Bipolar Disorder Does Not Mix With The Stop Smoking Drug CHANTIX

I have heard this from several great sources.

The Stop Smoking Aid CHANTIX should not be used by anyone with Bipolar Disorder

This is pretty much all all over the internet, and it is no secret anymore.

CHANTIX is a very dangerous drug for people who have bipolar disorder, and possibly you if your loved one is trying to quit smoking, or thinking about it and is taking, or thinking of taking this drug.

If they are, you need to know what to look for.

The normal side effects are: nausea, vomiting, sleep disturbance, constipation, and flatulence.  The sleep disturbance they’re talking about is weird or vivid dreams.

Now, those were the “normal” (usual) side effects.  They used to include migraines as well, but they don’t put
that on the new package inserts, but you need to watch out for that, too, if your loved one is prone to having
migraines.

Here’s where you especially need to watch your loved one, because the package insert says (and I quote):

Adverse Reactions for Psychiatric

Disorders:

“Frequent: Anxiety, Depression, Emotional disorder, Irritability, Restlessness.

Infrequent: Aggression, Agitation, Disorientation, Dissociation, Libido decreased, Mood swings, Thinking abnormal.

Rare: Bradyphrenia, Euphoric mood, Hallucination, Psychotic disorder, Suicidal ideation.

So this isn’t just coming from me. I had someone tell me they even called the drug company to complain that it doesn’t warn you on the package insert, and the man said it does tell the doctor to watch you closely if they do prescribe it.

But how many doctors read the package insert?

How many have the time to read every package insert for every single drug they prescribe?

Chantix is supposed to be a good drug to help people stop smoking.  And maybe it is, for most people.

But for people who have bipolar disorder, it is a very, very dangerous, even fatal drug (according to reports on the internet).

So if your loved one is trying to stop smoking and is taking Chantix, and you notice signs/symptoms of their bipolar disorder acting up, tell them to check with their doctor (who will either reduce their dose or tell them to stop taking it), and watch them very, very closely for signs of a bipolar episode.

———–
The info above was taken from one of the greatest Bipolar teachers on the Internet today David Oliver.

Check out David’s website here

Share Your Story

Share your Bipolar Story here.

Thank you so much

Cheers

ME

Bipolar Uncovered

Hello Friends..

It has been a while since I have posted anything on the Blog so I decided I would talk with you today about a couple of different things.

My brother is doing fine now and actually just had surgery, nothing serious, just something that unexpected “popped up”. The good news is that he is recovering and is in great spirits. In case you did not guess…it was a hernia.. It was quite funny to listen to him when he called me about it. The guy is so amusing when he is himself.

More great news. I have finally tracked down two psychologists in two different cities who deal with Bipolar Disorder patients. I made an appointment at both doctors and we will choose who we feel can better represent my brother. I am very excited about this and would like to thank two very special ladies you have been instrumental in getting both doctors lined up for me.

Thank you Kelly and Aimee. I appreciate you both and your concerns and hard work has paid off.

I will keep all of you updated with our results. I am not quite sure what to expect but check back here to see what happens..

Now then.. Here is a great book someone referred me to today.. So I am sharing this with you.

It does cost around $27 but the info inside of it is quite amazing.

Until next time..Later Friends and please stay well and be safe out there
Jerry

PS: A comment is appreciated as always..

Video.. Frustration

Hello My Friends.

I had to make this video to clear my head..

Something very disheartening happened today and I will address this directly with the people involved. To Those People: You folks should be ashamed of yourselves as you call yourselves professionals. You are in the business of helping people and that is what makes this so sad. Discriminating against a certain culture is a very serious charge and I certainly hope that you change your tactics. If this video helps you do that.. than my work here is done..

Maybe you will see how your decision has affected me. Watch The Video. This is just me, I am not even going to mention what it has done to my family. My mother has been through hell and back in dealing with my brothers problem and you folks, with your sad business practices, have not helped at all. Instead you had excuse after excuse until I finally figured it out.

Remember the Internet is a very Powerful Tool and consider yourself very fortunate that I did not mention YOUR BUSINESS NAME!

Click Here To Install The Flash Player If You Cannot View The Video.. (opens in a new window)

All My Best
Jerry

PS: Comments Appreciated..

Input Needed, Bipolar and Wacky Weed. The Effects Are Horrible

Hello My Friend.

I have had better days than today. I sure have.

You guessed it, my brother is on a rampage.

You know, it is days like today that I am so thankful that I started this Blog because it gives me the ability to reach out to the Bipolar community and share my feelings with them.

I know you can all appreciate what I am trying to say and I know that someday, maybe even today, someone will see this post, someone who can relate, and perhaps they will see a response which can help them.

You know it really is not about me though and the way I feel at the moment. Or is it?

Have you ever been affected by a loved one who has Bipolar Disorder but smokes that wacky weed (Marijuana) on occasion? If you have you are not alone and I sympathize with you. You see I have known for a long time that my brother smokes the wacky weed. It is rare when he does it but he does. I will say about every three months he gets a hold of some of this crap and turns into a complete asshole. He becomes an amplified version of a ticking time bomb. A bomb who has Bipolar Disorder. Nothing I can say to him, can help things when he gets to this point. In fact everything has the reverse affect. He becomes very defiant. He lashes out verbally. It is like he has Bipolar Disorder times one hundred. He basically goes through Manic, Depressive, and Mixed Episode mode all at the same time. It is horrible to watch. It sucks to say the least and I hope someone can help me understand how I can help him stop this destructive behavior.

I have certainly learned a lot about Bipolar Disorder since my brother was diagnosed with it in January of 2004. Anyone who has a family member with Bipolar is automatically enrolled into Hard Knock University. You are forced to sit through class after class. Some classes are wonderful, some classes are funny, they will make you laugh so hard you will cry. Bipolar people can he so humorous and beautiful. They bring out the inner child with their sayings and their tactics. But then there are the classes where the whole world comes crashing down and you are at a loss. You feel hopeless. you stand by and watch while they verbally abuse you. Such a day is today January 23, 2007.

The sad thing about it is the fact that the behavior that my brother is engaging in today is a byproduct of Bipolar Disorder and it does not have to be. Is he being selfish or does he simply not know any better because he has a disorder called Bipolar? One thing is certain though, he is choosing to smoke wacky weed because he says it makes him feel good.

Face it, everyone knows a person who smokes the wacky weed. The people that choose to smoke wacky weed have every right to do what they want to as it is their business. It is their choice. Some people need it for medical reasons and others smoke it to get a certain high.

My brother, like I stated above, is one of the people who smokes it because of that elevated feeling. The problem with this is that HE SHOULD NEVER SMOKE WACKY WEED, because it AMPLIFIES his Bipolar Disorder. He hurts a lot of people with his actions. He becomes very selfish. He cusses like a sailor. (if you are a sailor..no offense..It is an expression) When he smokes wacky weed, he does not eat, he does not sleep, and sadly he refuses to take his medication, and when he does it DOES NOT HELP. Basically he becomes an entirely different person. Someone no one wants to interact with.
Through my research on Bipolar Disorder I have discovered that people with Bipolar Disorder need all of their normal sleep. They need to eat regularly. And most important of all they need their medication, all the time. It should never be skipped. Not even once.

So you see why the Bipolar is amplified when wacky weed enters my brothers system. Mind you, even if he still ate his regular meals and still slept his full eight hours and still took his medications, he would still go through all of the symptoms he is now, when he smokes that crap. The only difference is it would not quite be as bad. But the moral of the story is Wacky Weed and people with Bipolar Disorder do not mix. Period.
Most people who do not have Bipolar Disorder and who smoke wacky weed are not affected by the crazy mood(s) that wacky weed brings into those with Bipolar Disorder. They go through the normal high but they do not get delusional and verbally abuse. I don’t think they do anyway. If they do, heck maybe they have Bipolar Disorder. Who knows? Wacky weed may be a good trigger.
My dilemma is simple. How do we stop him from doing this? It is such a painful experience to have to live through. It might last for three days or one week, it just depends as it is never the same and it happens about every three to four months.

By The Way, this also happens when he drinks beer or hard liquor. Just not as bad.

Do you have any suggestions, or do you know anyone who also has Bipolar Disorder and engages in this type of behavior?

Please comment and let me know.

I appreciate you very much.

Disclaimer: Please know that I am speaking on my personal experiences, by what I see in my brother. Not everyone who has Bipolar Disorder may be affected by wacky weed like my brother is. I don’t know as I am not a doctor.

A Note About This (NEW) Blog and A Thank You

I have recently moved the Bipolar Resources blog from Blogger To Wordpress.

In the process, we lost several posts and comments.  But that’s OK.. As people find this Blog they will continue to leave their informational content and inspiring stories.

I thank all of you for your unconditional support over the last year.  I have truly been inspired 100 times over to continue building this blog and the Bipolar Resources website.

My family has truly been inspired by all of your support and your kind comments, private e-mails.. etc.

I hope you will find what I am going to post in the future as helpful as all of you have been to my family.  Without all of you this would not be possible. My brother has his days but he is doing very very well..
Love and Peace from My House To Yours
Jerry

Today Was A “Not So Good” Day

Today was by far the toughest of the last few months.

In fact as of this moment I am sitting here with a few wet spots on my cheeks. I guess one never gets used to the hurtful things Bipolars say. You are *&(%^# stupid says my brother to me a few minutes ago from the dream location of his airstrip which is nestled next to the golf course overlooking the great mountains of Colorado. (A Dream Spot)

If the above is confusing to you I am sorry, but I had to write something to clear my head.. Maybe when my heart quits feeling like a damn broken fiddle to a dogs ear…maybe then I will make some sense. Until then…

I gather you figured out that my brother is at his best today. (sarcastic I am) To be honest. I am scared but I will NEVER GIVE IN.

Love as always, Concerned as usual
Jerry

I also have a brother who has Bipolar (by Marko van Basten)

Please Note: This was originally posted in my Blogger Blog on 9/08/2006 12:10:00 AM

Hi Jerry,

I too have a brother that is bipolar, diagnosed last year. In retrospect I guess he’d already shown symptoms for years, but finally had a full blown manic attack that landed him in the hospital.

Needless to say it was one of the most difficult things I had ever been through to witness this, as growing up my brother had always been so productive, outgoing and intelligent (still is intelligent, but the bipolar really has him down now). The dramatic shift I witnessed in him was so sad, as I felt like I had lost him as I knew him. He did get better over the past year, but is now back in the hospital, and he was doing so well.

In anycase, I love him very much, as you do your brother, and just wanted to let you know that there are folks out there with similar situations… I’m sure its difficult for your brother to cope with all this, as I have seen it first hand with mine… often they are misunderstood.

Well not to drag on too much, I will probably come back and post again to elaborate on my experiences.

In the meanwhile all the best to you guys.

Marko van Basten

The RimRock Foundation (addiction specialists)

Today is a day which is perhaps the most important day in the history of my brothers Bipolar problem.

Allow me to say this first.

If your loved one is currently seeing a doctor who is not a certified specialist in dealing with people with BiPolar and is still prescribing medications to the BiPolar patient…PLEASE STOP AND RETHINK THINGS.

Doctors mean well. I personally believe that. But it has been my experience that so many of them are not qualified in dealing with certain issues.

Would you take your car to a flower shop to have your oil changed?

Excuse me Sir…But …UM.. I love the bouquet of flowers in the window there…I mean ….UM … My wife loves flowers..Any kind of flower..especially the red ones…OH..By the way sir do you have an opening this afternoon…I need the oil changed in my car?

GET THE DRIFT…This guy will first go to the back and control the pain in his gut, which is LAUGHTER..then he will come back and tell you…Sorry sir but we do not do that here.

Now would it not be awesome if doctors had the same attitude. Not all of them are like that mind you.. but unfortunately a lot of them are.

I sure wish they would have the balls to be able to tell us when they cannot help, instead of keeping prescribing meds which no longer work.

Long story short. Seek help from a professional.

We are currently doing a Assessment for my brother at the Rimrock Foundation…An awesome place here in Billings Montana.

He is really struggling lately and I am bound and determined once and for all to figure out what is wrong with him, besides the Bipolar.

More on that in Later writings. Gotta run for now. Talk soon

In the meantime check out the RimRock Foundation. They deal with any problem you may have. Addictions etc.

They are an excellent source for addictions. What do addictions have to do with Bipolar? Simple..If you are taking medications and are drinking..AND HAVE BIPOLAR.. You have a major problem.. My Brother Does That On Occasion

My Father Has Bipolar and Refuses Care (by Anonymous)

Please Note: This was originally posted in my Blogger Blog on Tuesday, May 02, 2006 10:28:01

Jerry, I am curious as to how you and your family ensure that your brother gets the care he needs.

My father is Bi-Polar, and at one time was stable and doing well. However, now in his old age he refuses medication/care and no one(brothers and sister) will support me in helping him. I am a psychotherapist myself and know that he has the disorder, but am not sure how to help.

Do you petition a person the hospital?

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  • Share Your Story
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  • Video.. Frustration
  • Input Needed, Bipolar and Wacky Weed. The Effects Are Horrible

• What Is Bipolar Disorder?

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