I used to go up and down and on and off meds all the time. I think if you are having such bad side effects you need to see you pdoc and work through this.

I hate side effects, I worked through a plan to get off of them. It is based on rigid self discipline, getting enough sleep, and being past menopause. It does work, although my pdoc tells me I am off the wall enough to still be bipolar 1. Rats.

Hope you find a solution. I personally would look for a different med. And sorry about your wife. This sounds like a continuing drama to me. My hubby never cared if I took meds or not, so long as I behave.

yeah.
got sick of feeling depressed ALL THE TIME

As an add on to this Wednesday she said I was basically catatonic and not making any sense. Don't you think she could have called my doctor or perhaps taken me to the hospital. I have obsolutely no recolocection of Wednesday. I thought I slept all day. Maybe she needs some education on what to do if I am incoherent.

Wednesday must have been scary for you not recalling what happened. . .as I mentioned above I had a major manic episode and can only remember bits and pieces - that is why I keep taking my meds.

I wouldn't exactly stop per se - that's usually not a good idea & doesn't end well, unless you let your pdoc know so they can monitor you. Hypomania can have dire consequences - like I spend loads of money or do really stupid crap when I am really very hypomanic.. A lil hypomanic isn't a big deal IMO - but the thing is you never really know what you're going to get..

I have never ever lowered my Lamictal personally & I have been on it ever since I was dx'd. I have lowered my antipsychotics and increased them on my own - but then I told my pdoc and he agreed with my decisions. I have also gone up and down on my zoloft, usually from 50mg to 100mg (& I know I am not at all allowed to go over 100mg because of the consequences - and I have been in mixed mania before on it & that is just NOT pretty) Topamax I played with once and that was disastrous, I learned my lesson as my moods when all yin yang 24/7 and I was a mess, I have played with my Tegretol since it was making me tired and a bit loopy at first (hey I am on 3 seizure meds?!) but that was ok at first, but as usual I became hypomanic without adequate meds holding me & I spent over $5 grand on stupid crap in less than a month.. (I should know better as I have in the past spent waaay over $20 grand on just Ebay - yea super dumb!)

So yea a lil hypomania is nice, but I never know which kind I'm going to get, and when I am a bit hypomanic - I am either in denial over it, don't think it is too bad when it is, or don't even think I am.. I don't typically get dysphoric hypomania that I am aware of (yet anyways?) Plus my family just doesn't need that, y'know - nor me to end up full manic like I have been in the past & in the hospital, my kids will really miss me then. If i can at all help it why mess with it, y'know?

Oh & those on Lamictal, do not stop or miss your meds for more than 3 days I think? or you have to re-start the whole titration process again as there is the risk of SJS again.. you may of been fine if you re-started, but just saying the increased rick of SJS starts again..

& those on Anticonvulsants in general if you stop them cold turkey you run the risk of having seizures..

& those on Antipsychotics (who have issues with psychosis normally especially) you have the risk of re-bound psychosis & it can be worse that when it was first treated - something about the dopamine flooding the brain again when the antipsychotics were limiting it.. It won't always happen..- but just because it didn't happen once or a few times, doesn't mean it won't or can't happen - there is always that risk.. Eventually though your brain will return to it's normal functioning (before it was on antipsychotics anyways, not like it was really 100% "normal" if you are dealing with psychosis all the time) Not to mention it can decrease the effectiveness when you go on them again.

Just food for thought - so you can be worse off it you just quit your meds at the drop of a dime, please be smart about it.

I wonder how often our symptons are caused by our medications and there withdrawal from our systems?

I either spend money wildly for two hours or get depressed and line pills up on table and start taking them one at a time like I am playing a game

so I try not to stop taking my pills anymore

Lithium made me thow up all the time. I couldn't tolerate it. I had to switch to depakote.

I skip two doses of Haldol and one dose of tegretol and Geodon daily. I had to do something to get out of this depression. Although I don't feel as flat I still do feel down. We all have our reasons for skipping doses, we know we shouldn't yet we can't seem to get our doctors to listen to how we feel. It is like me pdoc wants to keep me down becuase I know it is better then mania but can't we find a happy medium between the two. It's like I wanta appologize that I get psychosis but it is not like they live with us.....

I'd skip Lithium to drink, so maybe two to three pills a week I'd skip.

Fucking retarded LOL It made me feel sooo much worse - not factoring the booze but just missing the dose.

LOTS of people do this, I hope your wife can understand that. She probably doesn't want to hear any excuses, just wants to be mad 'cause that's the first she felt and what she'll probably cling to since it's a lot easier than hearing someone out.

Maybe once things cool down you can tell her you did not realize that this was a trust issue and look her in the eye to say, "I only did it to feel better." It's not like you intentionally pissed her off or were taking them under some psychotic idea that you don't NEED them. You know you NEED them, just maybe not as MUCH as you have. Talk to your doctor about a lower dose.

And don't mess with your meds again, man, you're putting yourself in unknown dangers...