Pdoc was very pleased that we've made such great progress...

She prescribed 400mg caps of Gabapentin so I wouldn't have to split the 600mg tabs into 3/4's. The 450mg is sedating now, too. I hope dropping 50mg off the current dose helps. There's no plan to reduce the dosage to 300mg any time soon. I haven't been evened out for very long- it would be flirting with disaster.

She suggested taking a small dose of Seroquel in the am to control my anxiety. Anything I take to treat anxiety will contribute to the sedation to some extent, but I think that would really snow me. Instead, I'm switching from Xanax to Klonopin to see if that makes any difference.

My cognitive problems have returned. I think it's due to the fact that I'm not functioning at the high level I was when I was hypo, I'm slightly sedated, and I'm dealing with a high level of anxiety.

I see pdoc again in two weeks. In the meantime, I may have to rethink my position on Seroquel if my anxiety is too much for the Klonopin to handle. I'm going to have to accept at least a temporary period of sedation- that all too familiar trade off.

how much klonopin do you take now. In the morning i take 1 and 1/2 and at night now I take 1 and 1/2. lately i have been taking two at time because of my high anxiety.
bobby

Kay,

Yes about the trade off.
I can get sad thinking about all of our trade offs.

Do you get what you feel is enough sleep, esp with regard to
your concern about sedation?

M

Pdoc wrote the Klonopin: 1mg 3xday. I took it for the first time this morning because my husband didn't take me to the pharmacy until yesterday
The score: Anxiety-1, Klonopin-0. But it did work slightly better than the Xanax.

It seems like every time my husband speaks I say, "what?" Before he responds again, I finally get what he said. He thinks I'm hard of hearing and gets testy, but I'm really not giving myself enough time to let what he said process before I open my big mouth. I'm going to have to adjust.

I've had neuropsych evaluations done for my cognitive issues, but they were done before I was diagnosed with BP. Medication wasn't an issue then. The problems were attributed to a combination of MS, depression, anxiety, and fatigue. Believe it or not, when I'm not hypo fatigue is a major issue. It's the main draw-back of MS for me. Add in sedation...

I'm really missing being hypomanic right now. I feel like a (expletive) idiot. It's absolutely amazing how the brain works. How could I suddenly become so functional (in almost every way) when I was so dysfunctional? Pick which way you want to be sick, Kay.

I had a bunch of tricks that made functioning this way easier. But I've spent most of the last year manic/hypomanic, so I've forgotten them, but I'm sure they'll come back to me soon.

Kay


I am sleeping, except for the occasional night when MS takes a few hrs away. I think all the Seroquel helps with that. I can't complain there.

My first batch of candles did come out well for a first effort. It's difficult to get the wick in the center, but I managed.
We burned the first one last night. The scent is very faint. Once I use up all the materials in the kit, I'm going to experiment with different products to make better candles. Hopefully, I they'll have a more concentrated scent.

My anxiety hasn't been quite as high the last two days, so the Klonopin has been doing a better job.

I had to take 0.5mg of Klonopin close to bedtime last night and it combined with the Seroquel and Gabapentin into a magical cocktail that led me to oversleep by three hours, but I'm no more sedated than usual this morning.

HI, Kay

I once considered soy candles. Probably there are companies and specific scents that are stronger. There are probably YouTube channels devoted to this subject if you up to dealing with that.


I keep these essential oils in little containers
1 peppermint for energy - but has a calming/ focusing characteristic as well.
2 Lemon balm for calming (somewhat) Also Lemon grass.


M

Kay,

Have you every hear of weighted blankets?
They are marketed to autistic children who suffer from sensory overloads.
http://www.sensacalm.com/adult-lengt...hted-blankets/


They work for some people with bipolar as well.
Searching Google Scholar I found that Heated Blankets can
help as well and they are much cheaper.

This can calm some people:
Soaking feet in Epsom salts -- magnesium can relax.

M

Unfortunately, heat is an issue in MS. It exacerbates symptoms in many pts (myself included). I hide in the AC or shade in the summer. But if my neck goes out, I do have to use a heating pad, heat is the only thing that works.

Some waxes will absorb scent better than others, but most of the fragrance oils are formulated for 4-5% concentration. The essential oils are much stronger, but my husband is fixated on sandalwood. I'll probably just add extra and see what happens. I'm going to be a mad scientist

I've had a lucky couple of days where my anxiety has been manageable, but it was out of control yesterday.
I took 1mg of Klonopin first, but it did nothing. After a couple of hours, I finally decided to try 25mg of Seroquel. It didn't do much, so I took 25mg more.
It took care of the anxiety, but it was a little sedating.
The late afternoon hours aren't my best on any given day (I usually have a fourth cup of coffee around 4), but I ended up needing a nap and that's out of the norm.

I know I won't need that much med every day. But I'm going to have to play around a little. The Klonopin doesn't do much on its own. I already took it this morning and I'm contemplating taking 25mg of Seroquel now. I may take the Seroquel first tomorrow to see if it can stand alone (I doubt it).

I hope you have a good day kay..
((((HUGS))))
bizi
day at a time...
fall down 7 times get up 8....