i think it really depends on what psychiatrist you have. i have a new one and she never puts me on anything i don't want to be on, and we start out own a low dose.

and for meds if you are on them for a long time on a high dose and they are bad, you just get off of them slowly and you barely notice it at all. it took me 3 weeks to get off depakote, but i didn't get any bad symptoms from getting off of it.

it just depends on what you take. i get frustrated a lot because i'm extremely sensitive to new meds, but it just depends.
some work, some don't, but i think it would really help you in the long run to get on meds.

going med free never works for me

Self abuse comes in many forms.

being that its so possible w assistance of correct medication and correct mg to make your self mental & physically better and your daily life better, why wont you take care of yourself for yourself and others ???

am on geodon, mood stablizer and anxiety med.
anxiety med as in when needed.my meds are not ad'dit'ive. But am smart enough to know if I should opt to discontine 1 or more of brain meds, I will need to slowly ween myself off any such meds.

If you were to require medication for your heart would you take it ? will the brain is no difrent if it requires medication.

again self abuse comes in many forms.



Everyone though I was alright too w/o meds except myself and certain close friends.
I live w myself 24/7 and I knew I wasnt quite right so I got pdoc and correct meds.
I can say that I have a happy and full life worth liveing now.

when you go to dentist, why would you request nov'i'cane and pain med afterward ? right, to lesson the pain.

Personally I don't believe it's possible to control BiPolar without medication and I believe therapy is also warranted. This combo is what make it possible to live a relatively stable life.

reality: bipolar disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance in the brain, partly abt a lack of serotonin. how does one correct a chemical imbalance? by other chemicals that create balance. how does one deal with kidney insufficiency? by taking insulin. how does one deal with insufficient iron levels? by taking iron pills. how does one deal with thyroid deficiency? by taking thyroid medication.

yes, many meds for bipolar suck, it's hard to find the right balance, what works today may not work next month - yes, yes, yes. but hear this: it is a CHEMICAL imbalance. so......what corrects an imbalance of chemicals????

unfortunately, meds will more than likely be necessary to treat BP. We have an imbalance in our brains and different parts of our brain dont know how to talk to each other. Try low dosages like Sarah suggested. Sometimes taking a pill can be the greatest feeling once they start working.

I cant help but wonder when I look at alot of these posts about meds not working if any of you drink alchohol.??? I know that when I drank and was taking meds, they didnt work AT ALL. I have had a hard 6 months trying to stay away from drinking but am successful now with my meds and my docs all say its because of no booze.

I was a very social person and my hubby and I entertained on a weekly basis. I dont miss the hangovers from booze and know that it was the reason i wasnt sleeping, anxious, irritable, and generally unhappy.

Do any of you drink with your meds? Maybe its something you can look into changing.

Just a though. I dont want to appear as preaching, I am very happy with this site as its has helped me several times....I am sincerely concerned.

I went the holistic route and wound up in the hospital.
Meds are a MUST for me!

Drinking alcohol would most definitely affect the worth of your meds working. I'll allergic to alcohol so I never have had a drop. Just like others have said you wouldn't not take meds for other conditions. And BP is a disease that needs meds to help control your seratonin and norophenephrine levels in your brain, so it's kind of hard to do that by yourself.

I take conventional meds, but i also self medicate. I smoke pot, it calms me down and keeps me feeling like myself. No prescription drug has been able to do that.

great points y'all are making about how alcohol and other drugs can totally screw up medication results. when i drank (and i drank far too much) it threw everything off - all sorts of unpredictable and dangerous drug interactions. seems to me the point of taking meds as prescribed is to be able to live in a more balanced way. that's what i want.

Please read my profile. It may help answer your question and please let me know if you have any questions.

I was cyclocthemic and unmedicated. I survived but..

I screwed my university. Two marriages (actually one was definately a mistake) and my career has not got where it could of been..actually it probably would have been totally different if I had not made a mess of unviversity.

For various reasons I can atribute these issues directly to unmedicated cyclothemia. Oh, and now I'm BP2..it tends to get worse with age unmedicated.

I take my meds religiously. I have had some whacked out side effects from some of them. But meds are a must and I too self medicate with mary jane. It calms me down and puts me in a happy place. It's a mood stabilizer as well.

I just got back from my pdoc's office and fessed up to having a half a glass of wine on sat. and he was not very happy with me.....he wanted to know why I was being self detructive? With all the meds I'm on any alcohol is a big no-no, but I just felt like a glass, I haven't had a drink in 2 years.....