Posted by Dinah on May 27, 2013, at 10:10:46
It seems like tempting fate. However, I'm comfortable enough saying "doing much better" story.
Medications play a large role in that. Lamictal on a daily basis doubles as migraine prophylaxis and mood stabilizer.
Keeping my blood sugars stable, as much as possible, also helps with excess daytime sleepiness. But Provigil is another tool that helps with that, and can also help with my "forgetting sleep" response to stress.
I have Klonopin on hand, and I like having it on hand because I have the security of knowing it's there if I need it. But I can't recall the last time I used it.
For periods of agitation, and working equally well with obsessive thinking, I take low dose Risperdal (.5 mg) as needed. I am down to using it a few times a month, although in periods of stress that will likely increase.
I give a lot of credit to therapy. Therapy works well for getting out of my head, with my strong tendency to obsessiveness. It keeps it in check, although it will probably always be an issue. And I'm stable enough now to not let the ups and downs of therapy throw me as much. I'm even doing phobia work now, which I was never able to do before. Therapy also helps me with acceptance. I am able to know myself and acknowledge my ups and downs (and treat them) without overreacting or believing they will last forever.
I also have to give a lot of credit to menopause. If you'd have asked, I'd have said that my moods were at all hormonally related, other than major hormonal shifts like puberty and childbirth. And that would have been true in that my mood swings were not in any way predicted by my cycle. But overall the hormones must have destabilized my mood. A year or two into true menopause, and my mood is definitely less reactive. Go figure.
poster:Dinah
thread:1044323
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20130527/msgs/1044323.html