{{{{Bridgie}}}}}

Sweetheart,

I can't tell you how many times in the past 24 years I have told myself that I am perfectly OK and I don't need any freakin' medication. This is a very common thing. Also, you have every right in the world to live medication free no matter if you have BP or not. For real! As a matter of fact, some very famous people, celebrities we all know, choose to not take medication after they've been told they are BP because they are more creative when they are med free.

However: (you knew there would be a 'however', now didn't you?) In my case, I always regretted my decision to quit my meds. I had to decide in the end if I wanted to suffer the severe highs and lows that inevitably developed along with my musical creativity, or live some semblance of a normal existance and not be quite so inspired.

What it came down to was accepting that I had an illness. I wished I didn't have it. But wishing didn't make it so. It was kind of like banging your head against a wall because it feels so good when you stop. Had to quit the banging.

You might not have a mental illness. You might not have a correct diagnosis. And you might not be on the correct meds for you. There are dozens of them out there. Right now, I have chosen the dosages for me, which are not the dosages my doctor prescribed because, frankly, I think he's an idiot. But they are working for me so I will keep taking them. I will not stop.

Please take care of yourself.