Corporate Memphis, and I’ll get ahead of the curve, whatever its successor is. Probably some kind of AI-chic.

Alarm is the hypnotoad sound. No ringtones for calls, just vibration.

I use it as an imported list, and as others mentioned, it was repeatedly subject to legal action and takedowns so the creator had to flee the mainstream. Wasn’t a fan of the new site either, but it’s the best we’ve got.

I don’t have any real stats, but out of multiple meds per month since 2007, I had maybe two ever fail on me. The pharmacy fixed it immediately and made a note to only fill from a certain generic supplier.

Also, while generics are technically made with the same active ingredient, the rest of the pill can make a difference. There’s one med that I’ve had from about 8 different manufacturers over the years and while half are good, there’s one that makes me extra tired, another that wears off early, etc.

Spine-tingling toast!

Hi, Bipolar NOS (“not otherwise specified”) here, more down than up. It’s absolutely possible to do great. Like your son, early 20s onset, spent some time inpatient to get sorted out, and have been in consistent outpatient therapy and psychiatry treatment ever since. Completed a PhD program, got married, job market sucks but I’m still optimistic all things considered. I think consistency in treatment, lots of patience, and a good psychiatrist who you can trust are key.

My spiel on the medication part, and some bipolar stigma: some people want to chase the mania, or get a little hypomania and think they’re doing better and don’t need the meds, or think the medication “stifles creativity,” and they give us a bad name. Think Kanye. For every up, there is a down. Not every up is good. The down is far worse. For me, it’s important to remember how bad things can get, because I don’t want that. Whatever side effects and months/years of tinkering with medications are worth it, to me, over losing my spouse, friends, family, or even my life.

Yes, the process of trying medications sucks, but it’s entirely necessary. Also have a good plan for if things get suddenly worse, because they absolutely can — a dud batch of mood stabilizers from when your pharmacy switches manufacturers, for example.

I could literally go on forever, but the tl;dr is that you can do great, just be prepared to put some time and effort into it. And never stop taking medications because you think/feel you’re doing better.

I’ve never had a two months delay, but government offices are typically understanding about getting something at or a little past the due date because everyone knows the mail sucks.

No (US). Those who loudly complain are generally conservatives who can’t understand how marginal tax rates and brackets work.

Because they’re cops.

Typically “you” if it’s in my head, but if said out loud it’s “I”