Medication Tips!

Having bipolar disorder means that you probably have to take medications every day, which can be hard to remember and stay on top of!

Those day-of-the-week medication boxes from the drugstore are really useful! If you take more than one medication per day, it's much easier to fill the box once a week than to open several bottles every day. And if you're prone to forgetting your medications, it's easy to look back later in the day to see if you missed a dose! Remember to discuss with your doctor how often you remember to take your medication, even if you tend to forget! It's important for your doctor to know.

If you take medications from doctors other than your psychiatrist, it's really important to let your psychiatrist know!  

Medications can interact with each other in your body and change how effective they are - you could take your medication as prescribed, and it could be less effective, or too much for you!

Avoid those situations by keeping a list with you, in your wallet or purse, with your medication names, doses and how often you take them, something like this:

Lisa Smith
Aspirin, 81mg, one tablet daily

Those medication names can be hard to remember off the top of your head, so avoid all of that by keeping a list!

Want to start feeling better? Start doing!

Ever feel down and depressed? Lack motivation? What about feeling so depressed that you just feel like you can't do anything? Rest and sleep are important, but not when it means doing nothing else during your day. If you want to start feeling better, I find that it helps to start doing things. You can start small with simple things like going for a walk or getting up at the same time each day.  
 
Did you know that research has shown that waking up each day at the same time and experiencing sunlight when you first wake up has been shown to help people feel better and sleep better?

You can also plan out a few set times during the day to do some healthy activities that you enjoy. Building structure to your day can help you stay organized and feel a sense of accomplishment when you get things done, which can help you to feel better!

Maybe going to the library, contact an old friend to meet for coffee, volunteer, or engage in a little exercise. It doesn't have to be complicated. You can ask your family or talk to your doctor as well to get other ideas.  

The important thing is to start doing so you can start feeling better!