I had the bright idea of stopping my abilify last year... 2 weeks of euphoria which was fantastic... but then it turned nasty - agitation, agression, anger, irritability so I went back on it

am so tempted to stop my meds.... but overall it's not a good idea for me.. I have had a dx of both BP1 and BP2.... was dx during a manic episode.. my shrink just prefered to call it manic depression.. so the jury is out on that one

i carefully and slowly weened myself off meds (with my doctor's supervision) many months ago. i recently re-started my antidepressant because of sleep issues (not depression), but other than that i'm med free.

i deal with it by:
obeying a strict, healthy diet
reduced caffeine intake
omega 3-6-9 and other supplements
minimum of 2 hours of meditation a day
positive thinking
excercise

I am Dx'ed BP1 with rapid cycling, other Dx's include Major Depression, PTSD and personality disorder.

I have been med free for 1 1/2 now, as Banshee has said deciding to go without meds is not always and easy road and it takes allot of work and self-discipline.

One mistake often made when people think of going off meds is they believe there is no longer treatment involved, this is an absolute fallacy.

There are 2 components to my treatment that are essential to my stability. The first is mindfulness which is the process of staying in the present using meditation and other techniques. The second is self-discipline which is the process of learning to sit and process thoughts and emotions realizing that that's what they are only thoughts and emotions and not reality.

A third component that is important to alot of people and was mentioned by Banshie and others is a strong support system, which is one thing I've never been into.

The coping skills I've mentioned can be learned by joining a DBT Group in your community or by researching and reading about mindfulness techniques, There are several very good books out there. The one I'm currently using Dr. Jon Kabat-Zinn's "Full Catastrophy Living".

Another wonderful way of learning both mindfulness and self-discipline is taking up a Martial Art as it is at the core of any training.

Meds take away the peek of my extreme emotions. It also smoothed out rapid changes in my moods. Plus, it has helped me manage psychosis better.

When I was angry I was in a rage. When I was manic I was in a very scarey place, even psychotic place. That still sneaks up to me but not as often.

Depression was deep and suicidal as well as homicidal.

I have no idea what to do when I run out of meds this time. I will have no meds for about 6 months before medicare kicks in.

i went without meds long time..till they took me into crisses..diagnosed me right there..some people or most dont even know they have this..till there in what i call the pits of hell..or there in jail or in bed with another,,other than spouse..i did ok,,but i was 1 of these people not sex just trouble alot,,deppreshion bad!!..but when you dont have the meds after being on them..you may do great,,but if your a true beeper,it always comes back in 1 way or another,,and in time belive me..but your just asking..thats what happened to me..i thought i was doing great when to know i was maninc or hypomanic feeling realy great..but when i thought about it lol it was too good to be true..when i was wayyy down just days b4 feeling extra good..

I am bipolar 1 and I have been med free for 7 years. I tried many times to go off in the past, and had terrible results.

This time, I compromised. I do take sleep meds as needed. I will take meds if I feel shaky, which happened last year when my father was dying.

But I also follow a strict structure to my life, which includes exercise, eating properly, sleeping well, spirituality and support from my family. I think for some people it is possible. I also got through menopause about that time, so no hormones, and off some meds that were very triggering.

I think it is highly complex, and I would advise you to work with your pdoc, and read lots of books. And be prepared to accept you may not be able to get off.