Hi, I started on lithium a year ago now...and I keep asking my doctor to change it because I gained weight but he won't hear of it....I have to admit it does help....you just really have to be committed to it cause when I get off them...I am a mess....I was at your dose until this week as a matter of fact and now I am up to 1200 mg a day....600mg twice daily and yes...I just want to be happy which at times was my mania or hypomania shining through and it helps me get stuff done....but then it also makes me do things that I shouldn't.
I used to work 37.5 hours a week and now I work another job at 8 hours a week and some weeks I can't even make one of those shifts...so I will give you advice that I should take myself :)...take your time to think about if you can really work or will you ruin your name in the job field....that is what I am dealing with....where are you from? Cause I am in Canada and it doesn't give you lot with disability....and if you see the post I put up tonight, you will see....but I think that you will be able to work part time....when you know you are ready....I hope this was ok....bulldozer and monkeyc seem to know...better than me anyway...lol
THANKS TO MONKYC AND BULLDOZER
Hi,
I'm so glad that things are beginning to steady out for you.
I just wanted to let you know that it is perfectly normal to grieve for your highs - I do to
Monkeyc talks a lot of sense so I shall not add anymore ...
Man yeah I do know what you mean - when I first went on Lithium the loss of the mania was hard, its like a little death and its actually something you experience on all MS when you are prone to mania - I run hypomanic without meds so it was a real hit for me.
But as they say this too will pass. Give it a week or 2 and you start to feel a lot more normal as you get used to not being manic and notice how clear you are - no you dont have that same massive energy but if you get into a routine and a good sleep cycle its almost like nothing has changed with the added benefit of not being jumpy and agitated all the time and you dont have the racing thoughts - its just and adjustment period ok.
Stick it out James, im so glad to hear you are stable and feeling ok ! The ability to work is up to each person. my BP is reasonably stable and not that severe so I hold down a busy full time job, I know people who work part time and others who cant work at all but then again our Disability pension system here is very different.
I'd say give it a week or 2 to bed in, see how you feel and if everything is going OK find a part time job which is easy to do and see how you feel, you can always change to something more challenging if you want once you work out how much you can take, working is actually good for BP's - it gives some normality and routine and its a great way to meet other people and interact - too often its easy to be a loner and lock yourself away (been there myself) and being out in the world i fun.
If you like fresh air something which gets you out and about is ideal, exercise being good for us BP's something that offers that helps - Id love to get out from behind my office desk and do something like that but im too dependant on the $$$ now days not to mention used to air conditioning and the like ;)
Hang in there mate, things are looking up for you a bit more it seems, smile and enjoy it.