YOU ARE NOT ALONE - A companion online community discussion board for The Mental Illness Happy Hour podcast with Paul Gilmartin

My takeaway from this article is to use a PPI (Nexium) when you feel manic. I can recall a "squirt" of acid when I felt a major stressor which took me to a "manic place". I'm older now (40+) and experience stomach pain when I eat certain foods. I started taking a PPI every few months for a few days. I haven't thought about Bipolar in a very long time. My change in diet probably helped.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/arti ... ing-mania/

"frequent consumption of purine-rich foods and drinks, such as liver, legumes, anchovies and alcohol. Fructose consumption can also be a problem because the sugar inhibits uric acid excretion."

"a gout medication that reduces levels of uric acid, in 50 patients with bipolar disorder during acute mania. "

"there was a significant reduction in uric acid levels and mania symptoms, and rates of remission were 23 times higher."

Foods to limit (very high in purines):
Organ meats, such as liver, kidneys, sweetbreads, and brains.
Meats, including bacon, beef, pork, and lamb.
Game meats.
Any other meats in large amounts.
Anchovies, sardines, herring, mackerel, and scallops.
Gravy.
Beer.

"Fructose consumption can also be a problem because the sugar inhibits uric acid excretion."

NOOOOOOOOO! Not my fructose! (joking not joking)

As wary as I am of claims that one you can cure yourself of mental illness with proper diet (I was raised by a food addicted parent with very wrong-headed ideas about medicine, so it's a fraught subject for me), I know that things like sugar and carbs can be extremely problematic.

sigh.

I'm also kind of wary of the idea that you can adjust your diet to help regulate bipolar swings. Not that I don't think it can work for some people; I've just known a lot of people who use it as a reason to not get proper mental health care even when diet changes aren't having a positive effect. :\

The only thing food-wise that kicks off a hypomanic phase for me: Yerba Mate tea. I bought a bottle after a yogi friend hyped it up as a healthier replacement for coffee (LOL). Holy crap, was that stuff ever high test. For eight hours or so I felt like I could get ALL the freakin' things done. Then of course I crashed.