It has been a hell of a week trying to get out of a manic episode that seemingly only spiraled me further without getting proper sleep. I'm kind of new on the block to understanding how bipolar disorder works and I've been trying to figure out what to do about it. I fall into the bipolar-2 category.
I can best describe the last week as pure hell. I've never had so much less sleep in a row than this last week and it finally made me upend my life and try and take care of this uneven spread of feelings. I think in total I maybe got around 12 hours of sleep over an entire week. Which made functioning incredibly difficult, and concentration was fully out the window.
I feel like I'm finally coming down from my manic episodes but I'm still dealing irritability at the end of the day. I'm hopeful it will get better in due time.
I'm now in the process of fully quitting both substances:
- THC
- Alcohol
Last year I did quit caffeine but it wasn't worth the trade off for me so I've resumed consumption of caffeine. However, if you're really manic you should consider quitting caffeine as well.
I started a new supplement routine during my manic episode. Please keep in mind that these may not work for you at all. I think it's important to know that I'm not a doctor but I do like experimentation with myself to try and improve my life.
However, I was basing my supplements around what was stated here: https://www.balancingbrainchemistry.co.uk/peter-smith/1/HOME.html
Daytime
- Zinc
- Bacopa (1000mg)
- Ginkgo Biloba (250mg)
- Vitamin D (Mixed Packet)
- Vitamin C (Mixed Packet)
- Fish Oil (1200mg)
- Low Dose Lithium Orotate (5-10mg)
- L-Tryptophan (500mg) or 5-HTP
I couldn't swing 5-HTP because it gave me severe heartburn, but boy it made me fucking wired during the day. Felt incredible.
Night Time
I take these about 30m - 1hr before bed. It's extremely important to have a set and scheduled bedtime.
The point of this is to reset your circadium rhythm to help reset your sleep schedule.
Since mania induces a really crazy sleep schedule and makes it impossible to fix by normal means.
DO NOT STRAY AWAY FROM YOUR BEDTIME IT CAN INVOKE MANIA
- Valarian Root (2400mg)
- Melatonin (0.1mg - 0.5mg)
Sometimes I'll do a really hot Epsom Salt bath and dim the lights down real low to try and break the high energy spell at the end of the day.
Additional Notes:
Last year around April I did a psilocybin trip in hopes that it would help rebalance my body and brain. The short term effects were that I was over the moon and felt awesome for about a month or two and then crashed really hard for 3 full months.
Finally and foremost I've heard through the grapevine that fecal transplants for bipolar are a long-term solution but there isn't enough evidence based around the subject matter yet. I am hopeful that in the next few years we will finally get proper gut bacteria treatments and reign in a new golden era of medicinal treatments for a plethora of problems like depression and such.