But if its a imbalance in the brain and medication fixes it then its nothing something thst u can learn to manage fully ever yourself. Just like dietbeties. U can help yourself so u live better but u may always need medication rest of your life to mske things even in the brain.

Ive asked and felt how u have before now.

I figure why change something thats not beoken or working well enough?

If you're having a problem with a side effect(s) I would discuss it with your pdoc.....

I don't know anyone really that's been able to be off meds "ongoing' and be okay

Sometimes it's alright for a period of time but then that person eventually crashes

This has been my experience..... Gentle hug...... I hope you can find a med or regime that works well for you......xo

The thing is its not a possibility to not take meds to control BiPolar Disorder and live a Stable life.

So it boils down to what kind of life do you want to have? Meds can be changed, side effects can be lessened, when stability is reached meds can be eased to a maintenance level if your going to Therapy regularly and are very good at using your coping skills.

But in the end to control your BiPolar Disorder you have to take meds. There is not currently an alternative.

Think of it like a person that is a diabetic that depends on insulin to stay healthy and stay alive. If they are feeling better, should they not take insulin? Unfortunately, there is SO much stigma and that mental illness is something you can just control if you set your mind to it. This is a real physiological disorder. Medications and not evil. Nor are they unnatural. Many medications have been derived from a ‘natural’ source.

I know a few people
Who do not take meds for BPD. They are married in stable relationships, have kids and full time jobs.
Whether or not you can do without meds probably has to do with severity of your symptoms.
Also, if meds are difficult to tolerate, you can probably get genetetif testing done to see which ones would be the best for you.
People metabolize drugs differently. You may need a different schedule.
For example - the docs always told me SSRI or NSRI will take 2 weeks to kick in - I feel the effects within 2 hours and it lingers on.
I have to take Chmbalta 2-3 times per week, otherwise I can’t get out of bed.
Good luck !!!!

I understand where you're coming from. I've always thought a lot of mental illnesses were overly diagnosed and I've always been a pull yourself up by your bootstraps kind of person. It took me a while to accept my diagnosis and accept the fact that there really was something wrong with the way my brain works. Something that only medication could fix. It's a tough pill to swallow. Literally and figuratively.

Plus I'm so terrified of becoming depressed or manic again it's enough to keep me on the straight and narrow.

But if you're truly determined to get off of meds talk to your psych dr first.

I’m in agreement with most of the previous comments: this is physiological. Sometimes it takes time to find the right concoction. Combine that with therapy and you will feel that it is more “natural”. I take steroids so that my lungs can function. I take meds so my brain can function. It’s so much part of my routine that it feels “normal”. Stigma be damned, meds work. And so does my therapy, my meditations, and all the other tools in my life. You’ll find the balance. Prayers for strength and peace.

A side effect of Bipolar = wanting to go off meds.

Everyone I know with bipolar has wanted one time or another to go off meds.

I've been on meds over 20 years and I asked my pdoc last month if I could "start over" go off meds = he asked what happen last time I was off meds,...... manic, crash depressed,....

You are not alone, its common mental thoughts and/or rants...

((((BIG HUG))))))

I have an emergency department with 12 psych patients that decide to medicate themselves by other means. 1. not taking the medication and having a manic psychotic break. Or 2. They’ve decided to start using meth or heroin to handle their issues. Neither option is good. If you have manic bipolar disorder you need to be on medication to function. You need to figure out what medications work best. Work with your Psychiatrist and change medications accordingly. Do not suddenly stop taking medications without a provider knowing the repercussions can be horrible!
If you cannot be a functioning human being not taking your bipolar medication you need to be on medication. People function all the time on medication. There are plenty of doctors and nurses and actresses actors plumbers cable television installers ... or whatever it is you do and they take medication. Feeling like a functional Human being gives you purpose. Find your purpose!

People have said this a lot, but if you were an insulin dependent diabetic yiu would stop taking insulin just cause you feel sorry for yourself. You have a real illness and it needs treated just like cancer or asthma or heart disease. It requires medical attention. Just because you can’t see it doesn’t make it less real.

My last really, really bad Manic Ep. was in 2011, it lasted for 4 weeks. I was fine, I was good, so I didn't need meds, so I stopped my meds, I stopped eating, I didn't sleep for days on end, then would grab 2 hours here or there. But who cares because I was freaking Superwoman!!!!

I went to work one morning I was helping out a friend and working for him for 6 weeks as a Dispatcher while his was on Maternity Leave.

I remember going to work that day, I remember being very groggy and feeling all kinds of weird and out of sorts. Apparently I kept passing out because my head would hit he desk and the "thud" would wake me up. After about 45 minutes of this and dispatching people to god knows where, Jon sent me home because I didn't look well. lol Dumb ass.

Now I'd been passing out over and over again for the last 45 minutes and he told me to go get in my car and go home. Sure no problem. I got in my car and begin my 15 minute drive home down a very Hilly, mountainy road full of switchbacks, bridges and S curves. I made it 2 miles, then hit the big Hill, 40 ft. down to the bottom and 40 ft. back up to the top, except when I hit the top at 65 mph I was already passing out and had crossed over onto the oncoming traffics lane, off the other side of the road and into a huge decorative Boulder at the front of a small subdivision.

When I woke up there was a bicyclist talking to me through the window, he'd called 911. I couldn't move, the engine to my car was mostly in the front seat beside me, my legs from the knees down were smashed up inside the dash. I had a major concussion, airbag injuries, a brain bleed, a broken vertebrae in my back 2 broken ribs, and a cracked left collar bone. My body looked like it had been dipped in purple and blue die in all different colors. I has massive bruising over 87% of my body.

I remember the firetruck getting their. I remember my sons Capt. taking his coat off and putting it over me while they cut the roof of my car off with the Jaws of Life, I remember being in and out, I remember Phillips hand in mine every time I'd wake up and freak out all over again trying to figure out where I was and what was happening.

I don't remember much of anything else. Don't remember being pulled out of the car, or being put in the ambulance, or getting to the Hospital. I remember waking in the hospital like once for about 5 minutes. Don't remember going home the next day and don't remember the next 2 weeks even though I went out and bought a new car. Every day for a week and a half I would look outside and see a strange car in my driveway and call my MIL crying because someone was at my house, and she'd have to explain all over again.

I kept passing out because my sugar had tanked, at one point they couldn't even get it to register, I'd had a Hypoglycemic attack, I'd been having the all morning and my friend should never have told me to go get in a car and drive. I was incredibly lucky that there was nobody coming in the other lane because I would have killed them most likely.

Stopping meds when your BiPolar will get you seriously hurt in one way or another. Whether it be financially, physically, in trouble with friends, in trouble with the Law.....

There is just never a good reason to stop your BiPolar meds. If you're having trouble with the side effects, then work with your Dr. to find the right meds. Do the research, look at other meds and med combo's, see what's worked for others.....but please don't ever just stop your meds.

The consequences are never worth it. To this day there's a good 3 week chunk of my life that I just cannot remember.

Kat