isn’t familiar with (or taking the time to help dial in) the necessary stacking of these two types of meds.
- Date posted
- 3y
Amen!!!!!! I second that on seeing a qualified prescriber of mental health meds especially when it comes to bipolar. That definitely means Psychiatrist. When I was released from the mental hospital, I followed up by my psychiatrist and he actually removed my antidepressant bc it was so low dose any ways and kept me on a high mood stabilizer that is helping greatly. If my ocd isn’t better with therapy alone, I will b put back on Prozac and it won’t b a problem in my case bc I’ll still be on my mood stabilizer. Obviously everyone is different and stuff, is say trust the psychiatrist definitely and don’t be scared to voice anything:)
- Date posted
- 3y
@BacktoTheBasics It’s not an option everywhere, but there can be alternatives to seeing a typical psychiatrist if that’s been a struggle in the past, too. I actually see a psychiatric nurse practitioner instead of a psychiatrist for my med management (he’s an ARNP with prescriptive authority, so he has his own practice), and before that I had a GP who happened to put a lot of effort into continuing ed in that area so I trusted him to help me monitor things appropriately after I had my first episode.
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- 3y
@BacktoTheBasics (You have a really healthy outlook on all of this too - I have no doubt how much it took to develop and it’s serving you well 💜)
- Date posted
- 3y
I appreciate all of your comments. Thank you for taking the time to help.
- Date posted
- 3y
It’s so heartening to see all the work you’re doing to learn about this and how you can support your husband 💙
- Date posted
- 3y
@JoyousEffort I am glad to find this app. I need encouragement too. Thanks!
- Date posted
- 3y
He is amazing. Still works full-time though little sleep and extreme OCD. I credit his stubbornness! Lol His motto is "Never give up." But I am seeing him slowly starting to give up. It is so hard for him.
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- 3y
Kudos for you for being so supportive
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes
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- 3y
Thanks
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- 3y
Yes, bipolar 2
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- 3y
Thanks
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- 3y
Yes!!!! I have been recently diagnosed with manic depression. I had a HUGE psychotic manic episode in a public bank last month so I had to go to a mental hospital for 9 days :( I’m still learning about my disorder and what I can do to help it but I’m not gonna lie when I get ocd triggered I feel my mania gets triggered. Why do you ask?
- Date posted
- 3y
I read that OCD meds can cause manic episodes in some people. Has this been your experience? Makes it extra hard to balance meds. It is my husband who has OCD/bipolar.
- Date posted
- 3y
Yea! Ur right! They can if patient is not on a mood stabilizer. For me, I actually wasn’t on any antidepressants at all. Mine came on more related postpartum and lack of sleep :/
- Date posted
- 3y
...Maybe the antidepressants doing their job too well? Causing manic episodes? But he needs them.
- Date posted
- 3y
Yea it’s tricky balancing everything:/. But it’s possible :) does he see his psychiatrist like monthly?
- Date posted
- 3y
Yes. He has a general practitioner. Pretty much manages his own meds after so many years of it all. He has had an extra difficult time the past few years due to PTSD from losing our home to a flood. He is afraid to take lithium. Extreme weight gain years ago.
- Date posted
- 3y
Hey kudos for getting help in general!!! That’s NEVER easy to do. do you think he would be up for a psychiatrist? N yes girl 😭😭😭😭 I’m not gonna lie or try to be a Debbie downer but mood stabilizers can make you soo hungry:/ I was eating like a pig and Gained some weight too :/ BUT when I changed my psychiatrist he actually switched my meds to a high-ish dose of depakote , and take it only once instead of twice AND at night time where usually “the cravings “ hit but I’ll b asleep. I have found HUGE improvements with this med.
- Date posted
- 3y
@BacktoTheBasics +1 to finding a prescriber who wants to help find the best solution. There are a lot of other options out there that may ultimately be a better fit than lithium, too... I stuck with it at first because I was scared of the idea of lamotrigine (you need to take it very consistently to avoid side effects), but when I had good habits and trusted myself more to really stick to my daily med routine I made the switch (lithium isn’t great for people with my thyroid issues) and it’s been fine.
- Date posted
- 3y
Clarity for the lurkers out there: Lithium is incredibly inexpensive and it’s effective for a lot of people, so it’s a good starter option and many folks have maintained great long-term stability with it. It’s just not for everyone, and it gets a bad rap because it used to be one of the only go-tos for bipolar. But now we have a big menu of options available to us, so we’re not limited to the old choice of lithium-vs-nothing.
Related posts
- Date posted
- 24w
Other than the supposed OCD, I also feel like I may have BPD, which wouldn’t be all that surprising considering the people that conceived me are undoubtedly OCD and BPD asf but I feel problematic to self diagnose. The symptoms are eerily relatable and on Reddit I’ve seen people with diagnosed BPD talking about a “favorite person” that they obsess over and rely on for their “happiness”. Perhaps that’s why when I gain overly obsessive and attached crushes on guys it’s legit ALL I can think about 24/7. Not just the positive dreamy stuff, but also the scary negative stuff that I start making outlandish conclusions about them. Is that a thing for people with BPD, where they dread that their favorite person will give them a reason to no longer be their favorite person? Other than that, my mood and state of mind is terribly unregulated. It’s like my emotions cloud any logic and reasoning (which I guess can also be the OCD) that only increases my anxiety and depression and rumination. Caffeine obviously makes it worse but before I get anxious asf I feel excited and happy. Not to mention my impulsivity. I make a lot of self destructive choices and always find myself regretting them, but I still keep making them. When I eat I have to have something terribly unhealthy, and then I start binge eating. I also have a spending problem but that was last year so I’ve kind of moved away from that. I also feel DEEPLY insecure and always do my best to escape and avoid reality for my own sanity. And when I make plans with my friends I always feel anxious that it won’t go as planned. There’s also something I noticed when I get in a depressive mood, I start fantasizing about how everyone around me would react to my death. Not because I want to see them in pain but i like to think about how they’d feel or won’t feel about my passing. There’s probably a lot more to me that screams BPD, but at the same time there’s a chance that maybe I’m reaching.
- Date posted
- 20w
Can anyone who is diagnosed with both OCD and BPD tell me a bit more about their experiences, especially when it comes to friendship and relationships?
- Date posted
- 17w
Hello all, I don’t have insurance at the moment (lost eligibility due to me making more money, but not enough to afford medication and visits) and have been struggling a LOT. When I was going to therapy, I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder. I never got to expand on other mental health concerns I had and it bothers me that I can’t receive the proper advice that I need. If this is not allowed, I completely understand (and you may delete) but I figured I’d give this app a shot to get some clarification and knowledge on the topic. I experience MANY intrusive thoughts that destabilize my relationships and daily mood. I always pitched it to be my B2D symptoms, but the more I read into OCD or rather, Relationship OCD, I feel connected to others’ experiences. My boyfriend has been cheated on in the past—to such a bad degree, that it can be hard for him to trust me. I have never been cheated on nor have I ever thought cheating was okay, but I experience nearly daily intrusive thoughts that I am a horrible partner. Even worse yet, the intrusive thoughts often include overanalyzing my body language and making myself believe that I am somehow presenting myself in a way that would make men “like” me and therefore convincing my boyfriend that I am or will cheat on him if given the chance. It gets so bad that when my boyfriend questions an interaction I have with a dude, I freeze and become so panicked that I feel as though I am “giving away” that I did something wrong—even though I didn’t do anything at all. I am fiercely loyal to people in my life and could never imagine hurting anyone, so the very thought that I could “potentially” do this gnaws away at my social comfortability and self-confidence. I always feel as though I’m a horrible person and I am constantly trying to “make up” for something I didn’t even do. I’ll cry myself to sleep ruminating on every detail of the moment I had these thoughts or when I spoke to my boyfriend about it. It just haunts my thoughts honestly and makes socializing impossible nearly all the time. Eye contact has been a huge problem for me lately even—as if eye contact seals the deal on me being an “unfaithful” partner. Or laughing! Because if I show any sort of interest in the conversation—no matter how respectful and short it is—I believe it’ll spiral into my boyfriend leaving me (which is completely ridiculous and not true!) It’s almost like imposter syndrome in a way—because I feel as though no amount of reassurance or truth that I am a kind, loyal girlfriend, I will eventually ruin it anyway so I don’t deserve respect or affirmations. And it’s not even just with my boyfriend. Friends I have lost in the past clutter my mind as well. I have constant guilt and regret over potentially being a horrible friend despite how hard I fought/fight to keep that person in my life. Honestly, it gets to a point now where I’m convinced I will mess up any form of relationship I have eventually so I suppress my feelings or thoughts that could potentially upset people or make them question if I am really valuable in their life (often I can feel detached from people while being physically present with them because I get so lost in my head about what-ifs or where to look or if I’m causing someone to feel uncomfortable or that what they are or I’m saying isn’t satisfying the “ideal” friendship) . I let people walk all over me, deal with uncomfortable settings to avoid conflict and struggle to assert myself or have any sense of who I truly am with other people. It has put such a strain on me and my relationships, especially my best friend and my boyfriend and I’s relationships—which hold highest priority in my life at the moment. It can be hard to “let go” of people because it’s just another person who I have failed—including my own family members whom have definitely given reason for me to be not close with them. I also struggle with perfectionism and order during “stressful” situations, to the point where I will put myself into an anxiety episode over the simplest changes, unexpected accidents or things not going to plan. Again, this could very well be a symptom of Bipolar, but it truly causes me to blow situations WAY out of proportion and convince myself that I will never resolve it or make things better unless I can set it exactly how it was supposed to be in my head. The executive dysfunction is real on that one…To some, it could be procrastination. Or even just my cycles rapidly changing. But it affects my outlook on most things—financial matters, relationships, responsibilities, hygiene, cleaning. I can go from having complete confidence in doing something, to being doubtful that I could even get myself to get out of bed because I know I won’t do what I need/want to do. Sometimes I’ll even elaborately plan a course of action the day before and then when the time comes to do it, I lose control of my will to do it due to my intrusive thoughts. I do NOT expect anyone to “diagnose” me and I’m not sway the audience into agreeing with me in any way. I truly only want to hear your experiences, and if you also struggle to differentiate if you’ve been properly diagnosed or have overlapping symptoms that you can relate in some way. I want to better understand OCD and possibly connect with people who have had the same experiences. I appreciate any feedback—as long as it’s beneficial to this discussion and helping anyone else who struggle with the same thoughts—or even struggling to identify yourself or afford treatment! I just am curious, and honestly needed to have a platform to express some deep stuff I haven’t really discussed with anyone else besides my boyfriend. Thank yall for reading/listening regardless!
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