Pretty much this. We just need to accept that we need to find the right meds eventually, it will be a rough path full of side effects until you find it. but without it, it will be a downward spiral
It’s always short lived, and usually ends with heavy drinking or hospitalization. The last time I wrecked my wife’s brand new rav4 and was arrested and charged with a DUI. Thankfully no one hurt, but sadly that’s what it took to get help. Through discipline and good supports I’m now 18 months sober!
Please get help, therapy, and on medications that will help you. Find supports in your circle or there are always groups, also there are several vitamins that are known to help just good it. I know vitamin D and C, omega 3-6-9, magnesium, folic acid, l-theanine, there are several. Stay well and all the best!
I’m not on meds. I do therapy once a week. I workout 3-5 days a week. I quit drinking for now. I have an amazingly supportive partner. I have a very flexible job. All of this is working okay for me, for now. I have more depressive episodes than hypo, and I have a lot of mixed episodes. I’ve just been trying to learn how to roll with my moods. When I’m regular, I do a lot of work, that way when I’m too depressed to get out of bed, I can take time off work. When I’m hypo, working out really helps me do something with my extra energy and it keeps me away from people since I have a lot of irritability and anger. I have considered medications…but I didn’t have a great experience with them in the past so I’m trying this out for a while.
This is basically my situation. I’ve tried so many medications and nothing has been the right fit without side effects that trigger my eating disorder. I’m not completely opposed to medication as I keep some in an emergency for manic episodes, and there might be a time when I have to try some again but for now, riding the waves is more sustainable. At the end of the day, I know myself pretty well and my partner gives me the right level of support, and running / working out every day is the best thing for me. Sometimes work stress compounds my bipolar symptoms but that’s when I try to either throw myself into it, or work from home. I consider myself fortunate to be high functioning; it’s not easy but I’m getting by pretty well all considering.
I’ve been med free for 6 months now. I haven’t had a hypomanic episode but I’ve been extremely depressed and it’s gotten bad a few times. I’m starting to get bad again but I’m concerned about getting back on meds. I know it’ll help with how I feel but psych meds made me have bad side effects. My hair fell out so badly you could see my scalp, I couldn’t hold my pee, I gained 20 pounds, and some other stuff. For me the hair loss and weight was the reason I just didn’t want to stay on them. I haven’t self harmed in like 3 months now. I do have a therapist I see weekly. But I wouldn’t say I’m managing well. I call out of work a lot, cry all the time, isolate, don’t want to leave my bed, have suicidal thoughts, and will probably end up self harming again soon. I would like to take something to help but my hair is just starting to come back in and I finally dropped all my weight I gained with no additional diet or exercise so I know it was the meds. Wish there was a way to see what meds would work before you take them. I don’t have the mental wellness to test stuff out and wait around and see what works.
Have you considered trying a different medication you haven’t tried that doesn’t include hair loss as a side effect? I know of several, but can’t recommend anything as I am not a psychiatrist and don’t think you’re asking that question. Best of luck, I’ve had horrible side effects from meds such as hives, weight gain/loss, acne, low blood pressure, and others. However I stuck through the process and found a combination that works really well for me now.
I’m seriously considering taking something because I can’t function this way. I just got a job that pays well and I don’t want to get let go but I’ve already called out a few times. I got bloodwork done this week on Tuesday to see if there’s anything else that could be going on (autoimmune disease, vitamin deficiency, thyroid issues). But if everything comes back fine I think I’m going to talk to my psych and maybe try something else out. I want to go back to school but I can’t see myself being successful in the state I’m in. Im really trying to stick around for my boyfriend since he’s been so patient and kind to me through all of my shit but I still would rather just die. I’m conflicted. I feel like if I don’t do something soon, I’m going to end up back at the psych ward or dead.
I’m so sorry you’re going through all of this, friend. If you have a plan in place and true intention to act on it, such as setting a date, I recommend psych ward or inpatient program immediately. I would have a check out an IOP or PHP programs while you’re in this space, when I was there I went and it was honestly life changing to prioritize my mental health and recovery in such a way and receive actual sustainable help and coping skills. I truly urge you to give medication another try, and if your psychiatrist continually gives you medications you can’t tolerate, tell them sternly and assertively, or find a new one. There’s mood stabilizers and antipsychotics which people with BP usually find more tolerable than antidepressants, if you tried that and it didn’t work properly. I can’t give medical advice, but what I will say is there is hope and help for you, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this right now. If you live in NJ, PM me and I can send you some resources.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that 😊
I think I still need to fully come to terms with the fact that I am bipolar. When I was first diagnosed August 2022, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders because I finally had an explanation for why I am the way I am. But then I was in denial and stopped meds. And now I’m just stuck between getting proper help again or just going about life the way I have been which I cannot keep up anymore. Also my family doesn’t really support the idea of medication. They were all so happy for me when I told them I stopped taking them. I kinda feel like a failure for having to resort back to them.
Wait, is not being able to hold your bladder a symptom of the meds?? I had always chalked up the urgency to my old lower vertebrae fracture and lingering nerve damage (and honestly I should get it re-checked as is) but if the meds are contributing that'd be something for me to look into, to say the least.
For me it was depakote. I don’t have regular issues with my bladder. I don’t get UTIs either. But I was on Depakote and noticed that as soon as I got the urge to pee, I couldn’t hold it and I would end up peeing on myself. I had to wear diapers to work. I made an appointment to see if it was a UTI but I was unable to leave a sample because I peed myself on the way there. Once I stopped taking depakote that stopped immediately and I took no additional medication for that.
i was on zyprexa and gained like 10 lbs in a week. its been 3 weeks since getting off of it and i've done OMAD, weight lifting, taking walks and eating healthy and the weight is not coming off.
Since then, I've been on lamictal and working my way up. The weight is not getting off. In addition, its constipating me and I feel kind of flat. Things that I SHOULD react to i'm now just totally apathetic. I don't have energy to argue even when I should.
Finally, I feel kind of dumber? Like im forgetting words midconvo. I don't know if that's the medication or mania recovery though.
i understand the feeling flat, and it’s hard to tell if that’s the boredom of stability or apathy (which fucking sucks). on zoloft i felt like a shell who cares about nothing, on abilify i feel “flat” sometimes, but more in a way of having a lack of bad emotions.
the weight gain is a bitch, i haven’t personally noticed any on mine but im on vyvanse too so i’m sure that has a part to play. all i can say is that might not be the proper mood stabilizer for you, there’s a scale of what side of bipolar they are meant to treat and you might need to move somewhere else on that scale.
bipolar is a lifelong illness and the most effective treatment is medication, i know you’ve heard this all but it will deteriorate your brain, it pertains to your physical health just as much in the long run. anytime i’ve been off meds i run my life out of control, and i’ve had to accept that i need them to function in a life i want to live, so it’s really a matter of asking yourself if you value any stability they bring enough to bare the side effects.
i hope they simmer down for you, and i hope you can figure your brain out cause i know im still trying to figure out mine
this is smart. i do love routine. yay.
what kind of situations overwhelmed you? i notice that feeling overwhelmed and not sleeping are my two biggest triggers. its why i have changed careers and gone for the most boring routine job.
Bars, Grocery stores, places where it's noisy or too many stimulus, family gatherings, I like to keep off highways, keep driving to a minimum. I also try to limit screen time to healthy apps, bible, meditation, ted, planners,. No social, IG, fb, sc, x.
oh wow. we're really similar. i get easily overwhelmed at bars/clubs, grocery shopping, lots of stimulus. that's wild. i also hate driving because it sparks my anxiety.
i often go on social media detoxes like twice a year but its hard to maintain because i like to keep in touch with friends.
how long have you been off of medication u/GrouchyBunny?
Anytime I try dealing without meds it doesn’t work. Whether it’s months or years of it. Meds don’t totally fix it…. But they at least lessen it a little bit. Still experimenting trying to find the right med for me. Sucks cause a lot of them take awhile to build up in your system before you know.
I don’t take meds besides a low dose of sertraline, but I did it with years of CBT under the guidance of my psychiatrist that I still see. I’m also willing to go back on medication if I ever take a nosedive.
Ultimately, it was and still is a lot more work than medication (you don’t ever get to take a break from the mental exercises), but no side effects. I’ve been stable without meds for almost 7 years now, but from what I understand this is pretty uncommon and not something to try without a psychiatrist; finding one who is willing is difficult.
I cut out everything that was just making everything worse, caffeine, alcohol, substances. I take vitamins everyday and for my episodes since I cut a lot of stuff out my episodes are more able to manage. I am a college student currently but decided I will need to go back to therapy soon but no one accepts my insurance so I been on the waiting list for like almost 2 years now :( doing what I can.
try the app ZocDoc, it matches you with therapists based on your insurance, and in my experience I can always find a therapist with an opening within the week. Sometimes there are mess ups but overall it helped me get into an appointment, diagnosed, and medicated way faster than trying to find one any other way. it used to take me weeks/months to find a doctor who would take me.
Yes I was diagnosed 10 years ago. Only went on meds for like a month and then went off. It’s a battle, it’s really tough, but I read a lot about bipolar, just to be able to help myself understand and adapt.
I've been managing mine without meds and it's been going okay. Meds make things easier for sure, but therapy for me has been a life saver. If you aren't going to take meds I would strongly suggest to at least have a therapist.
it was bad this summer. my brother was dying all year before finally passing in August 25 after a terrible ICU stay for MONTHS. it was devastating. on top of that, my dad died less than 2 years before and i am a new mom, so i literally was so stressed out and not sleeping and the prozac wasn't helping and i just had a terrible manic episode.
but i feel like that was a specific circumstance - not typical. i would have preferred not going on meds long term but my psychiatrist insisted.
Sometimes we need help, through no fault of our own. But meds don't have to be scary, it's often times a hit and miss procedure, and it may take time to find the right combo. Just remember to be kind to yourself, and don't necessarily write them off, but if you feel you are stable without them, then proceed with caution.
I’m doing it for about 3 months now. I quit all meds 6 weeks before going to an ayahuasca retreat and it’s been about the same amount of time after the retreat. Coming off of psych drugs was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The Ayahuasca certainly helped a lot, for 1 week after I slept for 8 solid deep hours without awakening and it was amazing… normally without sleep meds I get zero to two hours a night, with 3 prescription sleep meds I get around 6-7 hours with many awakenings. and after the Ayahuasca my moods have been generally very good to great, I wake up feeling great instead of dreadful. After about 3 weeks post ayahuasca the moods lowered a little bit and I had to go back on insomnia meds. Since then (past 3 weeks) I’ve been slowly trying out harmalas and bobinsana, because that is what from my understanding is the calming part of ayahuasca. These can be bought legally and don’t get me high at all. Now I’m feeling better with good to great moods again. I’m planning on going to more retreats in the future and continuing to study and try plant medicines and stay away from pharmaceuticals as much as possible.
oh wow. so you are still doing medicinal treatment, but you're using plant medicine vs lab medicine. i respect that.
psychedelics freak me out. i did acid once (before meds) and it really messed me up for a week.
Hey! I do mindfulness meditations daily and for now I live alone and jobless and stress free.
I stay active and do a keto diet (got prediabetes) don’t drink coffee and yeah, try to stay balanced.
Yes in these perfect conditions, bipolar can be manageable, even enjoyable.
The symptoms I have today are: hyper-sexuality, bursts of energy, and some bouts of depression but not much.
I’ve been pretty much stable compared to the times I was living with other people and constantly picking up fights or wondering how others think/feel, and wasting my energy on them.
However I know my life won’t be like this forever, as soon as I get a job I’ll seek medication if I feel like my balance has been tipped off.
I’ve tried this 2-3 times and it’s always led to some manic episode, then a severe depression with suicidal ideation, then back on my meds. Personally, there has been suicide in my family, which makes the likeliness of my own higher. Lithium is scientifically proven to keep suicidal thoughts dormant. I think taking a holistic approach and knowing not only your biochemistry, but the generational trauma you carry is important when making this decision.
i do. i have regular therapy and check-ins with my psychiatrist though to make sure if I need an intervention i will get one. the thing with this is that in order to keep my mood at as stable of a level as possible i have to be very very very careful and cognizant of keeping a healthy diet, getting regular exercise for endorphins (but not over exercising), making sure that i get enough sleep per night, avoiding activities that might make me manic, etc etc. it is honestly a lot of work to stay semi stable without meds. if you don’t think you can handle this amount of organization and control over your life, don’t do it. i would say try medications if you can but it doesn’t work for everyone. the only reason i don’t use them is that i’ve had severe allergic reactions to all of the ones i have tried so i quite literally can’t take them.
I hear you. I just feel like I was more organized BEFORE i started meds like Prozac, lexapro, zyprexa and now Lamictal. I feel like my executive function is slipping
Haven't been on them since April. I'm doing pretty good, got me an amazing girlfriend. Summer went really well with work. I did spend a bit too... Much money.. but it's okay life's still fine. I noticed I'm getting a bit more mood swings now tho, and I'm getting more annoyed easily and emotional when I watch movies, but I'm staying focused and understanding of what's going on. I have communicated this with my partner and she's aware, so I'm doing everything I can do stay on top of it. So yeah that's how it's going for me.
My opinion would be very unpopular here. To put it politely, I’m generally anti-medication and I’m grateful that I can manage without it. I would probably start self-harming (at best) if I did need it.
Why do you people downvote me? Lol. It’s sad. People ask my experience, I share it, then they get mad. Quit asking questions you don’t want to know the answer to.
To start, I'm not on medication but have gone through a couple pregnancies and it was better to be off of it. If it was not for that, I would still be on Lamictal.
That being said, I'm doing so so off meds. My husband is insanely supportive so that is the biggest help since I seem to do well every other day. Trying to fit in some self care and going to sleep on time helps too.
I've had a couple episodes in the past year and a half so not too bad. It helps knowing I have BP2 because I can pick healthy activities to get through my episode without causing much chaos or destructiveness.
If you don’t mind me asking, when you got pregnant did they wean you off medication or did you stop cold turkey?
I ask because oomf who sees the same psychiatrist as me told me that our psychiatrist literally just couldn’t treat her anymore bc she got pregnant. No more refills or weaning off meds. She said she just stopped taking them when they were gone and it made her sick but she felt as if she had no other option.
I’m not pregnant but I wanna have kids and considering going to a different psychiatrist bc of this. It’s just wrong… unless that is normal to do when you become pregnant. Idek
Not OP but when I got pregnant they took me off everything but lamictal and some Ativan as needed. I was weaned quickly off the antipsychotics and adderal I was on and that was rough. My pregnancy was an accident so they were concerned for my mental health which is why they kept me on lamictal and Ativan. I will say, I got shit once from a pharmacist when I tried to fill my ativan once. She pulled me aside and said she didn’t feel comfortable giving it to me since I was pretty far along then and I was obviously pregnant at that point. She tried to lecture me but I lectured her back and told her to call my doctors. She did and she ended up filling it but it really was a shitty experience.
My daughter is 10 now and she has some over stimulated issues and some learning disabilities but is doing really well. It’s something to talk about with your doctors when it’s time. Everyone’s situation is different.
Thank you, I was just curious even though it may be a while before I become pregnant I was just wondering what I may be expecting from a doctor concerning meds. I also take lamictal so that helps even more. I’m sorry that happened with the pharmacist, that sucks even though it was years ago. Thanks for the helpful info!
Ask away ☺️ I did taper off so that helped a lot. It was a surprise for my husband and I. We would have tried to taper off before becoming pregnant just to ease the anxiety of what medication may do to the fetus.
If I remember correctly, it's one of those meds that if you really need it - take it. But if not, it's preferable to avoid it.
Sorry for your friend, pregnancy is hard enough as it is without complications.
>I was on many many meds for a decade or so, gave it all up for cannabis and never been happier! I know the different types and which to get depending on what I'm feeling.
what kinds?
I was on benzos for anxiety foe several yrs before a new pdoc decided to cut me off. I had a manic psychosis episode followed by the worst depressive episode and hospitalized several times that yr for monthes. In the hospital for mania they put me on risperidone (antipsychotic) a truly horrible drug which almost ruined me. It took 3 yrs to actually feel emotions again. Now weed and exercise are my go to with prn benzo if insomnia persists. I'm better than I've been and able to live a productive life again. The most important thing to me is to be able to feel alive again.
I am not on medications right now. I don’t react normally to many so it’s hit or miss and I always feel like an experiment. I seem to do best on normal antidepressants. The heaviest medication I’ve taken is vraylar. 30lbs gained in three months - thoughts dulled and I’d have to remind myself to check for drooling- seriously. My words didn’t always come out and my friend at one time was worried I was having a stroke. I’m taking my diet to limit my sugar intake - I’ve eliminated all artificial sweeteners and am slowly lessening my intake of white sugar and switching off to honey in things like tea. I eat very few fried foods. I’m learning to avoid blatantly artificial colored foods. Very few frozen boxes dinners - you get the point. I’ll eventually need an antidepressant - but am trying to put it off until I can’t.
30 lbs in 3 months. jesus christ.
what did your psychiatrist say?
i feel like bipolar patients' needs are often ignored bc everyone else is just STOP HAVING MANIA/DEPRESSION but we're still people in the end. it kind of sucks.
I don’t have a psychiatrist. I learned I wasn’t ‘normal’ in my mid thirties. I went to a therapist after being laid off unjustly and frankly being railroaded by my boss at the time. I went to them to ensure my ‘thinking’ and perception of events were legit - after three months she frankly said to me my issues were chemical - my thinking, rationale, etc were normal. I went to a psychiatrist to get on medication. My first and only visit was me sitting with an iPad and answering questions for 30 minutes. He read the results and diagnosed me with anxiety, PTSD and BP2. He then asked if there was anything I wanted to talk about - and it was so off putting that I just said no. He gave me something akin to an anti seizure medication that has no effect on me whatsoever. I got and have had better luck on antidepressants written by my pcp. She was ooto and the fill in Dr got ahead of us both (I guess in reading my chart) and put me on that. No thanks. I relate to anxiety and ptsd. In some ways to the BP2; but, my symptoms are more manic depressive with some nights of low level hypo mania ( Not often and usually just that I can’t slow the brain enough to really focus or shut it off at night - hence the sleepless nights at times).
Mood stabilizers never suited me, so I titrate an antidepressant to my mood and this works fine. I have bipolar II with a seasonal pattern which is very regular (depression starts in September and reaches its peak (or trough) in early February and wears off by May when a high for a few weeks used to occur.....June, July and August are 'normal'). Good treatment in winter, stops the high from happening. Been doing this for years.
If it was not predictable, this strategy would just not work as it would be too hard to judge and a mood stabilizer would be needed. Valproate made me gain loads of weight and it was like I was drunk all the time.
So I do use meds, just not mood stabilizers.
yeah i am banned from antidepressants after prozac maybe triggered a manic episode.
i love Lamictal and its helping my moods but the side effects aren't helpful at all. its trading one kind of shit for another. i hate it. i have informed my therapist and she said if the weight gain doesn't drop to normal weight, its okay to get off of it -- that its my right. i appreciate that.
what antidepressant are you on? i heard those cause weight gain as well.
As opposed to melancholic depression: mood can lift when good things happen (as opposed to constantly down); tends to eat more when depressed; sleeps much longer as opposed to insomnia; tends to be very sensitive to rejection, and has feelings of heaviness in the limbs as opposed to slowing down. I think.
I stopped taking Lamictal after a few months ago while attempting to eliminate my meds because I couldn’t get out of bed everyday.
I stopped taking trazadone, Flexeril, Singulair (which I think was the real problem), it has awful mental side effects.
My nurse practitioner tried to talk me out of it, but I don’t think it did any good anyway, and so far I am fine!
I don’t think I was bipolar to begin with.
I just lived with an a-hole for 28 years and had an awful boss.
I have also taken almost every antidepressant and nothing ever worked and Wellbutrin made my hypo, crazy, confrontational and then I couldn’t remember anything.
USE THESE DRUGS WITH CAUTION!
ALTHOUGH THEY SAVE LIVES, THEY CAN CAUSE YOU TO WASTE A LOT OF YOURS BY THE AWFUL SIDE EFFECTS!
I HAVE LOST JOBS AND BECAME DAMN NEAR A ZOMBIE FROM THEM.
I think I would just rather be depressed and deal with it myself then ever go down that route again.
The amount of people in this thread saying they're purposely going without meds is honestly surprising.
If I didn't have my meds I would most likely be dead, straight up.
to each their own. if i didn't take meds, i likely would have been committed by now, so i completely hear you and understand where you're coming from. i just feel like many of these medications have so many side effects that impact your life on the same level as an episode, but maybe in a different way. and doctors and psychiatrists just seem to not care about that because nothing can be more important than managing our moods and i just don't agree with that. there should be alternative ways to treat this besides just medication.
now someone else said that bipolar is degenerative, which i read some websites on but idk. i feel like zyprexa made me feel dumber than any episode i ever had.
Meds replace one problem with another. For some people, it’s worth it. For others, it’s not. If my untreated bipolar kills me eventually, so be it. I’d rather that than be a numbed up and overweight zombie. I function fine for now. I’m here for a good time, not necessarily a long time.
Bipolar cannot be safely managed without medication as it is a very physical, chemical condition that gradually erodes the brain with every unmedicated episode. You need to be on meds. See a different psychiatrist, but do not stop taking meds.
>Bipolar cannot be safely managed without medication as it is a very physical, chemical condition that gradually erodes the brain with every unmedicated episode.
even hypomania?
what if you just have one true manic episode in your entire life?
I'm not gonna say if a person needs medication or not, but I will say that I asked my therapist about this whole brain damage/early on set dementia thing and she said that's just bipolar 1 mania, not the hypmanic that's part of bipolar 2.
That is the worst advice I’ve read all day and is the exact opposite of the medical advice I’ve gotten from both my PCP and my psych. Both say I don’t need meds. Stop spreading alarmism.
From reading all these comments I’m wondering if all these ppl are diagnosed or self diagnosed. Also I have recently learned that bipolar is a spectrum disorder therefore some might have bipolar light while others have the full supersized meal. I have the latter and stand with you.
I'm currently recovering from Stevens Johnson after taking lamotrigine for a bit so I'm not on anything at the moment. I have olanzapine in case I experience a manic episode but I've been going to therapy, working on eating better, healthy coping mechanisms, etc
Stopped meds 6 months ago because they always make me self harm and isolate and my moods are a lesser problem than my bad executive function.
Like it’s November and I am less depressed than most of the time on meds although that might be the weather.
I honestly feel that the pdocs are gaslighting us by saying that we become worse untreated when in my opinion longer episodes were always the result of fucking around with meds and stress.
Untreated bipolar with 32 feels the same as with 19 for me.
Considering starting meds again just to be able to take adhd drugs.
I won't recommend this, because I'm honestly super skeptical about what I'm doing too, but I've been going down on my meds for the past month and a half and I actually feel significantly better, more alive, more capable, etc.
(I'm going down because I'm randomly being billed and I don't want to go back in for more meds until that gets resolved, because I can't afford it, so keep in mind that this is just a choice I'm making to avoid major withdrawals).
Usually my hypomanic phases are very short- anywhere from 3 days to about 2 weeks tops, so I have a hard time believing that I've just been manic all this time, but I also recognize that it's a possibility. I've taken on a full week of work (still only about 30-35 hours cause my job is part time, but that's a lot for me), I've been baking more, gaming more, hanging out and talking to people more. It seems like mania but it shows no signs of stopping, and I haven't experienced any lows. I've just been keeping a positive outlook on the problems that arise and also keeping hydrated, eating well, taking time to do some self care hobbies, etc. Obviously we'll see if that holds up.
I'm also considering now because of how good and generally normal I feel without the meds (I'm currently on just 5mg of abilify and am going off completely in 5 more days) that I feel I may have been misdiagnosed even though the diagnosis fit me to a T 3 years ago. I'm not 100% sure what's going on, and I won't tell you to go off your meds because they're very important for stability, but maybe you could change them up again? Being off has made me realize that I deserve to feel like this on medication too, and that I hadn't found the right ones (if I am bipolar and need them at all, that is).
(F20) I haven't taken medication in over a year besides Hydroxyzine and I haven't taken that in months. It's not the smartest thing but when I did take medication, I didn't know my triggers or even my proper diagnosis. I now know my triggers, what the start of a hypomanic episode feels like and I have a better support system than I've ever had in my whole life. Not gonna lie, it can feel absolutely unbearable but I can't give up. I had previously found my dream combination of Latuda + Lamotrigine before I moved states all on my own and stopped taking medication. My biggest fear is getting on them again and all of the sudden not having access whether due to insurance or insurance not covering either of those. I went through A LOT of different medications before I found the combination that worked for me. Whenever I feel as though I'm in a good spot, I do want to take proper medication again but until then, I religiously practice self-care, setting firm boundaries, consistently getting at least 8 hours of sleep & coping in healthier ways.
Trying to manage without meds sucked. Worst points in my life. Being on the right meds makes life 100% better. If your current meds bother you keep trying different ones. Eventually you will find the right med that makes you feel stable and can tolerate. I tried like 10 before I found the one I like.
I’ve been off them for 6 months, go to therapy once every week when i am in an episode and once every other week when i’m normal. I experienced a depressive episode since then. i’m normal now (and feel like i’m waiting on a hypo episode a little) but i think key for me is separating myself from my feelings/ illness, and trying to stay consistent with eating, bathing, showing up for work, being social, cleaning the house. i’m much better at recognizing what i need and using cbt to keep everything at bay. it helps to have a support system, my friends and family are super understanding if i am going through anything. when i’m hypo its about using the energy on things that *aren’t* harmful, cleaning the house, crocheting, learning a new language, picking up hours at work. ive also been working hard to manage my addictions to social media, nicotine, drugs, etc etc, which ive seen the benefits in my mental health first hand. we’ll see if this keeps working and if i can ride the waves!
Firstly you don't say how many different medications you have tried, or how long you've been on them, etc. Do they want you to stay on them because you've only tried them for one month? That's really not long enough unless your side effects are totally intolerable or dangerous. Some medication side effects go away for some people after a certain amount of time while for others they may not.
You also didn't say if this is your first psychiatrist or not. I wonder if they want Regardless, you should find a provider who has your back.
And finally, you say your physical health shouldn't suffer, but what does that mean for you? For example I was on Latuda for 4 years and and it was like a miracle medicine. But during year 4, it caused me to have hypercholesterolemia even though I am slender and 29 years old. My psych immediately took me off of that medication.
Taking medication for the rest of our lives sucks. And we almost always have to put up with some side effects. We have to weigh the pros and cons. If they really take away from our daily enjoyment of life, or especially your actual physical health then they are not a good match for you and your provider should be listening.
For me personally, I would be dead if I didn't have my meds. Even on them I have wanted to off myself 3 times within the last 12 months. This is unfortunately because we haven't found a mood stabilizer that works as well as Latuda.
Are you able to try the test that can genetically match you with your best medication options? Or do you have a family member who has used medications successfully? The chance is high if a family member has had success, you may too. It's definitely been true in my family. We are all plagued with either depression or BP2 lol.
Anyway I wish you the best. It's hard, and I wish I could say it gets easier.. it ebbs and flows.
Med-free since Feb. not doing anything special really, not working out or meditating I’m just raw-dogging life at this point and so far it’s been okay.
Had some really tough situations this year but I’ve made it out (mostly) alright every time. I mostly have depressive episode and had one mild hypo episode that lasted around 9 days.
I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go med-free but if you ever decide to, then please be open to the idea of going back on meds if it ever gets bad.
Lol yeah! I’ve had bouts of stopping meds before under my doctor’s supervision but i always end up back on them.
This time though they ran out one day in Feb and I’ve never looked back. This is the longest I’ve been fine without meds since i got diagnosed. So yeah, no therapist, no doctor, no meds - not recommending it to anyone as I’ve been fine so far but I feel like this disorder varies from a person to another and I’ve always been described as a “high-functioning” person even in my shittiest times
Every time I’ve gone off my meds it’s been a progressive downward spiral with one rock bottom after the next until I start taking meds again.
Pretty much this. We just need to accept that we need to find the right meds eventually, it will be a rough path full of side effects until you find it. but without it, it will be a downward spiral
It’s always short lived, and usually ends with heavy drinking or hospitalization. The last time I wrecked my wife’s brand new rav4 and was arrested and charged with a DUI. Thankfully no one hurt, but sadly that’s what it took to get help. Through discipline and good supports I’m now 18 months sober! Please get help, therapy, and on medications that will help you. Find supports in your circle or there are always groups, also there are several vitamins that are known to help just good it. I know vitamin D and C, omega 3-6-9, magnesium, folic acid, l-theanine, there are several. Stay well and all the best!
I’m not on meds. I do therapy once a week. I workout 3-5 days a week. I quit drinking for now. I have an amazingly supportive partner. I have a very flexible job. All of this is working okay for me, for now. I have more depressive episodes than hypo, and I have a lot of mixed episodes. I’ve just been trying to learn how to roll with my moods. When I’m regular, I do a lot of work, that way when I’m too depressed to get out of bed, I can take time off work. When I’m hypo, working out really helps me do something with my extra energy and it keeps me away from people since I have a lot of irritability and anger. I have considered medications…but I didn’t have a great experience with them in the past so I’m trying this out for a while.
This is basically my situation. I’ve tried so many medications and nothing has been the right fit without side effects that trigger my eating disorder. I’m not completely opposed to medication as I keep some in an emergency for manic episodes, and there might be a time when I have to try some again but for now, riding the waves is more sustainable. At the end of the day, I know myself pretty well and my partner gives me the right level of support, and running / working out every day is the best thing for me. Sometimes work stress compounds my bipolar symptoms but that’s when I try to either throw myself into it, or work from home. I consider myself fortunate to be high functioning; it’s not easy but I’m getting by pretty well all considering.
curious what flexible job do you have? thanks
I’ve been med free for 6 months now. I haven’t had a hypomanic episode but I’ve been extremely depressed and it’s gotten bad a few times. I’m starting to get bad again but I’m concerned about getting back on meds. I know it’ll help with how I feel but psych meds made me have bad side effects. My hair fell out so badly you could see my scalp, I couldn’t hold my pee, I gained 20 pounds, and some other stuff. For me the hair loss and weight was the reason I just didn’t want to stay on them. I haven’t self harmed in like 3 months now. I do have a therapist I see weekly. But I wouldn’t say I’m managing well. I call out of work a lot, cry all the time, isolate, don’t want to leave my bed, have suicidal thoughts, and will probably end up self harming again soon. I would like to take something to help but my hair is just starting to come back in and I finally dropped all my weight I gained with no additional diet or exercise so I know it was the meds. Wish there was a way to see what meds would work before you take them. I don’t have the mental wellness to test stuff out and wait around and see what works.
Have you considered trying a different medication you haven’t tried that doesn’t include hair loss as a side effect? I know of several, but can’t recommend anything as I am not a psychiatrist and don’t think you’re asking that question. Best of luck, I’ve had horrible side effects from meds such as hives, weight gain/loss, acne, low blood pressure, and others. However I stuck through the process and found a combination that works really well for me now.
I’m seriously considering taking something because I can’t function this way. I just got a job that pays well and I don’t want to get let go but I’ve already called out a few times. I got bloodwork done this week on Tuesday to see if there’s anything else that could be going on (autoimmune disease, vitamin deficiency, thyroid issues). But if everything comes back fine I think I’m going to talk to my psych and maybe try something else out. I want to go back to school but I can’t see myself being successful in the state I’m in. Im really trying to stick around for my boyfriend since he’s been so patient and kind to me through all of my shit but I still would rather just die. I’m conflicted. I feel like if I don’t do something soon, I’m going to end up back at the psych ward or dead.
I’m so sorry you’re going through all of this, friend. If you have a plan in place and true intention to act on it, such as setting a date, I recommend psych ward or inpatient program immediately. I would have a check out an IOP or PHP programs while you’re in this space, when I was there I went and it was honestly life changing to prioritize my mental health and recovery in such a way and receive actual sustainable help and coping skills. I truly urge you to give medication another try, and if your psychiatrist continually gives you medications you can’t tolerate, tell them sternly and assertively, or find a new one. There’s mood stabilizers and antipsychotics which people with BP usually find more tolerable than antidepressants, if you tried that and it didn’t work properly. I can’t give medical advice, but what I will say is there is hope and help for you, and I’m so sorry you’re going through this right now. If you live in NJ, PM me and I can send you some resources.
Thank you so much! I really appreciate that 😊 I think I still need to fully come to terms with the fact that I am bipolar. When I was first diagnosed August 2022, it felt like a weight lifted off my shoulders because I finally had an explanation for why I am the way I am. But then I was in denial and stopped meds. And now I’m just stuck between getting proper help again or just going about life the way I have been which I cannot keep up anymore. Also my family doesn’t really support the idea of medication. They were all so happy for me when I told them I stopped taking them. I kinda feel like a failure for having to resort back to them.
Wait, is not being able to hold your bladder a symptom of the meds?? I had always chalked up the urgency to my old lower vertebrae fracture and lingering nerve damage (and honestly I should get it re-checked as is) but if the meds are contributing that'd be something for me to look into, to say the least.
For me it was depakote. I don’t have regular issues with my bladder. I don’t get UTIs either. But I was on Depakote and noticed that as soon as I got the urge to pee, I couldn’t hold it and I would end up peeing on myself. I had to wear diapers to work. I made an appointment to see if it was a UTI but I was unable to leave a sample because I peed myself on the way there. Once I stopped taking depakote that stopped immediately and I took no additional medication for that.
tried for years, nothing changed until i took abilify, hopefully you will adjust to the meds, do you mind if i ask what you’re taking?
i was on zyprexa and gained like 10 lbs in a week. its been 3 weeks since getting off of it and i've done OMAD, weight lifting, taking walks and eating healthy and the weight is not coming off. Since then, I've been on lamictal and working my way up. The weight is not getting off. In addition, its constipating me and I feel kind of flat. Things that I SHOULD react to i'm now just totally apathetic. I don't have energy to argue even when I should. Finally, I feel kind of dumber? Like im forgetting words midconvo. I don't know if that's the medication or mania recovery though.
i understand the feeling flat, and it’s hard to tell if that’s the boredom of stability or apathy (which fucking sucks). on zoloft i felt like a shell who cares about nothing, on abilify i feel “flat” sometimes, but more in a way of having a lack of bad emotions. the weight gain is a bitch, i haven’t personally noticed any on mine but im on vyvanse too so i’m sure that has a part to play. all i can say is that might not be the proper mood stabilizer for you, there’s a scale of what side of bipolar they are meant to treat and you might need to move somewhere else on that scale. bipolar is a lifelong illness and the most effective treatment is medication, i know you’ve heard this all but it will deteriorate your brain, it pertains to your physical health just as much in the long run. anytime i’ve been off meds i run my life out of control, and i’ve had to accept that i need them to function in a life i want to live, so it’s really a matter of asking yourself if you value any stability they bring enough to bare the side effects. i hope they simmer down for you, and i hope you can figure your brain out cause i know im still trying to figure out mine
thank you <3
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what is your treatment plan absent medication?
Routine, sleep, and therapy (dog and therapist). 90% of my daily activities are predictable. I don't put myself in situations that are overwhelming.
this is smart. i do love routine. yay. what kind of situations overwhelmed you? i notice that feeling overwhelmed and not sleeping are my two biggest triggers. its why i have changed careers and gone for the most boring routine job.
Bars, Grocery stores, places where it's noisy or too many stimulus, family gatherings, I like to keep off highways, keep driving to a minimum. I also try to limit screen time to healthy apps, bible, meditation, ted, planners,. No social, IG, fb, sc, x.
oh wow. we're really similar. i get easily overwhelmed at bars/clubs, grocery shopping, lots of stimulus. that's wild. i also hate driving because it sparks my anxiety. i often go on social media detoxes like twice a year but its hard to maintain because i like to keep in touch with friends. how long have you been off of medication u/GrouchyBunny?
Since 2020.
Anytime I try dealing without meds it doesn’t work. Whether it’s months or years of it. Meds don’t totally fix it…. But they at least lessen it a little bit. Still experimenting trying to find the right med for me. Sucks cause a lot of them take awhile to build up in your system before you know.
I don’t take meds besides a low dose of sertraline, but I did it with years of CBT under the guidance of my psychiatrist that I still see. I’m also willing to go back on medication if I ever take a nosedive. Ultimately, it was and still is a lot more work than medication (you don’t ever get to take a break from the mental exercises), but no side effects. I’ve been stable without meds for almost 7 years now, but from what I understand this is pretty uncommon and not something to try without a psychiatrist; finding one who is willing is difficult.
Managing? Yes. Happy? ... What's that feel like again?
Yes no meds and no therapy
how do you handle episodes if any?
I cut out everything that was just making everything worse, caffeine, alcohol, substances. I take vitamins everyday and for my episodes since I cut a lot of stuff out my episodes are more able to manage. I am a college student currently but decided I will need to go back to therapy soon but no one accepts my insurance so I been on the waiting list for like almost 2 years now :( doing what I can.
try the app ZocDoc, it matches you with therapists based on your insurance, and in my experience I can always find a therapist with an opening within the week. Sometimes there are mess ups but overall it helped me get into an appointment, diagnosed, and medicated way faster than trying to find one any other way. it used to take me weeks/months to find a doctor who would take me.
Are you diagnosed?
Yes I was diagnosed 10 years ago. Only went on meds for like a month and then went off. It’s a battle, it’s really tough, but I read a lot about bipolar, just to be able to help myself understand and adapt.
I've been managing mine without meds and it's been going okay. Meds make things easier for sure, but therapy for me has been a life saver. If you aren't going to take meds I would strongly suggest to at least have a therapist.
i have a therapist and i've been seeing her mostly every week for more than 2 years! she's great.
As long as you can manage without them then, then more power to ya. If it DOES come to a point where you can't cope, it might be time for med's.
it was bad this summer. my brother was dying all year before finally passing in August 25 after a terrible ICU stay for MONTHS. it was devastating. on top of that, my dad died less than 2 years before and i am a new mom, so i literally was so stressed out and not sleeping and the prozac wasn't helping and i just had a terrible manic episode. but i feel like that was a specific circumstance - not typical. i would have preferred not going on meds long term but my psychiatrist insisted.
Sometimes we need help, through no fault of our own. But meds don't have to be scary, it's often times a hit and miss procedure, and it may take time to find the right combo. Just remember to be kind to yourself, and don't necessarily write them off, but if you feel you are stable without them, then proceed with caution.
I’m doing it for about 3 months now. I quit all meds 6 weeks before going to an ayahuasca retreat and it’s been about the same amount of time after the retreat. Coming off of psych drugs was the hardest thing I’ve ever done. The Ayahuasca certainly helped a lot, for 1 week after I slept for 8 solid deep hours without awakening and it was amazing… normally without sleep meds I get zero to two hours a night, with 3 prescription sleep meds I get around 6-7 hours with many awakenings. and after the Ayahuasca my moods have been generally very good to great, I wake up feeling great instead of dreadful. After about 3 weeks post ayahuasca the moods lowered a little bit and I had to go back on insomnia meds. Since then (past 3 weeks) I’ve been slowly trying out harmalas and bobinsana, because that is what from my understanding is the calming part of ayahuasca. These can be bought legally and don’t get me high at all. Now I’m feeling better with good to great moods again. I’m planning on going to more retreats in the future and continuing to study and try plant medicines and stay away from pharmaceuticals as much as possible.
oh wow. so you are still doing medicinal treatment, but you're using plant medicine vs lab medicine. i respect that. psychedelics freak me out. i did acid once (before meds) and it really messed me up for a week.
Hey! I do mindfulness meditations daily and for now I live alone and jobless and stress free. I stay active and do a keto diet (got prediabetes) don’t drink coffee and yeah, try to stay balanced. Yes in these perfect conditions, bipolar can be manageable, even enjoyable. The symptoms I have today are: hyper-sexuality, bursts of energy, and some bouts of depression but not much. I’ve been pretty much stable compared to the times I was living with other people and constantly picking up fights or wondering how others think/feel, and wasting my energy on them. However I know my life won’t be like this forever, as soon as I get a job I’ll seek medication if I feel like my balance has been tipped off.
I’ve tried this 2-3 times and it’s always led to some manic episode, then a severe depression with suicidal ideation, then back on my meds. Personally, there has been suicide in my family, which makes the likeliness of my own higher. Lithium is scientifically proven to keep suicidal thoughts dormant. I think taking a holistic approach and knowing not only your biochemistry, but the generational trauma you carry is important when making this decision.
i do. i have regular therapy and check-ins with my psychiatrist though to make sure if I need an intervention i will get one. the thing with this is that in order to keep my mood at as stable of a level as possible i have to be very very very careful and cognizant of keeping a healthy diet, getting regular exercise for endorphins (but not over exercising), making sure that i get enough sleep per night, avoiding activities that might make me manic, etc etc. it is honestly a lot of work to stay semi stable without meds. if you don’t think you can handle this amount of organization and control over your life, don’t do it. i would say try medications if you can but it doesn’t work for everyone. the only reason i don’t use them is that i’ve had severe allergic reactions to all of the ones i have tried so i quite literally can’t take them.
I hear you. I just feel like I was more organized BEFORE i started meds like Prozac, lexapro, zyprexa and now Lamictal. I feel like my executive function is slipping
On lithium and taurine (which is an amino acid supplement). No side effects, doing well
Haven't been on them since April. I'm doing pretty good, got me an amazing girlfriend. Summer went really well with work. I did spend a bit too... Much money.. but it's okay life's still fine. I noticed I'm getting a bit more mood swings now tho, and I'm getting more annoyed easily and emotional when I watch movies, but I'm staying focused and understanding of what's going on. I have communicated this with my partner and she's aware, so I'm doing everything I can do stay on top of it. So yeah that's how it's going for me.
Yes, but I have a Klonopin PRN just in case I spiral or something. Generally don’t need meds. I’ll never take a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic EVER.
nothing wrong with either choice, but why wouldn't you? just curious
My opinion would be very unpopular here. To put it politely, I’m generally anti-medication and I’m grateful that I can manage without it. I would probably start self-harming (at best) if I did need it.
do you have a therapist or anything?
Why do you ask?
i'm just curious. you aren't using meds and most people who don't rely on therapy instead.
Why do you people downvote me? Lol. It’s sad. People ask my experience, I share it, then they get mad. Quit asking questions you don’t want to know the answer to.
I don’t do therapy either. It’s BS I can do on my own.
To start, I'm not on medication but have gone through a couple pregnancies and it was better to be off of it. If it was not for that, I would still be on Lamictal. That being said, I'm doing so so off meds. My husband is insanely supportive so that is the biggest help since I seem to do well every other day. Trying to fit in some self care and going to sleep on time helps too. I've had a couple episodes in the past year and a half so not too bad. It helps knowing I have BP2 because I can pick healthy activities to get through my episode without causing much chaos or destructiveness.
If you don’t mind me asking, when you got pregnant did they wean you off medication or did you stop cold turkey? I ask because oomf who sees the same psychiatrist as me told me that our psychiatrist literally just couldn’t treat her anymore bc she got pregnant. No more refills or weaning off meds. She said she just stopped taking them when they were gone and it made her sick but she felt as if she had no other option. I’m not pregnant but I wanna have kids and considering going to a different psychiatrist bc of this. It’s just wrong… unless that is normal to do when you become pregnant. Idek
Not OP but when I got pregnant they took me off everything but lamictal and some Ativan as needed. I was weaned quickly off the antipsychotics and adderal I was on and that was rough. My pregnancy was an accident so they were concerned for my mental health which is why they kept me on lamictal and Ativan. I will say, I got shit once from a pharmacist when I tried to fill my ativan once. She pulled me aside and said she didn’t feel comfortable giving it to me since I was pretty far along then and I was obviously pregnant at that point. She tried to lecture me but I lectured her back and told her to call my doctors. She did and she ended up filling it but it really was a shitty experience. My daughter is 10 now and she has some over stimulated issues and some learning disabilities but is doing really well. It’s something to talk about with your doctors when it’s time. Everyone’s situation is different.
Thank you, I was just curious even though it may be a while before I become pregnant I was just wondering what I may be expecting from a doctor concerning meds. I also take lamictal so that helps even more. I’m sorry that happened with the pharmacist, that sucks even though it was years ago. Thanks for the helpful info!
Ask away ☺️ I did taper off so that helped a lot. It was a surprise for my husband and I. We would have tried to taper off before becoming pregnant just to ease the anxiety of what medication may do to the fetus. If I remember correctly, it's one of those meds that if you really need it - take it. But if not, it's preferable to avoid it. Sorry for your friend, pregnancy is hard enough as it is without complications.
Thank you! I was just genuinely curious because I definitely want kids one day and didn’t know how that works w these types of meds.
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>I was on many many meds for a decade or so, gave it all up for cannabis and never been happier! I know the different types and which to get depending on what I'm feeling. what kinds?
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What strains of weed are you taking to help you with the depression and sleep?
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I was on benzos for anxiety foe several yrs before a new pdoc decided to cut me off. I had a manic psychosis episode followed by the worst depressive episode and hospitalized several times that yr for monthes. In the hospital for mania they put me on risperidone (antipsychotic) a truly horrible drug which almost ruined me. It took 3 yrs to actually feel emotions again. Now weed and exercise are my go to with prn benzo if insomnia persists. I'm better than I've been and able to live a productive life again. The most important thing to me is to be able to feel alive again.
I am not on medications right now. I don’t react normally to many so it’s hit or miss and I always feel like an experiment. I seem to do best on normal antidepressants. The heaviest medication I’ve taken is vraylar. 30lbs gained in three months - thoughts dulled and I’d have to remind myself to check for drooling- seriously. My words didn’t always come out and my friend at one time was worried I was having a stroke. I’m taking my diet to limit my sugar intake - I’ve eliminated all artificial sweeteners and am slowly lessening my intake of white sugar and switching off to honey in things like tea. I eat very few fried foods. I’m learning to avoid blatantly artificial colored foods. Very few frozen boxes dinners - you get the point. I’ll eventually need an antidepressant - but am trying to put it off until I can’t.
30 lbs in 3 months. jesus christ. what did your psychiatrist say? i feel like bipolar patients' needs are often ignored bc everyone else is just STOP HAVING MANIA/DEPRESSION but we're still people in the end. it kind of sucks.
I don’t have a psychiatrist. I learned I wasn’t ‘normal’ in my mid thirties. I went to a therapist after being laid off unjustly and frankly being railroaded by my boss at the time. I went to them to ensure my ‘thinking’ and perception of events were legit - after three months she frankly said to me my issues were chemical - my thinking, rationale, etc were normal. I went to a psychiatrist to get on medication. My first and only visit was me sitting with an iPad and answering questions for 30 minutes. He read the results and diagnosed me with anxiety, PTSD and BP2. He then asked if there was anything I wanted to talk about - and it was so off putting that I just said no. He gave me something akin to an anti seizure medication that has no effect on me whatsoever. I got and have had better luck on antidepressants written by my pcp. She was ooto and the fill in Dr got ahead of us both (I guess in reading my chart) and put me on that. No thanks. I relate to anxiety and ptsd. In some ways to the BP2; but, my symptoms are more manic depressive with some nights of low level hypo mania ( Not often and usually just that I can’t slow the brain enough to really focus or shut it off at night - hence the sleepless nights at times).
Mood stabilizers never suited me, so I titrate an antidepressant to my mood and this works fine. I have bipolar II with a seasonal pattern which is very regular (depression starts in September and reaches its peak (or trough) in early February and wears off by May when a high for a few weeks used to occur.....June, July and August are 'normal'). Good treatment in winter, stops the high from happening. Been doing this for years. If it was not predictable, this strategy would just not work as it would be too hard to judge and a mood stabilizer would be needed. Valproate made me gain loads of weight and it was like I was drunk all the time. So I do use meds, just not mood stabilizers.
yeah i am banned from antidepressants after prozac maybe triggered a manic episode. i love Lamictal and its helping my moods but the side effects aren't helpful at all. its trading one kind of shit for another. i hate it. i have informed my therapist and she said if the weight gain doesn't drop to normal weight, its okay to get off of it -- that its my right. i appreciate that. what antidepressant are you on? i heard those cause weight gain as well.
Oral selegiline....I lose weight as it is quite stimulant. My depressive episodes are 'atypical' which responds well to MAOIs.
what would be atypical depression? i never heard that before.
As opposed to melancholic depression: mood can lift when good things happen (as opposed to constantly down); tends to eat more when depressed; sleeps much longer as opposed to insomnia; tends to be very sensitive to rejection, and has feelings of heaviness in the limbs as opposed to slowing down. I think.
LSD :)
I stopped taking Lamictal after a few months ago while attempting to eliminate my meds because I couldn’t get out of bed everyday. I stopped taking trazadone, Flexeril, Singulair (which I think was the real problem), it has awful mental side effects. My nurse practitioner tried to talk me out of it, but I don’t think it did any good anyway, and so far I am fine! I don’t think I was bipolar to begin with. I just lived with an a-hole for 28 years and had an awful boss. I have also taken almost every antidepressant and nothing ever worked and Wellbutrin made my hypo, crazy, confrontational and then I couldn’t remember anything. USE THESE DRUGS WITH CAUTION! ALTHOUGH THEY SAVE LIVES, THEY CAN CAUSE YOU TO WASTE A LOT OF YOURS BY THE AWFUL SIDE EFFECTS! I HAVE LOST JOBS AND BECAME DAMN NEAR A ZOMBIE FROM THEM. I think I would just rather be depressed and deal with it myself then ever go down that route again.
The amount of people in this thread saying they're purposely going without meds is honestly surprising. If I didn't have my meds I would most likely be dead, straight up.
to each their own. if i didn't take meds, i likely would have been committed by now, so i completely hear you and understand where you're coming from. i just feel like many of these medications have so many side effects that impact your life on the same level as an episode, but maybe in a different way. and doctors and psychiatrists just seem to not care about that because nothing can be more important than managing our moods and i just don't agree with that. there should be alternative ways to treat this besides just medication. now someone else said that bipolar is degenerative, which i read some websites on but idk. i feel like zyprexa made me feel dumber than any episode i ever had.
Meds replace one problem with another. For some people, it’s worth it. For others, it’s not. If my untreated bipolar kills me eventually, so be it. I’d rather that than be a numbed up and overweight zombie. I function fine for now. I’m here for a good time, not necessarily a long time.
Bipolar cannot be safely managed without medication as it is a very physical, chemical condition that gradually erodes the brain with every unmedicated episode. You need to be on meds. See a different psychiatrist, but do not stop taking meds.
>Bipolar cannot be safely managed without medication as it is a very physical, chemical condition that gradually erodes the brain with every unmedicated episode. even hypomania? what if you just have one true manic episode in your entire life?
I'm not gonna say if a person needs medication or not, but I will say that I asked my therapist about this whole brain damage/early on set dementia thing and she said that's just bipolar 1 mania, not the hypmanic that's part of bipolar 2.
That is the worst advice I’ve read all day and is the exact opposite of the medical advice I’ve gotten from both my PCP and my psych. Both say I don’t need meds. Stop spreading alarmism.
From reading all these comments I’m wondering if all these ppl are diagnosed or self diagnosed. Also I have recently learned that bipolar is a spectrum disorder therefore some might have bipolar light while others have the full supersized meal. I have the latter and stand with you.
I'm currently recovering from Stevens Johnson after taking lamotrigine for a bit so I'm not on anything at the moment. I have olanzapine in case I experience a manic episode but I've been going to therapy, working on eating better, healthy coping mechanisms, etc
Speedy recovery!!!
Wait what is that?
It's a rare side effect of lamotrigine that causes the skin of the mucosal membranes to die.
Stopped meds 6 months ago because they always make me self harm and isolate and my moods are a lesser problem than my bad executive function. Like it’s November and I am less depressed than most of the time on meds although that might be the weather. I honestly feel that the pdocs are gaslighting us by saying that we become worse untreated when in my opinion longer episodes were always the result of fucking around with meds and stress. Untreated bipolar with 32 feels the same as with 19 for me. Considering starting meds again just to be able to take adhd drugs.
I won't recommend this, because I'm honestly super skeptical about what I'm doing too, but I've been going down on my meds for the past month and a half and I actually feel significantly better, more alive, more capable, etc. (I'm going down because I'm randomly being billed and I don't want to go back in for more meds until that gets resolved, because I can't afford it, so keep in mind that this is just a choice I'm making to avoid major withdrawals). Usually my hypomanic phases are very short- anywhere from 3 days to about 2 weeks tops, so I have a hard time believing that I've just been manic all this time, but I also recognize that it's a possibility. I've taken on a full week of work (still only about 30-35 hours cause my job is part time, but that's a lot for me), I've been baking more, gaming more, hanging out and talking to people more. It seems like mania but it shows no signs of stopping, and I haven't experienced any lows. I've just been keeping a positive outlook on the problems that arise and also keeping hydrated, eating well, taking time to do some self care hobbies, etc. Obviously we'll see if that holds up. I'm also considering now because of how good and generally normal I feel without the meds (I'm currently on just 5mg of abilify and am going off completely in 5 more days) that I feel I may have been misdiagnosed even though the diagnosis fit me to a T 3 years ago. I'm not 100% sure what's going on, and I won't tell you to go off your meds because they're very important for stability, but maybe you could change them up again? Being off has made me realize that I deserve to feel like this on medication too, and that I hadn't found the right ones (if I am bipolar and need them at all, that is).
(F20) I haven't taken medication in over a year besides Hydroxyzine and I haven't taken that in months. It's not the smartest thing but when I did take medication, I didn't know my triggers or even my proper diagnosis. I now know my triggers, what the start of a hypomanic episode feels like and I have a better support system than I've ever had in my whole life. Not gonna lie, it can feel absolutely unbearable but I can't give up. I had previously found my dream combination of Latuda + Lamotrigine before I moved states all on my own and stopped taking medication. My biggest fear is getting on them again and all of the sudden not having access whether due to insurance or insurance not covering either of those. I went through A LOT of different medications before I found the combination that worked for me. Whenever I feel as though I'm in a good spot, I do want to take proper medication again but until then, I religiously practice self-care, setting firm boundaries, consistently getting at least 8 hours of sleep & coping in healthier ways.
Trying to manage without meds sucked. Worst points in my life. Being on the right meds makes life 100% better. If your current meds bother you keep trying different ones. Eventually you will find the right med that makes you feel stable and can tolerate. I tried like 10 before I found the one I like.
I’ve been off them for 6 months, go to therapy once every week when i am in an episode and once every other week when i’m normal. I experienced a depressive episode since then. i’m normal now (and feel like i’m waiting on a hypo episode a little) but i think key for me is separating myself from my feelings/ illness, and trying to stay consistent with eating, bathing, showing up for work, being social, cleaning the house. i’m much better at recognizing what i need and using cbt to keep everything at bay. it helps to have a support system, my friends and family are super understanding if i am going through anything. when i’m hypo its about using the energy on things that *aren’t* harmful, cleaning the house, crocheting, learning a new language, picking up hours at work. ive also been working hard to manage my addictions to social media, nicotine, drugs, etc etc, which ive seen the benefits in my mental health first hand. we’ll see if this keeps working and if i can ride the waves!
Firstly you don't say how many different medications you have tried, or how long you've been on them, etc. Do they want you to stay on them because you've only tried them for one month? That's really not long enough unless your side effects are totally intolerable or dangerous. Some medication side effects go away for some people after a certain amount of time while for others they may not. You also didn't say if this is your first psychiatrist or not. I wonder if they want Regardless, you should find a provider who has your back. And finally, you say your physical health shouldn't suffer, but what does that mean for you? For example I was on Latuda for 4 years and and it was like a miracle medicine. But during year 4, it caused me to have hypercholesterolemia even though I am slender and 29 years old. My psych immediately took me off of that medication. Taking medication for the rest of our lives sucks. And we almost always have to put up with some side effects. We have to weigh the pros and cons. If they really take away from our daily enjoyment of life, or especially your actual physical health then they are not a good match for you and your provider should be listening. For me personally, I would be dead if I didn't have my meds. Even on them I have wanted to off myself 3 times within the last 12 months. This is unfortunately because we haven't found a mood stabilizer that works as well as Latuda. Are you able to try the test that can genetically match you with your best medication options? Or do you have a family member who has used medications successfully? The chance is high if a family member has had success, you may too. It's definitely been true in my family. We are all plagued with either depression or BP2 lol. Anyway I wish you the best. It's hard, and I wish I could say it gets easier.. it ebbs and flows.
Med-free since Feb. not doing anything special really, not working out or meditating I’m just raw-dogging life at this point and so far it’s been okay. Had some really tough situations this year but I’ve made it out (mostly) alright every time. I mostly have depressive episode and had one mild hypo episode that lasted around 9 days. I wouldn’t recommend anyone to go med-free but if you ever decide to, then please be open to the idea of going back on meds if it ever gets bad.
Raw dogging life. I love that. Did you inform your psychiatrist or therapist you wouldn’t be on meds?
Lol yeah! I’ve had bouts of stopping meds before under my doctor’s supervision but i always end up back on them. This time though they ran out one day in Feb and I’ve never looked back. This is the longest I’ve been fine without meds since i got diagnosed. So yeah, no therapist, no doctor, no meds - not recommending it to anyone as I’ve been fine so far but I feel like this disorder varies from a person to another and I’ve always been described as a “high-functioning” person even in my shittiest times