Metabolic & Mental Health

Let’s start simple. My name is Rachel, and I have bipolar disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder

A Common Experience

In the past I was diagnosed with a smattering of other conditions, but that’s the way it is for many of us. We experience a series of diagnoses, each with their own treatment which is almost always a pill (or two, or more!).

I have been a truly compliant patient, taking my medicine as directed since I was 19 years old. I’ve never discontinued a medication without the direction of my care team. I’ve only rejected one treatment presented to me offhand.

I’ve been on more medications than I am capable of remembering. I’ve increased dosages more times than I can count. I’ve been hospitalized three times, most recently late last year.

I was content with the idea that I have multiple chronic mental health conditions that will require continual treatment via medication with likely dosage or medication changes every so often as has always been the case.

Time for a Change

I was content with that idea. Then last year I was diagnosed with Tardive Dyskinesia, an involuntary movement disorder that is a long term side effect of the antipsychotic I’ve been taking and continue to take to this day. I started another medication (then switched to a different one due to prohibitive costs) to deal with the side effect of the antipsychotic.

I was raised that if a medication causes a side effect that requires another medication, then something is wrong. So, I did some digging. I discovered there are multiple OTHER long term side effects of the medications I am taking that no one had ever even mentioned, including multiple metabolic disorders like Type II Diabetes.

This digging led me to some remarkable discoveries, like the connection between metabolic and mental health, which we will explore more. So where do we go from here? Stick around with me and find out!