One part of how my better day was achieved

Over the last few years I have been able to take less medication.  That is not true right now and I got amused at the massive piles as I filled my pill box.  So, here is what is making me improve (in part):


This is the full thing, minus breathing treatments and rescue inhaler.  A few of these (1?) is PRN, but this is my set of bottles, boxes, etc. that I fight each week.  I did not include valium even though I take it nearly daily right now too, nor are my mid-day Klonopin doses shown.

This is just the pills.  Except not all because I'm not taking 2 vitamins I theoretically should be taking.  See that little bottle send from the right in the first row?  Almost $400 out of pocket.  Hoping and praying my new insurance covers it.

I should have taken a picture of the pill box.  It's impressive.  This is one night's worth of meds, minus valium (I'm going to be alternating it with lunesta so I don't want to put it out and I take it later when I know I won't sleep.).  It's also minus the vitamins, so there should be 2 more large pills.  I also take miralax at night.  My patch is changed differently different days.  My red inhaler is morning and evening.

This is the morning set of meds.  Not quite so bad.  I actually have one more usually but my doctor wanted to see what a wean would do so I'm on one less for a few days.

People often think, even repeatedly accused me in the hospital of this, that people with bipolar stop taking meds.  I'm sure that's true, but it also is hard to keep up with that.  Not to Th that these meds mostly have a lot of side effects.  Let's see, above:  purple is nexium, no big deal.  Orangish thing is a laxative.  Clearly can be a problem.  Green is synthroid, no side effects.  Yellow is the med that's one a reduction trial.  It is to keep electrolytes in my body when my kidneys dump them.  The big white pill is blesing and curse.  It helps me wake up which is good.  It also can make me agitated, requiring klonopin several hours later. I have to check as I think I left one out of it is buried; Cogentin tames the akasthesia stuff.

This is harder to name them all (repeat picture) but we'll try.  The ball is acidophilus for my bowels.  The two white oblong pills are Seroquel. The pinkish oblong pill in the corner is also Seroquel.  Seroquel potentially has every side effect known to man.The clear oval there are 2 of; they are vitamin D.  Safe.  There's another orangish laxative The small white pill is Cogentin.  It causes dry mouth like you couldn't believe.  Beside it is the whole lithium; I take 1 1/2.  Lithium has a zillion side effects as well.  The green thing is klonopin, there are 2 of them.  It's additive, sedating, and saves my life.Somewhere are also singulair and zyrtec, both of which aren't so bad.  I'm sure I'm missing something.  Point is, too many chances at side effects to be enjoyable.

Oh, and because it shocked the nurses, yes I do indeed swallow all that at once.