How to be med compliant?

Question

I was diagnosed bipolar a couple of years ago, and was quite stable on meds. Quit taking meds around 4 months ago "because I was fine." Went well for awhile, and now it's not going so well. I am a therapist, and that part of me knows that I need to be on meds, but just can't make myself stay on them! I'm still "functioning" in the sense that I am getting up for work and doing fine at it, but I can feel myself losing control. I keep trying to make myself make an apt, but end up not going or avoiding it somehow. Any advice? Anyone able to function without meds??

Answer 1

I think you already know the answer to this. It isn't unusual to feel fine for short periods of time without your meds, but when the problem is chemical, you don't have total control. I don't know how bad your mania has been, but I do know of friends who had to be hospitalized because of it and not the depression which is what I always thought. You also know that the drugs will take at least 2 weeks to work. What is the worst that can happen? Did you have side effects from the meds? If you have already found a drug that works it will make things so much easier. If you are having trouble making an appointment now, that too will get worse and you will stop functioning. The only thing I found helpful for depression was cognitive therapy. If you are a therapist you may already be familiar with this. It is not a cure, but it helps. Do you feel like a loser if you give in to drugs? It is a self esteem problem and with depression, your self esteem will be at it's worst.

Answer 2

Hi...

I'm bipolar 1, and have been functioning without meds for over a year and a half.. i'm also 50 and was diagnosed years ago. Somehow, i tihnk i'm experiencing less symptoms as i age... but still get way depressed.. believe me.

I, too, quit taking meds because i was feeling fine for a time, but i'd always go back on when i felt the need. I really didn't like being on them, or the side effects... i am sensitive to meds anyway, so believe it or not, when they prescribed abilify, which worked wonders, i could barely breathe sometimes (rare side-effect, i guess).

It might be a wise idea to make yourself an appointment, yes. I realize it's difficult to keep on the meds when we are doing very well... and like i said, i've always been one who was on again, off again.

take care of YOU! (umm yes i learned that in years of therapy!)

Answer 3

Well, perhaps you do not need to meds. It is possible the diagnosis was incorrect. Please understand bi polar was and is sort of the "flavor of the day" for some clinicians. If you were truly bipolar, you would not be functioning at all. I think that maybe you should reduce some stress at this time. Since you are feeling under pressure, now is the time to take that 4 day weekend, or a few of them if you can. Just go to your boss, and say "Listen, I am needing some time to myself for health reasons, I'd like to start taking a few days off each week"
PS: Try Effexor XR, it is great for anxiety, depression, and social anxiety. Some bi polars that mostly get depression (unipolar) do well on this. Your reg dr can prescribe it without all those stupid talk sessions.

Answer 4

I know exactly how you feel. I am bipolar as well. I didn't stop taking all of my medications, but I stopped one of them about 4 months ago because of weight gain -- with my doctor's approval. I haven't been the same since. I was seeing my psychiatrist monthly and I totally stopped. I was OK at first with the change, but then I became very depressed, episodes of mania, feeling suicidal, etc.

I finally realized 2 weeks ago that I was falling back into severe depression and that I needed to go back to taking the medication that I stopped and I have an appointment next week.

I know that a lot of people out there consider "Bipolar" to be the fad diagnosis of our time, but unfortunately, there are a lot of us that really do have the illness and find it very difficult to live with.