[JustWannaDisappear]

My T has mentioned she thinks I could be bipolar 2 so I went to a pdoc and told him why I was there, he immediately dismissed it and switched my meds around.

I felt like they were helping then I switched from the not sleeping and being very anxious to not being able to get myself out of bed and when I do I end up taking 3-5hr naps. After telling pdoc about my need to sleep 14+ hrs a day he mentioned BP2.

Anyway, I was taking 200mg zoloft, 60mg buspar and he added 600mg lithium. I was having a hard time with the lithium because I'm really scared of any meds causing weight gain since I have a history of EDs and tend to gain very easily on meds. So far no problems there, just had nausea and not always being able to keep the meds down.

I've been thinking about stopping for awhile. Sometimes I'll forget my meds so to make it "even" I'll skip my night time meds. Then I feel like well I was able to get through one day why not two? I'll crash and realize I need them and go back on. I know how bad this is, but I hate taking these pills. I hate the stigma and I don't want these labels. I want to feel and BE normal.

Anyone able to control their bipolar with diet, exercise and/or therapy? I exercise and am eating (mostly) clean. I'm seeing a T once a week and have been for over a year. I will see my pdoc at the end of the month, and I'm really nervous I'll be lectured for stopping my meds. I don't have an official diagnosis of bipolar, but have struggled with depression since my teens and have been on and off meds for 10yrs. I want to be done with it.

Hi there,

If you do indeed have Bipolar Disorder, I would suggest staying on your medication. I have tried a couple of times without meds, and ended up being hospitalized. I have met quite a few people with Bipolar, and have not met a single person who was able to achieve balance without medication.

You say you want to be "normal". Well, by going off your meds, you'll probably feel the opposite of normal. And even if you feel good for a little while, it probably wouldn't last (like you mentioned in your post). Yes, we may have an illness, and yes, there may be stigma. But medication will help you to achieve as "normal" as you can get, and isn't that the goal?

I'm taking a combo of medication right now and feel good about 90% of the time, which is amazing compared to times when I've felt like I could handle this on my own. I know it's tempting to stop taking them, but I hope you'll stay on your meds.

[venusss]

Mine is pretty mild, and I am starting to believe it has been triggered by some external ****.

I do the med free route. However, I am hardcore spiritualist who practiced yoga for years and I have quite strong support system. And I am not the most stable person in the world.

So it depends, I think. Yes, you can control BP without meds, I believe, but it is about getting used to the wide range of emotions. Here is one PC blog that talks of this route. And maybe sometimes you are not in place to do that, given the external circumstances and so on.

If you are not having huge side effects and are stable, then maybe the medical approach may be right for you.

If you are however, worried about the long term effects, you may try to look out of alternatives. Maybe try to find a reasonable naturopath or shaman/alternative healer and try to carefully discover options? Just be careful, as there is lot of scam among them. But I have some great experiences with shamans/alternative healers.

[roads]

Hi, JustWannaDisappear. You've been through the ringer, haven't you? It sounds as if both tdoc & pdoc have been working with you but neither have actually made a diagnosis. They mention BP, but has either actually diagnosed you as having any specific disorder? Bipolar disorder or anything else?

Until they have a diagnosis, you don't know what you're dealing with. I don't blame you for wanting to disappear. Talk with your doctors & try to become clear about what you're facing.

If you do in fact have bipolar disorder, & pdoc can get a med regime that works for you, you may not want to skip the drugs. I take two--Cymbalta & Topamax--& at the moment they are doing fine for me. At some point they will need tweaking or changing, but pdoc & I have been thru that before & we work well on that as a team with my mdoc. It's been working for nearly three yrs now. I feel more normal now than I did for the previous 50 yrs without these meds. The trick is the right diagnosis then the right prescriptions! Maybe worth a try?

But first get your diagnosis. Take care. Let us know how you're doing.

[JustWannaDisappear]

I go back and forth on whether or not I think I could be bipolar. I have complex PTSD, severe depression and GAD. But I also have a family history of bipolar. Two of my brothers have a diagnosis, for sure two of my cousins as well. My family is definitely mentally interesting.

[lad007]

Hello:
I take 600 mg of Lithium also. To share my experience-I did gain about 15lbs initially.
Lithium binds to fat(don't know the technology behind it) and I experienced a lot of fat around my middle area that I never had. So hated that.
So now I have taken off about 10lb, but have to really monitor my diet(about 500 cal less a day than I used to) and do intense cardio-boot camp, kickbox, lift weights, 6 days per week.
Eating a low fat, high protein diet has worked for me. It is quite a struggle.
However, for me, the mood stabilizing that has happened has been huge. Changed my life.
Give Lithium a chance, it may work well for you, and if so you will be willing to do the work to keep the weight off.
Just keep an eye on the weight gain and try to take steps accordingly.

[JustWannaDisappear]

Originally Posted by lad007

Hello:
I take 600 mg of Lithium also. To share my experience-I did gain about 15lbs initially.
Lithium binds to fat(don't know the technology behind it) and I experienced a lot of fat around my middle area that I never had. So hated that.
So now I have taken off about 10lb, but have to really monitor my diet(about 500 cal less a day than I used to) and do intense cardio-boot camp, kickbox, lift weights, 6 days per week.
Eating a low fat, high protein diet has worked for me. It is quite a struggle.
However, for me, the mood stabilizing that has happened has been huge. Changed my life.
Give Lithium a chance, it may work well for you, and if so you will be willing to do the work to keep the weight off.
Just keep an eye on the weight gain and try to take steps accordingly.

I did notice some initial bloating and went up a few pounds but I workout regularly and run (training for my 2nd 5k) and eat mostly clean. I still struggle with some ED behaviors/mindset so meds in general freak me out. I will see my pdoc in a couple weeks