Every illness comes with side effects. You have to change your diet, eating habits, sleep habits, and sometimes it keeps you from being able to do certain things you were able to do easily before and makes it that much harder.
This post is not me complaining about all the side effects from medications I have to take or the fact that I can't do certain things because my Bipolar Disorder. I'm just sharing the truth of how my life has changed in order to keep myself healthy both mentally and physically.
I take several medications but the main ones are Depakote, Lithium, and Abilify. The first two are mood stabilizers and mainly keep the mania at bay, while the third one treats my bipolar and depression.
The most notable of side effects of all of these is: weight gain. I used to be pretty thin but once I started taking these medications I gained weight eventually your body gets used to it and you're able to keep yourself from always feeling hungry. Abilify is the one that really makes me feel hungry. When I first started taking it I felt like I needed to eat all the time. Not fun. Thankfully I'm back to feeling normal hunger haha. However, I have gained some weight and it's the type of weight that is not easy to get off.
Having bipolar disorder you have to have some routine in your life. Sleep can make or break you sometimes. If you aren't getting enough sleep you might become manic or at the very least I become very crabby which I'm sure pretty normal for most people. In other words, staying up till 2 am with your friends is not always the best idea. Having said that, a lot of caffeine is not your friend. I will admit that I have a cup of tea every morning because another lovely side effect is feeling tired pretty much all the time.
Lithium can harm your thyroid so now that I've been on it for at least two years now I have a hypothyroid which makes me tired. I take thyroid medicine but I'll admit that I'm not good at taking it consistently. However the other medications tend to make you tired too. Either that or I'm just a tired person!
Exercise helps wake you up oddly enough so sometimes taking a short walk around the neighborhood will boost my energy levels not to mention make me feel happier. Exercise is something I should do more often and now that the weather is nice I intend to.
Speaking of the weather, Lithium also makes you more sensitive to heat and the sun and makes you incredibly thirsty. Drinking enough water a day can really make me feel better. Besides, water is good for you! Sometimes I'm tempted to drink a whole bunch of juice when I'm thirsty, but that is more calories and it doesn't really quench your thirst. Sticking to water is usually a better choice.
I hope this post is somewhat useful and everyone is having a beautiful Sunday!
This post is not me complaining about all the side effects from medications I have to take or the fact that I can't do certain things because my Bipolar Disorder. I'm just sharing the truth of how my life has changed in order to keep myself healthy both mentally and physically.
I take several medications but the main ones are Depakote, Lithium, and Abilify. The first two are mood stabilizers and mainly keep the mania at bay, while the third one treats my bipolar and depression.
The most notable of side effects of all of these is: weight gain. I used to be pretty thin but once I started taking these medications I gained weight eventually your body gets used to it and you're able to keep yourself from always feeling hungry. Abilify is the one that really makes me feel hungry. When I first started taking it I felt like I needed to eat all the time. Not fun. Thankfully I'm back to feeling normal hunger haha. However, I have gained some weight and it's the type of weight that is not easy to get off.
Having bipolar disorder you have to have some routine in your life. Sleep can make or break you sometimes. If you aren't getting enough sleep you might become manic or at the very least I become very crabby which I'm sure pretty normal for most people. In other words, staying up till 2 am with your friends is not always the best idea. Having said that, a lot of caffeine is not your friend. I will admit that I have a cup of tea every morning because another lovely side effect is feeling tired pretty much all the time.
Lithium can harm your thyroid so now that I've been on it for at least two years now I have a hypothyroid which makes me tired. I take thyroid medicine but I'll admit that I'm not good at taking it consistently. However the other medications tend to make you tired too. Either that or I'm just a tired person!
Exercise helps wake you up oddly enough so sometimes taking a short walk around the neighborhood will boost my energy levels not to mention make me feel happier. Exercise is something I should do more often and now that the weather is nice I intend to.
Speaking of the weather, Lithium also makes you more sensitive to heat and the sun and makes you incredibly thirsty. Drinking enough water a day can really make me feel better. Besides, water is good for you! Sometimes I'm tempted to drink a whole bunch of juice when I'm thirsty, but that is more calories and it doesn't really quench your thirst. Sticking to water is usually a better choice.
I hope this post is somewhat useful and everyone is having a beautiful Sunday!
No comments:
Post a Comment