Helping a friend with bipolar disorder

[Tripco]

My friend is currently in his fifth manic stage. Twice, he've been treated in mental institution (2 and 3 years ago) with Haldol, and later, with Lithium. Lithium does helps, but after a few months, he stops taking pills, and the circle (manic-depressive) runs again. He didn't drunk alcohol and smoke weed for 2 years until 10 days ago. It was obvious that he's becoming manic for more than one month already, but it got much worst in this 10 days.
He likes strong sativas and i thought that if he could get hooked on some heavy indica, it would take him (at least just a bit) down. But he currently smokes some very couch lock NL, and it makes him even more manic, it's much better when he don't smokes at all.
So, do you have any idea how to take him away from weed. I know, it sounds ridiculous, asking tokers to give advise for non-tokin', but this guy needs immediate help.

 

[o.gkushowns]

Unfortunately the people who are affected negatively by pot are the ones who love it the most.
peace

 

[Guest]

There is some research now showing that bi-polar people are hypersensitive to light/dark cycles.

Meaning.... if these people go to bed with the sun, and wake up with the sun... or near to it at least... and get periods of complete natural darkness at night... these people's bi-polar actually starts fading.

You may also want to look into trace minerals, as I've heard of someone benefitting from that too.

Couple of things you could try. I personaly feel much less moody when I go early to bed early to rise.... and get that true darkness at night. I feel more energy and optimistic for the entire day.

 

[jarff]

Bi-polar affected ppl. stop taking their meds(litium,etc.) b,cause they like the high from bein,manic....seen it in my own family with a brother and a nephew.It sure is a strange illness...makes me very deprssed and panicky whenever my brother or nephew goes on a run of no pills.I really don,t think bud will do any good for anyone who is bi-polar.Take the meds and keep takin,em.........When someone is in a manic state it is hard for most ppl. to understand what is wrong with the person who is in a state of mania.Haldol is the quick fix:knock out ,come to your senses injection that straightens out a manic person.Terrible affliction......
be safe
jarff

 

[treble]

BP is due to a chemical imbalance and it can be caused or exasperated by chemicals that are eaten. I recommend peeps stop consuming food with artifical sweetners.... thats a must for anyone in my view and artifical preservatives... people dont know that that means but these artifical preservatives are chemicals like anti fungals and mould inhibitors...you would spray them on your shower floor and they will kill mould. They are in your food. Sodium Nitrate is one and it is found in most soda drinks... colas, dr pepper, mountain dew, fanta, pepsi max.

it is also used as a preservative in many many foods. It is toxic to humans over time...especially the liver abnd especially if the person drinks alcohol as well.

look for alternative foods that use things like acetic acid instead.

MSG has to be out out out! That means no flavoured snack foods, potato chips, doritos or any of that much.

Macdonalds, burger king. pizza... all out. You need to go low processed foods...no pre-made meals or dinners, I admit it is pretty difficult in the US but can be done.

alcohol is a definate no no... a 2 - 3 a day drinker will take 4 - 6 months to be clear of the affects of alcohol...so it takes time.

BP people really need to chuck everything out that they think about food and start from scratch with a clean and fresh diet. Not frozen, not pre made and not from a "family restaraunt" Those places don't sell food, they sell some kind of pretend food muck.... its tough to do in the US but i beleive it can be done.

once you can do that then they will find less problems.. but it will take months...3 or more

Your friend is self medicating now.. this is probably because it (MJ) is better than the pills for them although it is not "better" for them if you get my drift.

I'm not a professional but experience with friends who have it have taught me that the drugs don't work long term and its often easy to identify things that could be stopped that could make a big impact. The most challenging are the people who tell everyone they have it. At that point they have latched on to it as a kind of crutch and its hard to sway those people from their ideas about diet etc.

hope your friend comes good.

treb

 

[Orsino2]

To the dude above me, I think you just read my mind...

I'm afflicted and sometimes it can be pretty frightening as a disease, but... at the same time, it's like an addiction or drive? I'm not hyperactive or anything... I just get my episodes and have to debate everything and I just keep building a larger crest/peak. I also get my lows. Where you just lay in bed.

I don't know if anyone can get that.

 

[jarff]

Treble....Excellent info.I agree completely.I am diagnosed bi-polar but without ever having a severe manic episode,I am very happy that my affliction isn,t so severe that I need to take any meds etc....except I do take a anti-anxiety med for past panic attacks whick is kept in check with the meds.
I have a very poor diet ..eating a lot of foods which contain the stuff that you mentioned and I def. see the correlation between eating proper and not eating proper.
I guess that this is common sense.In a week of eating poorly I feel down and my mind isn,t very sharp and I have a lot of moodiness.But when I make an effort to eat right I do feel a whole lot different.
Bi-polar @ manic depressive problems are def devaststing to the ones who are in these manic stages as well as those around them.Many need to be hopsitalized and forced to take Haldol which is the fix all for svere mania,but Haldol is def a med.that we can do without as I,m sure it does have long term effects,but it does take a person down pretty quick when they are in a frenzied state of mania bordering on being dangerous. But all in all one can function in a normal manner once they have been diagnozied and are put on meds that work for them.Many ppl. can live a trouble free happy life as long as they can control their situation.My nephew runs a very successful computer IT business,with several employees and for many years with
taking his lithium he does very well.,but everyone is worried that some day will come when he does an about face and ends up in a hospitable again.
In my estimation it is prob one of the most disruptive psychological afflictions that an otherwise normal intelligent person can be saddled with.Thank God for modern meds.I worked at an insane asylum many yrs ago and many of the patients were older ppl.who had bi-polar problems and were institutionalized as young people and never fully recovered because at the time there was no help for them.Lithium and other meds had not yet been processed.
sorry for rant..but I do have some experience with this disorder and have seen the reults in my own family.
be safe
jarff

 

[Tripco]

Hey guys, thanx for answers.
That what @indicad said, about light/darkness cycles, it makes sense. In a fact, in the mental institution, they give 'em some drugs to make 'em sleep and to recover the normal sleeping regime. It's not that i approve everything they do in such hospital, but it seems it works.
In addition what @treble said, i did some research about food and Lithium level in blood and it seems that every canned food puts that level down just because of Sodium Nitrate. Even more dangerous is such food left opened in the can, even for a few hours in the fridge. Too much salt (common table salt) makes one drinks too much water and kidney puts that salt (Sodium Chloride) out of the system along with some beneficial Lithium salts, what makes imbalance in blood and the brain than reacts in mood swinging.
But the most interesting fact is that red (or black) wine is the most dangerous type of alcohol drink of it all for bipolar people, 'cos tanines in such wine puts Lithium level down. It comes to my mind, that must be a reason why almost every person gets euforic, or sometimes sad and melancholic just from a few glasses of red wine.
However, this friend of mine made some improvement since yesterday. He started to take Lithium. He's still pretty manic, but he stayed almost the whole day at home (which is practically impossible in manic stage). I'm not sure if it's Lithium's credit (according to drug info, it takes at least 10 days to get manic patient down), or that Northern Lights that his smoking now. I just hope that his dealer don't sells Kali Mist or something like that.

 

[TwoOhSix!]

In my experience weed isn't necessarily bad during manic episodes. I've had two manias and I think weed didn't do much except calm me down a little. It's definitely a vicious cycle because once you come down from mania, you realize all the fukked up shit you've been doing and how crazy you've been acting and you get really depressed. For example, I spent 20 grand in one month, and don't really have much to show for it except a sweet car with a fried engine.

So I don't think the main issue is weed here. It's really hard to get manic people to start taking meds, as they don't think theres anything wrong with them and the pills make you feel kinda shitty. But it's really the only way to stabilize.

I'm glad you're trying to help and not just ignoring him because he's "crazy". I lost several friends because they were scared to be around me, and even now after I've been stable for 6 months, they avoid me. You know the ones that stick around are your true friends.

 

[jarff]

Well said TwoOhSix......I stopped smokin, for many yrs.after goin,thru some manic/panic episodes which ended up with me being on pills for 20+ yrs.They (pills) did kinda freeze me from bein,too manic.
But have noticed in the past several yrs I have been able to smoke again and actually enjoy it without gettin,too far outta touch with so-called reality.
Manic depression scares ppl around you b,cause they don,t know what your next step is gonna be.They fear for you as well as themselves b,cause they can see that they themselves are teetering on the brink of so called insanity/sanity.
I can understand about spending money and trying to understand why you spent so much of it in a manic state.Funny thing is that "normal"ppl. spend scads of money in the blink of an eye but they are not bi-polar......
I,ve taken the stance that I am who I am and truly good friends are understanding and can cope with you when you have a manic episode,and they will do what they can to get you to a safe place if you go too far sometimes.
I t is a difficult disorder and after having episodes of mania you eventually learn to accept them and actually try to learn to deal with them as much as possible,whether with medications or anything that works for you.
I do see that as one ages that these mania periods are usualy seperated sometimes by yrs of mania free periods.
I still take meds,which is part of my life,but I take them as a back up and it does help a lot.I enjoy my smoking in quiet times of the day.In studying my affliction I have gained a lot of information.In knowledge comes understanding and acceptance that no one is perfect.We are who we are and accept every day as a new beginning,we don,t know what tomorrow will bring so enjoy one day at a time.
good luck to all
jarff

 

[ben ttech]

brain chemistry is first and foremost a function of your diet...
the FDA recommend diet is clearly shown to be a RECEIPT for cancer and a weak immune system...

is it any wonder that with MOST westerners living on worse food than any slave of the past got... that their organs are ill suited to their roles???

unless your on a highly regimented diet were your base nutrients ARE TAKEN IN everyday your begging for enhanced susceptibility to maladies...


all that said,
your brain is regulated by three compounds... seritonin, dopeamine, and histamine...

FEW are aware of histamine role in neurotransmitter functions and immune response...

IF youve a doctor treating you for mental disorders and hes not checking your histamine levels... find a new doctor...

 

[Tripco]

I agree with @ben ttech about those 3 compounds in human (probably in animal too) brain. It's all about the chemistry. Everything we eat, drink or smoke changes our chemistry in some way. I've tryied to explain that to doctors last 2 times my friend was instituted, but they're all in Jung theory, or some other theory, i dunno. They are so ignorant, and if you tell 'em something you've read, or heard, they just tell you something like "yeah, it might be said in that way, in common language, but why not let us, specialists, do our job". And than, what do they do? They deal with a few drugs, they make group sessions with all the patients with different kind of disorders, so they do their job. Ha! They just do their job and nothing beyond it. I'm not saying that professional help is not good, but it's (usually) not good enough. I guess, it's better with their help than without.
Unfortunately, i must inform you that this friend of mine went to mental institution the very next morning after i wrote previous post. It was 6 in the morning when his mother called me over to his place, 'cos he was singing, shouting, all in all, acting very insane. I came there in a few minutes. His room was the same as before, but with a few noticable things, like old LP records of "The Doors" and "Janis Joplin" (and he has no record player for ages). It gave me a chill, it seemed to me kinda he had wish for death. He was yelling several times outa window "Come on, where are you, wake up i give you ten more minutes". It was like he wanted somebody to come and to help him. I called police and ambulance (standard procedure, hospital require police escort in such cases), 'cos his parents were totally paralized by situation, and they asked me to do call 'em. I'm not proud of it, but, i guess, i'ts better that way, he would certainly do some harm to himself. It took more than a hour before they came in. Funny thing, when cops came, on the stereo was David Bowie' s song "I'm deranged" from "Lost Highway" soundtrack (we've been listening to, all the time).
He was very peaceful then, saying only, like, "there's much more crazy people than me, it's not alright to put me there". I went to hospital with him, and he told me, in the car, "don't worry, it's all like i planned, i know where i should go". He practically knew that he would soon go too far and it would be much hardier to get recovered.
We've called doctors a few times and they said, his stable now and that he cooperates. I hope i'll visit him in a few days.