Is there anyone out there who has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder?
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It is common for people that have bipolar to stop taking meds for many reasons but I really do not recommend it at all. Meds are needed and I know very few people that are bipolar and can live with out medication. If there is no way you are going to take meds I would recommend that you try DBT (Dialectical behavioral therapy) it was originally used for the treatment of borderline personality disorder but is now used for bipolar disorder and shows great promise. good luck take care
Yes, I have been diagnosed. Abilify seems to help the most with stabilizing my moods and does not have the side-effects associated with it like most medications.
yes , yes, yes. I wanted to do things without the meds but my body chemistry changes too much for me to not be on them. Lithium has been the best thing to work for me so far. I have been on lithium for about 2years. I have tried several other medications but there doesnt seem to be any that work greatly for the problems with sleep and depression. If you are going to try and not use the meds read up on what you must eat in order to help balance your body chemicals. Get regular sleep I cannot stress enough how sleep or lack there of can trigger a manic or depression episode. Whenever I get into a routine is when I start to feel better. If you have been diagnosed recently I would stick by your docs for awhile and see what works and what doesnt so you know that you have tried those options. Im pretty sure you will get plenty of answers to this question as there are a lot of people with bipolar. Thats the main thing to remember is that you are not alone.
Yes. After I was committed I tried for a period to not take my meds, and it didn't work. I recommend a little bit of self honesty. If a medication helps you, why not use it? It doesn't mean you're weak, it means you realize that you need help. Stay on your meds if you have them, trust me it's not worth facing the problem alone. But if you must, see a counselor at least once a weak and be VERY self analytical, try to notice when you snap, or when you go into fits of hysteria, and when you go into these states try to mentally will yourself out of them. It's not easy, but it can be done. For me it was just to much.
I was diagnosed with bipolar years ago. I took meds for awhile then quit taking them thinking I could do it without them. I was sooooooo wrong. I began to rapid cycle and never could get control of it. Now I'm in debt up to my eye balls, my marriage is barely hanging in there and my son has moved out (he's 11) to live with his grand parents. I finally went just this last week and got back on my meds but now I have an additional diagnosis. I now have bipolar and borderline personality disorder. So please stick with the meds. Its worth it.
There is no way to "face the disorder" without medication. Psychotherapy is most assuredly helpful in managing day-to-day issues which arise, but it surely cannot do thing one to stabilize you chemically. For a person with bipolar disorder to knowingly stop meds is not only foolish, it can also be very, very dangerous (particularly if you become psychotic during manic or depressive phases).
To "face bipolar disorder without meds" is the equivalent of saying "I'm a diabetic, but thought I'd face my disorder without insulin". Neither will work, and both will eventually result in harm to the patient.
If you don't need medication, you are not truely Bipolar. Bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance in the brain, that is why specific mood stabilizers like Lithium are effective in treating it. The mood stabilizers act on the chemicals like dopamine and serotonin to regulate the mood. Scientists are not sure how or why, but they know it works.
People who claim that they don't need medication were never really Bipolar.
It is much like insulin-dependent diabetes. Without medication, it will ruin your life.
I take my meds everyday (8 meds) because if not, I could not function. I have been in hospitals and jail cells and as I get older, wish to stay out of them.
i have had bipolar disorder all my life. i wasnt properly diagnosed until in my 20s. i never took medication for many years, cause there was no really good stuff. but ive resumed medication a few years ago (fluvoxamine) and it really helps. without medication , i really find it impossible to cope for very long. there is medication available now with very minoe side-effects, and i think you should consider this. talk to a good doctor, okay? sorry i cant be more help.
There are tons of us with bipolar! I take medication and it seems to help. If you don't want to take medication, make sure you are working with a therapist who knows what they are doing and who you trust.
Also, eating right and exercising helps keep everything in balance. Journalling can help keep things in perspective and help you understand yourself more. Keeping in contact with good friends helps keep you accountable for your actions.
My best friend was diagnosed with bipolar disorder and I work with children that have pediatric bipolar disorder. It is important to know that the medication that works for one person does not neccessarily work for another. It took my friend ( and some of my students) almost a year to find out what worked best for her. you have to give the medication time, yet if it does not work in a couple months switch. It is almost impossible to have bipolar disorder and face it without medication. It is very important to find the right medication and take it faithfully.
My mother and sister both have bipolar dissorder. I HIGHLY recommend NOT facing it without meds! I know that the idea of taking medication for the rest of your life is daunting, but imagine your life if you don't. Depression you can't get yourself out of, to the point of possible suicide. Mania that causes you to do things you normally wouldn't do, possibly lose your job, your friends. My mom tried to go without her medication, and ended up going on a shoping spree.with a closed checking account, unable at the time to see the consequences. I could go on...and on, and on..about things my mother has done unmedicated. Please please please...take the advice of your therapist, try different combinations of meds, and eventually you will find the right combo for you, hopefully with minimal side effects!
I was diagnosed bi-polar 4 years ago. The doctors put me on effexor xr and on lamictol. They increased the dosage over a 2 year span until I reached the maximum. I was heavily addicted to the effexor and having problems functioning because of it.
I quit taking the meds and was in bed seasick for 3 days straight. I mean I was truly very ill, throwing up and the whole bit. After being off the meds now for 2 years I am feeling better. Used cognitive therapy and my diagnosis was changed from bi-polar to PTSD. I still suffer from panic attacks, just had one a couple of hours ago in fact, but overall am doing much better.
I hate to concur with everyone else, but there doesn't seem to be any way to face bi-polar disorder without meds.
***This part is my own opinion*** I studied it as much as possible and bi-polar triggers seem to have alot in common with epileptic seizures. It's not a coincidence that many of the meds used to treat BP actually started out as epilepsy medications. ***
I went through almost all the BP meds before I found the one that was right for me. Everyone is different and the med that is perfect for one BP patient will be aweful for the next. For me lithium, depakote, abilify, zyprexa, and topomax all made me feel AWEFUL. But I know other BP patients who had great success on many of these meds.
For me the final drug I tried was Tegretol and that works GREAT for me. (Figures I didn't try it first my luck usually works that way.) So if you've tried one or a couple meds and you didn't like them keep looking. I hear Trileptal and Lamotrigine both work well with little common side effects. But again everyone is different.
But again you really can't face this without meds in my experience. It's not a matter of willpower or fruedian issues, it's a electro-chemical reaction going on in your brain.
A good list of meds and their relative benefits is here http://www.psycheducation.org/depression...
There are lots of library books about people with this disorder that have done this very thing and they all warn against doing it. Never self-diagnose. They get to feeling pretty good on the meds and then decide to go off. Bad idea. If your doctor takes you off, then you have to learn to cope and deal with it. That may be no easy task. Do you have panic attacks? Phobias or anxiety? These things are exhausting. Without meds, they'll wear you out and make you crazy.
Are you eating right? Those B vitamins can mean so much at the end of a long day. Do you get a good night's sleep? Lack of sleep makes me crazy. Are you exercising? It wears me out and makes my head pound while I'm lifting weights but I eat better and drink more water. Are you getting some sodium? I can't sleep when my sodium is too low. Can you stay sober? Know yourself. If you don't, a bad situation can be made much worse.
Like you, I'm bipolar but would never even consider not taking my meds.
I take Cymbalta & Depakote.
I'm bipolar, and happily medicated. I went off my meds a couple times, but never for long. The last time I lasted a week before I was put in the hospital because I was a danger to myself. I got back on my meds and I'll stay on them because I don't feel the need to go through that again. Sometimes I miss the person I was before the meds, but the bits that I miss aren't worth tolerating everything that comes along with it.
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