The only time I have been able to go without meds other than sleep meds is when I took nutritional supplements (vitamins & fish oils) and exercised an hour a day at least 5 days I week.

I fell out of my routine when my mother died, so I am back on meds until I feel well enough to get with the program again...it has been almost 2 years.

There is a book that has charts of symptoms with the vitamins and minerals to alleviate the symptoms. The author does not encourage people to go off meds, but simply offers information.

It is called Bipolar Disorder Demystified & you can get it on amazon. It is by far the most informative book about BP I have read.

With all of that said, I think we will all have times that we do better than others...sort of the fall & get back up scenario.

Most people think I am very stable right now because I am in grad school & maintaining a 4.0 GPA. Couldn't be further from the truth. I don't know what is going to happen from one day to the next. I do know that I need to get back on the nutrition & exercise regimen to make progress. Feeling well enough to start exercising daily again is a challenge...

Good luck & blessings to you.

I really wouldn't know what to do without my meds and therapy. I'm not sure what to suggest.

Grace-- I can relate to much of what you said. I am in grad school, and doing well, and am employed and all that, so things on the surface look very good. I am trying to be very careful with my diet (I am a strict vegetarian, eat a lot of whole foods, soy, yada yada), live healthy, sleep 7 hours per night whenever possible. I know that it's not normal when I go without sleep, and I know when my overattentive thoughts begin to race. I've just had a break-up of a pretty long relationship and that it bottoming me out I guess-- who wants to be alone? But this bi-polar thing has made me feel so isolated, like I am covering myself so that I am not judged. I just hope this doesn't last forever. Educating myself has been painful, too, because the stats about how we bipolars do are not all that encouraging...

thanks!

With Bipolar,you are on meds the rest of your lfe...you may go 3 weeks feeling ok..you may go a year..but eventually the crash and burn comes.
Plus the fact,if you stay off meds ,and have your crash,it may be difficult to reestablish a good meds schedual.

If you were DXed Diabetic,and needed insulin to survive,would you ignore modern medicine ,and try a wholistic approach?NO,because that would result in death.

Meds sux,but living w/o them is worse.

Do some reasearch on BP,try Google bipolar..the Mayo Clinic has very good info.

Therapy is great for learning copeing skills etc..
But you need a Phyciatrist to RX meds.

Try contacting the Pharm companies,they often give samples.Also your Pdoc,will have samples for most BP meds.

Don't give up,bipolar means cycles of moods,this will pass.With the right treatment.

I have not been on meds for about a week and a half. I am not sure what to think. I just want to be normal again, or at least what I thought was normal. When I look back on my life I thought I was happier then, then I have been on all these meds. maybe my mind is just spinning right now, and i am not making much since. I do know how you feel. I hate the meds..i am going to try and find the book that grace204 was talking about. good luck and you can im me anytime..

I am learning to cope with out meds. It is very very very difficult, and I don't recommend it unless nothing else works.

I am, if anything, quite the failure at life. I have reclused to a room in my mothers home, I have lost my job, I have major life issues I am not doing well with currently, but i am not suicidal, nor do I have those thoughts.

What's quite amazing is, I am thinking I am seeing some of my fatal flaws for the first time ever. Problem is, I have no idea how to fix them.

So if i thought i could be medicated, on disability, and be able to live out my life in peace, I would, but i have a feeling that is not gonnaa happen either.

So I have to learn to cope... which I never have, and at 38 that is a monumental task

An Unquiet Mind by Kay Redfield Jameson-- a personal memoir but offers a lot of insight into what it's like to be bipolar.

Well- I have to be honest. I'm a body-mind-spirit kinda guy. I take lithium, and klonapin (for insomnia). Once in awhile I cut my lith dose, and after a few days I get manic. But I do believe that all of this is related to trauma, which occurs primarily in the mind and manifests as neurological and chemical changes in the body. I make a distinction between brain and mind. I do not believe that we are mere physical machines that break down and then need fixing.
There are (I believe) certain types of therapy and alternative healing methods that focus on freeing the mind of it's wounds. There's a guy back east somewhere working with beepers and having success using mindfulness meditation in conjuction with other methods. Can't remember his name but he wrote a book called "Full Catastrophy Living".
Of course all of this stuff costs $$$ and that is why I'm not more enthused about a possible recovery. I'm broke. But there is alot going on out there that your doc might not know about, or care to believe.
I agree about excersise and nutrition. It really helps me alot. Have you heard of Chi Gong? It is a kind of "moving meditation" that helps to quiet the mind and balance "Chi" (Energy). It can be done at home using a DVD. Amazon has them. It is very gentle and surprisingly powerful.
About the stigma problem. It used to bother me no end. But I have discovered over the years certain advantages to this illness. I have learned from it. 'Sides- look around-it's 2008, who can say anymore that they ain't nuts? ( - :

When I was first diagnosed,I was a practising alcoholic.I did not stop drinking until 27mths ago and I am now enoying a somewhat stable existence.During the past two winters I hunkered down with books about BP from the library and they helped me a
lot,
This site helps a great deal because you get real life experiences to look at on a daily basis.Also people to share yours with and ask advice...
Keep coming back...LA

You guys rock. Oh my god it is just nice to hear that there are others here who can answer questions or give perspective.

My grandma (who was bipolar) died one year before I was diagnosed, and so many times I have just thought, if only she was here she could tell me. Books are great but they aren't as candid, and it is also so good to hear varying thoughts.