At the end of my rope

O.k. so I know I am a rapid cycling Bi-polar, I have been in treatment for years with shrinks, therapists, and doctors. I have tried every bi-polar and mood stabilizer and every anti depressant only to have all of them fail. %90 affected me negatively making me more unstable. I have a lot of stress triggering my episodes as well. I would say I am in crisis most of the time and have been for several weeks. I have tried to get help but no one seems to have in answers. It seems the older I get the worse my disease gets. I don't know how much longer I can take it. Any one got any ideas? I am up to date on all the current therapy methods. I still work a cognitive behavioral therapy but it only works so much. I have tried to check into a hospital but without insurance they send me to the local nut shop who will turn me away because I have not hurt myself or anyone yet. All they do there is give you a band aid patch and connect you with a social worker who hates their job. And that takes 6 months. And in the end they have no answers. I need answers and results. I feel so alone, I need help!

Hi Sepheroth75, welcome to PC. The one thing I can guarantee is that as long as you are on this site, you won't be alone. Everyone here is unconditionally supportive, give awesome advice and are really caring people. Have you thought about ways you can lessen the stresses you deal with? I found that there are things I can remove from my life that make it easier to cope with others. I'm not much help when it comes to meds or therapy; I just know what I've done for years to simplify my life and bring the stress levels down. That was even before diagnosis and meds, which is part of the reason I wasn't diagnosed until recently. I hope that helps some.

Welcome Sepheroth75;I'm glad you decided to post. Some people have more stress in their lives than others. I agree with PT if you can remove some of what is triggering that's great, but if it's something that's not easy to remove you do have control over how you react to it. If you aren't already I would also suggest exercising, eating properly, getting regular sleep etc. I hope you find this site supportive.

HI and welcome. I'm sorry your path so far has been a difficult and painful one. I understand you've tried a LOT of different meds, but is there something alse your shrink can still try? Small tweaks in med strengths can often have drastic effects. Please try and remain positive; by stumbling onto this site, you've really bumped into a bunch of very supportive people who have been there too.
I trust you feel comfortable enough to interact with us, and we can offer you support and advice

I spent 25 years exactly how you have explained. Either the side effects of the meds were unbearable or the meds didn't work the way they were intended. I ended a very chaotic and high stress marriage, and then found Seroquel. I take it 3 times a day, which quells the rapid cycling, i take a much larger dose at night which allows me to sleep for the first time in my life. I live alone and do get lonely periodically, but I no longer have to try to live up to someone else's expectations. I had given up on meds when I first tried seroquel and expected it to not work but it did. I hope you can find a med, and some peace.

Thank you for your responses. I have tried to reduce the stress in my life but unfortunately it isn't possible right now. As far as the meds go, I have tried every pill on the market and most send me into a deep depression. Seroquel was my last resort and it sent me crashing into suicidal depression. The only thing that seems to work is a combination of rittalin and hemp and only to a moderate degree, it at least make me functional. I would prefer a legal alternative to end my suffering but I don't think its going to happen. I guess the worst part of this is knowing it will not go away, unlike cancer or diabetes bipolar will not kill you. So that means I have to find a way to cope until someone invents a new drug.

There will be a new drug. Or at the very least there's a combination out there that you have not yet tried, that could be the answer for you. Meds interact in strange ways at times; you just need to get the right ones, at the right time, in the right dosages

You can get through this!