Interactions...

Anne made a good point; I'm manic. 

It's funny, a manic can sneak up on me and I'm happy to see it.  I'm happy to see it, these days. 

The Before Manias (before medication) were horrible, paranoid, irritable, nasty things.  I really felt someone had hijacked my brain, even more so than the depressions. 

The medicated ones are more "fun", but exhausting.  I can see why God put the depression in there, gives me a chance to recover.  I have to say I've done quite a bit during this one. 

Anyway, I don't always recognize a mania when it's there; and I forget about drug interactions. 

I took a nap today, and as I lay in bed with the cat pressed against my leg, I wondered why I had been so hyper the last few days.  Then I remembered the headaches; horrible nasty pre-migraines.  I've had them the last few days. 

If I hadn't taken Excedrin, they would have been migraines.  But, taking the medication amplified the mania. 

When I'm up, pretty much anything I put in my mouth will make me more manic (decongestants, antihistamines, over the counter headache pills, etc).  When I'm depressed, the opposite is true; pretty much anything I put in my mouth will make the depression worse. 

With, the exception of lithium.  If I'm up too high, it levels me (did a great job today!).  If I'm too depressed, it smooths off the edges. 

I thank God for lithium everytime I put it in my mouth.  "Before" is just a bad memory. 

"After" is a lot more livable, thanks to the lithium and other medications.