I have a couple of questions

Is it all that common to be on meds for bipolar and to still go thru manic and depressive episodes? I've read a few posts here where some people seems to be going thru this. Some are on a lot of different kinds of meds at the same time. I guess I would like to understand how one can still have an episode while on so many meds. Do you develope a tolerance for the meds? What happens? I'm trying to understand these things as I have a SIL who suffers from bipolar and I want to learn as much as I can so I understand her better.

Thank you.

I have been bipolar probably all my life but in the beginning I was a high functioning bipolar and didn't use meds. In the past ten years I have been on quite a number of different meds and it was only two years ago when I was hospitalized that my psychiatrist scrapped all that I was on and put me on several new ones. Since then I have been much better and at times have been depressed but no more really flying high mania. Now I tend to be hypomanic with erratic sleep still but this is the best I have been in ten years. It is sometimes really difficult to find what works for each person because our chemisty is different and it is trial and error to see what works.

meds help the symtoms to varying degrees. Depends on the person and the meds. There are times when a med that once was effective will stop working. Bottom line, we do not fully understand how the brain works although we learn more and more each day. There is no cure for mental illness. We represent a group of individuals with a broad spectrum of mental illnesses, some of us blessed with more than just one. Some of us are high functioning and can work. Others of us rely on various forms of social services to make it through another day. The one thing we do have in common on here, is that we all feel is that swallowing a bunch of pills every day isn't enough...we come here to share, to help and to learn. The world is our classroom...we all are it's students and it's teachers as well.

Thank you so much for your informative replies.

I'm working on the mood stablizer medication right now.

I felt like I was balancing out, but for some reason now I have become very irritable, can't sleep.

See Doc Monday - we'll see.

I take med for depression, anxeity and mood stablizer.

They do gradually over time stop working and changes have to be made.... But that's Bipolar for ya.

The roller coaster Ride.

It seem a tragedy to me that meds have to be readjusted so often. My heart just bleeds for all of you who have to go thru this. Have there been explanations about why meds that once worked, suddenly stop working? Is it a dependence issue or something else?

My body gets used to it - Then the dose needs to be changed or the medication all together.

When I first started being diagnosed I was NOT happy about all the med. stuff. I didn't want to take it. I tried to avoid it. Even when started taking it I had to wait for it to kick in and see if I was going to have any side effects to that med.

It's okay really (it's not but they say 80% of the nation has some sort of chemical imbalance)

Nerons/Transmitters just don't send the proper signals to each other, or are lacking in.

What I do know is that I HAD to FINALLY accept I cannot live with medication to replace my abnormal chemcials.

IT'S ALL GOOD

Does that mean that you have chosen to not take meds then?

mood stabilizers HELP, but there is no cure for BP. even with pills I still swing. I know when it gets bad enough to worry about it hasn't in ages.

I mean't to say I CAN NOT LIVE WITHOUT THE MEDICATION
Then I'll really be losted, probally living under a bridge, pushing a shopping cart.

lol.....no, no, not that!

Personally I have described Bipolar as one of the worst but most interesting dieases.

It's great when people in your life care enough to learn about it to.

That's when you know someone really cares.

My sisters do that for me - For their sake - Long Distance.

it was nerve racking when I was first diagnosed, trying to find what combo worked. Now that I have a good combination I still need to add some meds in between to help stabilize or tweek the ones I am on. I still have my ups and downs just not as severe and the manic/depression phases haven't lasted as long as they did before meds. i don't want to be "pre-med" again and once I realized that it made it easier for me. Jen

I think being on meds has turned the nearly non-stop depression into rapid cycling for me, but hell, I've only tried meds for a year now and we've only known I was bipolar for a few weeks. I hope Lamictal will smooth out the bumps because I still feel a prisoner to my moods. I'm sure it will get better though, for me and for you.