Should I stay or should I go now?

[Hinterscher]

Gah, this is a hard post for me to type. Bleh. I have ADHD and a few other nice mental problems, depression and all that goes along with - here's what I didn't want to admit- bi polar. I have vowed for a long time, after reading several articles about nic helping mental illness to never stop nic. Right now though, I'm cycling through some rough times and am not finding vaping satisfying, more uncomfortable instead of what it used to be, a pacifier. I've read that nicotine withdrawal can be much worse for a person with bi polar. I'm wondering if I should just walk away from nicotine now, while I have an aversion to it, or stick to it because it does supposedly help bi polar and depression. I'm hoping that some of the overly smart and well read posters on here will be able to help me with my decision, because I'm finding it hard to make. Thanks to any who can help or have personal experience to share.

[jj2]

Sorry to hear that. I have a brother and a friend who is bipolar and it's a never ending battle. Just keep on your meds.

My first advice, go and see your doctor.

[Hinterscher]

LOL, my psychiatrist is older and very stubborn, he has yet to even buy into the whole "more people with mental disorders smoke as self med. He doesn't read into those articles, even though they are all over the internet. That's a lot of the reason I posted here, he won't be much help. He doesn't even know about it. Thanks though!

[martha1014]

I will also admit that I have bipolar. I also hate to admit to you when I was cycling I would have never tried vaping. My mood was too elevated to care about what health benefits vaping would have had. When depressed I didn't smoke as much but still didn't care about health. As a matter of fact sometimes I wished it would have killed me. Bipolar can ruin your family life. Thank goodness my husband stuck by me even though looking back now (at least the part I can remember) he shoud have divorced me.

The solution is to get on the right combination of meds. My prescriptions for each month is $1800. It takes alot to keep me functioning normally.
I dont' know what treatment you have had but if you are still manic or depressed you need to find the right psychiatrist that knows how to treat bipolar. When you start reading about bipolar you see there are more of us than you realize. When I was manic I bought 3 vehicles in one day. I spent as much as 100,000 during the times I was manic. When depression hits you can't even get out of bed. This is a horrible thing to go through and I feel for you. Unless somebody has gone through this they can't possibly understand.

It has been over 5 years ago since I was somewhat normal and as long as I take my meds I do fine.

Once you get your condition under control you can attempt vaping. You may even be able to vape anyway. I just telling you what I went through and my own personal experience.

[Hinterscher]

Yeah, I'm really sensitive to side effects so my med options are very limited. Thank you very much for the support. I guess I'm trying to outweigh whether I should keep myself vaping or just give it up like I'm tempted to do. Not sure how much the nicotine is helping and affecting me. Guess if I stop, I'll find out awful quick! I vape mainly because it seems to help my tremors. But in the last couple of days of vaping very little, I seem to be more short tempered and less able to concentrate in chaos.

[Piedlourde]

My advice is that you don't commit yourself to any absolutes. Just call it day by day until you stablilize. Stay on your meds. Maybe adjusting the nic level up or down might help...maybe even go to 0 nic so that your hands have something to do.

Good luck! Hope everything turns out well for you!

[Hinterscher]

Yeah, staying on my meds isn't a question. I have a husband who loves me enough to make sure I do what I'm supposed to. He vapes too, so all my stuff won't go to waste and will be right there waiting for me when I want it (assuming he's willing to give all of it back! ) I'm sure I'll want it back if not next week, then next year. Thanks for supporting me to all!

[martha1014]

It took me several years to finally find the right combination of meds to control me completely. I had so many side effects from different one.

I know this sounds horrible to recommend someone with bipolar to continue using nicotine.

Suffering From Tardive Dyskinesia. You Have Legal Rights. 800-LAW-INFO Yourlawyer.Com
A proportionally large number of people with mental illness smoke. The smoking rate in the general population is just over 20% (Glassman 1999), while the proportion of people with schizophrenia who smoke may be as high as 90% (Glassman, 1993).
Why Do People With Mental Illness Smoke?
There are many reasons why any individual smokes. On top of the usual reasons people with mental illness may find other good effects from smoking. Positive effects of smoking for people with mental illness, include the following:

* Nicotine increases alertness. This may enhance concentration, thinking and learning. This may be a benefit to people with schizophrenia whose illness or medication leads to cognitive problems.
* Nicotine can help relaxation, and it can also reduce negative feelings such as anxiety, tension and anger. So smoking may help people with mental illness deal with stressful situations.
* Nicotine might have an antidepressant effect. Nicotine stimulates dopamine production in part of the brain and so may help negative symptoms of schizophrenia, such as lack of motivation, lack of energy and flat mood.
* Nicotine may reduce positive symptoms, such as hallucinations for a short period.
* There is some evidence to suggest that smoking is associated with reduced levels of antipsychotic induced Parkinsonism.

These are just some of the benefits of nicotine in people with mental impairments. Vpaing is much better than cigarettes. The tar in cigarettes is not beneficial for mental illnesses.

[Hinterscher]

Those are the precise reasons that I hate to quit vaping. I'm just not attracted to it though for some reason right now, very hard to explain. I literally just woke up one morning and just felt ill about the idea of vaping. I don't even want snus, which I occasionally use. It worries me, because I definitely believe in the benefits you stated above. I started earlier today feeling a little like vaping, but then it tapered back off. I almost have anxiety about vaping, for some reason. It's not like I just started and not used to it yet. I'm just in a confused state all the way around right now. Thanks for the info!

[seminolewind]

I understand all this. I think your number priority should be mental health. I would do anything anyway I could to not have any episodes. E-cigs or analogs, my priority would be to do what's helping me deal with mental illness the most.