Bipolar Disorder - Natural Help!

I am sooo sick of getting prescribed anti-psychotics. I was diagnosed with Bipolar 2 Disorder, comorbid with PTSD, Anxiety, OCD, Borderline Personality Disorder, and ADD.

So, of course, whenever I speak with a psychiatrist, they notice my anxiety and my mood instability.

I always tell them that the thing I want to work on the most, is my OCD and Anxiety. I think that if my mind can just slow down and stop replaying the worst moments of my life, then maybe I would be less irritable and anxious all the time, therefore, it would boost my mood.

Then, I get an SSRI and an anti-psychotic, even though I tell them...I do not want an SSRI and anti-psychotics make me a bit...psychotic.

I know this is not the case with everyone, but I am SUPER sensitive to everything. If there is a side effect, I will feel it.

This past time, I trusted my psychiatrist and he gave me Prozac and Abilify. Told me Prozac was an SSRI, which I already knew, I used to be on it when I was 18. Yet...he told me Abilify was just a mood stabilizer. Now, I have tried mood stabilizers, anti-psychotics, SSRIs, anti-convulsant, and anti-anxiety.

Now, again, every drug works differently for each individual. But...what do you do, when you have tried everything, and are only getting negative side effects? I am tired of wasting doctor appointments and feeling so much anxiety during every new psych evaluation and all the nausea that comes with every new medication.

I took Prozac once, okay. Not even going to lie. And I was SICK to my stomach for 2 days and barley consumed 500 calories a day. I can't do the upset stomach associated with every medication. Why even do that? What are you scientists putting in every medication that makes people so sick? No thanks. I need a natural remedy for my mood and anxiety.

So, I did some research.

I found an herb called Rhodiola Rosea. It can decrease stress and anxiety, by taking about 400mg per day, according to one study where 101 people took 400mg per day for four weeks. They all had reduced symptoms in stress, fatigue, exhaustion, and anxiety...after 3 days. It naturally fights anxiety, depression, fatigue, improves brain function, can improve exercise performance, can help control diabetes, has some anticancer properties...it sounds like a miracle.

This natural herb was given to people in another study as an anti-depressant, along side with half those people taking Zoloft and half taking the herb. The herb produced fewer side effects and was better tolerated than the Zoloft. Less side effects? Sign me up! Every person is different and will need a different dose for daily use. If taking ANYTHING else, research the medications together and make sure they do not counteract.

BEFORE YOU BUY - "Be sure to look at the labels of these supplements to ensure they contain a standardized amount of 3% rosavins and 1% salidrosides" (Healthline, 2018). Take on an empty stomach in the morning, not before bedtime. It has a slight stimulatory effect. 400-600mg per day is recommended.

Now, we need to think about the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Every disorder has a list of symptoms, and no one pill can fix all symptoms. Just like the natural way of life, there is no one herb or oil that can fix every symptom. So, what are the symptoms of bipolar disorder?

Too much sleep? Going through a depression cycle? Some people can drink caffeine just fine, while others get too jittery and get anxiety. Natural hype? Ginseng can fight tiredness and increase energy levels, on top of being an antioxidant, boost immunity, lower blood sugar, and benefits brain function. Take it every morning, despite whether you are ready to wake up yet. You do not need to eat with it, since it helps lower blood sugar levels, you should take it 2 hours before or after a meal. Which gives you plenty of time to lay in bed and contemplate waking up...just enough time for it to kick in, waking you up, just enough. Make sure to look up side effects before taking! Herbs are still medicine and may effect people differently.

Not enough sleep? Too awake? Going through a manic cycle? There are so many herbs to help you sleep. Chamomile is great, but not enough if you are manic. We don't always want something super intense that we have to take at 6pm and makes us groggy the next day. They have medications with melatonin, lavender, valerian root, and chamomile in it. I also take magnesium every day, on top of taking melatonin, 3-5mg is fine. I sometimes drink lavender chamomile tea on top of it. They have more intense tea mixtures for sleep, that you can drink on top of taking a natural sleep aid, but try the natural sleep aid first. Melatonin also gives me lucid dreams and I was able to combat pieces of my PTSD in my sleep!

ALSO aromatherapy is AMAZING. They have sleep-aid essential oils, or you just just go to Walmart to get Lavender for 5 bucks. Not even kidding, I sleep like a baby when it is on.

Also, magnesium helps with body pain and fatigue, and also digestion. 100% recommend if you suffer from constipation due to a result of side effects in medication or another disease.

Anxiety. It is just lovely. It can happen when we simply drink too much caffeine. It can happen from lack of sleep, too much sleep, stress, homework, traffic...and with bipolar disorder, it can pretty much cause any one of us to EXPOLODE. Anxiety turns into irritability and anger for me personally. I hate it. Then, eventually, I get so anxious, I am sad now. So, lets fix that.

Magnesium helps with anxiety, and my propranolol lowers my blood pressure and slows my heart rate down, which is cool, but I am 40mg in and I still feel quite anxious. However, my OCD/PTSD invasive, rude thoughts have stopped. Now that I remembered them, they are back...oops.

Lets fix that! Be honest, taking a pill that is supposed to help with anxiety, kind of gives you a placebo regardless of how it really works.

Chamomile, CBD, Valerian Root, Ashwagandha...all also used for sleep, too. But, lower doses, during the day, can indeed help calm the body and mind JUST enough, to not have a panic attack. These can all be taken in pill form, some in liquid, and will not effect your day to day lives by making you fall asleep at the wheel. Maybe stick to one at a time, or a pill with a small mixture of each.

Now...if you enjoy your benzos, but don't enjoy the withdrawal, try Passionflower. It is compared to the class of benzodiazepines. You can take this "flower" through a tablet form or as liquid. It is pretty cheap on most websites, and you can even give it to your animals. Just bought my first bottle, and I think I will try out EVERYTHING I wrote down today and researched, and then post my personal results. Since, well, I am sensitive and will feel...everything.

Reference list:

Healthline. (2018). 7 Science-Backed Health Benefits of Rhodiola rosea. Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/rhodiola-rosea