[blossom12]

I am hearing a lot of people having unacceptable/unmanageable symptoms such as very low depression, manic symptoms, rapid cycling, etc.

I want to ask every one, are you on meds? Are you telling your pdoc they are not working? Because they are not working if you are feeling that way.

If you are either on or off meds and you are having unmanageable symptoms, it is imperative to call the pdoc!!
I believe therapy is helpful but I firmly believe that those of us who have unbalanced brain chemicals (which, for me is how I understand bipolar to work), meds are needed to get this straightened out.

It is so very hard when depressed or manic to remove oneself enough to really evaluate what is going on and how we are feeling and then report it to the doc. They can't know unless we tell them. And sometimes we have to be persistent in telling them. Some of them think that if we are not suicidal then it's not a problem.

But it is a problem!! I want my life back. I have never been on 4 meds before, and it is not working. Something is seriously wrong and I called my new doc yesterday. I have never called a doctor on the weekend. I have spent a lot of money going to this new doc and don't know if I trust these med changes, but I DO know that this is not acceptable and I do demand that something be changed to get it right. I have already lost a month of my life and my boyfriend to this episode of depression.

Yesterday he upped the Nuvigil, the newest med he added. Today I feel high. I dont mean manic, I mean like I smoked weed. It is not unpleasant, but it is not right. I can't go each day being high. Plus, after the first free month, I wont be able to afford Nuvigil anyway. If he doesn't get this straightened out, I will go to a different pdoc. I am paying a lot of money and doing all I can to get my moods manageable.

Sometimes it helps the situation very much to tell someone how we feel because saying it, outloud or writing it here, helps to put perspective on it.
then it helps us to make a plan for what to do.

When I am very depressed I may not even know what to do next.

[venusss]

The thing is for many meds don't work. They don't work like... installing a program in computer to enable a function. For some of us... it is unacceptable trade off. I want to keep my pwetty figure and my cognitive abilities, thank you very much.

And yeah, me... I am a proud one and I insist on doing this on my own. IN long term.... it seems to be rewarding so far, my independence and freedom...... they are a burden, but I knew that back then.

If you have a pdoc that listens to you and knows what the eff are they doing and your meds work, than thanks deities and when you are done, thank them again. From what I heard, you are lucky in a way.

Yes, it is important to communicate with your treatment team.... but sometimes, some things one can do alone.... and finding the balance is important. Your doctor cannot be living for you either way...

Sometimes it helps the situation very much to tell someone how we feel because saying it, outloud or writing it here, helps to put perspective on it.
then it helps us to make a plan for what to do.

that is very true, but it doesn!t have to be a MD. Sometimes telling friend is enough. SOmetimes they can help you find some sense and purpose.......... and that is worth a lot.

[blossom12]

I agree wholeheartedly!

It sounds like what you are doing works wonderfully for you. I envy you.

I am at the point where I will do anything to be at a manageable place. I insist on it. I require it. It is going to happen. I am too stubborn to live my life like it has been for the past month.

[tattoogirl33]

Over the past 8 months I've tried many different meds, most of which made me gain an uncomfortable amount of weight. Over the past 3 months I've lost 25 lbs (not safe I know) but I just couldn't handle being 'big'. I still have 10 lbs to go. My secret? not eatting. The meds I'm supposted to be on.. Well, I only take the limictal. It has kept my Bipolar II in check for the most part. Although as I've learned over the years.. meds do NOT help Borderline...

I've been trying the meds for 7 years. The longest I have gone without med changes is a few months here and there. Seriously nothing has really helped. I can't even count the amount of meds I have tried. I am starting to conclude that meds may not be for me. I am much more interested in trying things myself now. My dr's have had 7 years to try and help me, and it isn't working. I was a patient, yet persistent advocate for myself when it came to my care.

I've started doing other things on my own, and I have made more progress in the last few months with these new things than I have in 7 years. I'm going to run with it, I think I gave meds a fair shot, and I am not off them yet.

Sorry I am veering off topic.

Blossom, keep being stubborn about it, you will get there, I believe.

[~Christina]

Blossum thank you for this post !

I agree " we must be our own advocate " Next month will be my first year of actually being diagnosed with bipolar at age 44 no less .. and I have been on 8-9 meds so far ,, the latest Haldol honestly seems the best except for the untolerable restlessness which I am calling my Pdoc about tomorrow...

Some of the meds I have tried had side effects worse than the bipolar its self . MY T and Pdoc assures me I will get some stable effect from the meds and I will find some of my happiness back .. I trust them and I see some people on here are having stable periods of time so that is my wish for myself and others ,,, Just some stable happiness in our lives and not the screaming roller coaster of deep depression or rapid cycling hell or flat out mania.

I do agree and commend some people for going the med free route I hope one day I can try that way ,, but for now I know I need meds 3 trips to the psych ward in the last year made that pretty clear for me right now .

Again thanks for the post .. I have no problem speaking up about meds and being my own advocate but I know its hard for some or they have lousy pdocs that wont hear a thing .. my heart goes out to those stuck with lousy docs and T's

Wishing everyone a lil light love and happiness today

[John_Galt]

You are right you do need to take control of your treatment. However, the pdoc knows the medication and may be trying to get the right combination at the right levels. There are other factors such as, meds that take 6 to 8 weeks to reach a therapeutic level. That being said, you need to be an active participant and provide feed back on how the meds are working. Even with a good combination there is always that chance that you can get manic or depressed. Most of the time they keep you in a functional range. It as taken a long time to find my combination.

[hamster-bamster]

Originally Posted by blossom12

then report it to the doc. They can't know unless we tell them.

I disagree. The best doctors can. It is called clinical vision. My current doctor (who put me on the med mix that works - not even hypomania in 6 months, unheard of for me) calls it "feeling a patient out". One p-doc I saw briefly in Europe diagnosed me with a thought disorder mostly from small talk over a few visits. I was amazed. The diagnosis was confirmed in the US via a battery of tests. So a good doctor sees the reality and asks all the right questions and... these doctors are very rare. It took me 5 years to find mine (granted, I was not searching in the best way due to denial and unclear goals, but there was also an element of luck in how I found him). Unfortunately, I cannot afford him anymore and will go through the county healthcare system, but I am hoping that the current med mix he prescribes will not need to be changed and the county doctor would be good too.

In the meantime, of course with the majority of the doctors loud and steady advocacy is the way to go... except that one very pompous doctor once terminated me because he did not find me deferential enough when I raised issues. I think that is an extreme case, though.

[Moose72]

I take my meds religiously. The thing is that they don't always work. And I'm in touch with pdocs per and everybody.

[Rosie23]

Let me ask this...

Under what circumstances does someone think that the meds they are taking do not work?

Are you struggling to get through an average day? Or are you struggling with financial issues or the stress of working a full time job and raising kids or sick parents or siblings. And yes, abuse or other frightening events.

I only ask because for myself, I know that I have a distorted view of life and what is normal. My ptsd causes flashbacks that send me into different emotional states that no amount of bi polar meds can correct.

Do these kind of things make it difficult for others to manage their bp too?

[argv]

Originally Posted by blossom12

I am hearing a lot of people having unacceptable/unmanageable symptoms such as very low depression, manic symptoms, rapid cycling, etc.

I want to ask every one, are you on meds? Are you telling your pdoc they are not working? Because they are not working if you are feeling that way.

If you are either on or off meds and you are having unmanageable symptoms, it is imperative to call the pdoc!!
I believe therapy is helpful but I firmly believe that those of us who have unbalanced brain chemicals (which, for me is how I understand bipolar to work), meds are needed to get this straightened out.

It is so very hard when depressed or manic to remove oneself enough to really evaluate what is going on and how we are feeling and then report it to the doc. They can't know unless we tell them. And sometimes we have to be persistent in telling them. Some of them think that if we are not suicidal then it's not a problem.

But it is a problem!! I want my life back. I have never been on 4 meds before, and it is not working. Something is seriously wrong and I called my new doc yesterday. I have never called a doctor on the weekend. I have spent a lot of money going to this new doc and don't know if I trust these med changes, but I DO know that this is not acceptable and I do demand that something be changed to get it right. I have already lost a month of my life and my boyfriend to this episode of depression.

Yesterday he upped the Nuvigil, the newest med he added. Today I feel high. I dont mean manic, I mean like I smoked weed. It is not unpleasant, but it is not right. I can't go each day being high. Plus, after the first free month, I wont be able to afford Nuvigil anyway. If he doesn't get this straightened out, I will go to a different pdoc. I am paying a lot of money and doing all I can to get my moods manageable.

Sometimes it helps the situation very much to tell someone how we feel because saying it, outloud or writing it here, helps to put perspective on it.
then it helps us to make a plan for what to do.

When I am very depressed I may not even know what to do next.

I'm pretty new to meds for bipolar, I just was recently diagnosed, but I know that I feel a hell of alot better than I did before I took the meds, when everything was crazy and all I could think about was death and how nice it would be.

I'm still discovering things that I had gotten used to that I thought were ADHD things (which is what I was diagnosed previously). Hmm.. I might have to give this 6 months or so to figure it out a little.

Originally Posted by Rosie23

Let me ask this...

Under what circumstances does someone think that the meds they are taking do not work?

Are you struggling to get through an average day? Or are you struggling with financial issues or the stress of working a full time job and raising kids or sick parents or siblings. And yes, abuse or other frightening events.

Rosie,

When I first started out with treatment I was struggling, single parent, financial stress, Dealing with PTSD, and on and on. I went through quite a bit of therapy, got my finances in order, my kids are pretty easy, they are really good kids. The PTSD is pretty much in full recovery. All in all my life is pretty good now, I have alot of the kinks worked out and day to day living is extremely routine and life is stable, and I invest a fair amount of time into self care.

The meds still don't work for me. I can go about 2-4 months being stable before I am hit with either an acute manic episode with psychosis or depression, both last a signifigant ammount of time. These aren't mild swings. In between those months I will still have the minor ups and downs.

So all in all my life is very stable, yet my moods are still not stable despite all of the meds and combos tried.

I hope that kind of answered what you were asking.