[Passion222]

Has anyone had success with going off meds and not getting manic or depressed again? Do meds teach us how to keep in control or are we doomed to only be our best with meds?

[perseverance11]

Originally Posted by Passion222

Has anyone had success with going off meds and not getting manic or depressed again? Do meds teach us how to keep in control or are we doomed to only be our best with meds?

I think that it depends of the people. Some people will be able to live without medication and some won't.
A try will tell you.

[Passion222]

You know in wondering because it seems many antidepressants make ear problems. Just preparing myself.

[purpledaisy]

I was on Lithium and Prozac from approximately 1989 - 1994 and went off (and quit therapy) when I lost a job and had no insurance for several years.

Then I was employed and unemployed off-and-on, but never sought treatment until August of this year.

I didn't realize I had been off meds and out of treatment for so long until I went back to the same clinic in August and they looked in my chart and reminded me of what was going on at my last visit before I quit cold-turkey.

I was in a manic phase when I quit going.

Then I rode the roller coaster from 1994 until 2012.

Now that I'm on meds again, I realize I liked myself and my life much better without them.

There are a few people on this forum who are no longer on meds.

[perseverance11]

Originally Posted by Passion222

You know in wondering because it seems many antidepressants make ear problems. Just preparing myself.

You will see.

[LucyG]

I went off meds due to severe side-effects, and switched to alternative treatments such as amino acids and natural lithium. I'm absolutely amazed at how much better my BP2 is controlled naturally, and how wonderful it is not to have all the nasty side-effects. I also don't see a Pdoc any longer as I really don't need therapy, so if my mood shifts, I take whatever it needed to bring it back under control.

If you want more info, PM me.

[Trippin2.0]

Originally Posted by Passion222

Has anyone had success with going off meds and not getting manic or depressed again?

Well that would be kinda impossible wouldn't it? That would mean we are cured.... Some people like Hamster has expressed that she is symptom-free on meds, but she is in the minority...

I quit my meds a year ago. Withdrawals consisted of some uncomfortable physical stuff and the adjustment period lasted about 2 months where I was cycling in between up and down like a crazy lady (but I did it cold-turkey so I'm sure that lengthened the process) ....

But once my brain got the hang of being without its chemical straight jacket, things have slowed down TREMENDOUSLY.

I hardly cycle, and when I do, its not severe, and really hardly ever random anymore. Its usually due to a stress trigger, whereas before it was usually out of the blue and in-explainable....

I do consider myself successfully off meds tho

If I were to go off meds... hmmmm.... Scary thought for me. I don't think I would do that willingly. I don't want to go back there!

[Passion222]

The only time I truly got manic and cycled was when I was on birth control pills for 6 yrs. well I then started being severely depressed and anxious and up and down moods. About 2 yrs ago I
Wound up on Wellbutrin. Then about 8 months I went on Lamictal. I had the worst debilitating body aches drs said it was fibromyalgia Finally I decided to stop the BC pill in June to see if things got better with the body pain. Not sure why I didn't associate the pain with the pill. Well the pain disappeared 100%. Hmmm so I wonder....how would I be without these psych meds??? I do not like alot of these side effects. Every med I take, there's usually several annoying ones. I have hardly any motivation to do anything. Used to work out massively in the gym and now I do spin but that's it and I've gained 12 lbs since Lamictal. I'm plain ole lazy and boring. But I do love the control I have of anger toward coworkers. Omg I'd snap in heartbeat and make enemies. So as you see I'm all over the place with this but I've been feeling my time of being on these meds are running out. Time to try going clean and see how it goes. Just scared I'd make a mistake.

[venusss]

http://theicarusproject.net/alternat...chiatric-drugs

icarus project's guide. May be percieved as sLightly anti-med, but after all, it's based on people's experience and they provide generally good advice.

this place has also some sources on withdrawal.
http://beyondmeds.com/withdrawal-101/

THing is before stopping your meds... you need to reconsider your definition of stable, happy and all that. Yes, you will still get up and down, but doesn't mean it will rule you. And build a system to lean on.

I have been off meds now for almost 6 months. I went off meds after about 6 months of very strong stability WITH the help and blessing of both my therapist and my pdoc.

For me, I only became this stable after long years of therapy to deal with my PTSD symptoms/history. Getting that aspect of my life/history under control has been a huge factor in my stability, and not having the PTSD issues to contend with on top of my bipolar symptoms has made my bipolar symptoms MUCH more manageable.

I wouldn't say I am completely without mood symptoms. I still get depressed, but I am now much more equipped to deal with the depressive symptoms when they occur because I have learned and internalized skills through my therapy.

If I should get back to a point where my skills aren't enough to manage the depressive symptoms effectively, I won't hesitate to take meds again, but at this point that hasn't been an issue. I just take it day by day.

[Eliza Jane]

Not me. I had been doing really well on meds and had about 10 yrs in therapy (I know, a lot) and my life was in a good place with minimal stress. I wanted to get off and pdoc agreed although he was skeptical. I was on 3 meds and I just dropped the 1st and most helpful one (Abilify) and within weeks I became suicidal. The following months were a lot of ups and downs playing with meds trying to get me on as little as possible (I wanted to go med-free in anticipation of pregnancy). I've learned that my illness is very biologically driven and going completely off meds is not going to work for me. I'm not happy about that, but the alternative (hospitalization, self-harm, losing my job/career?) is not an acceptable trade off for me.

However, I was able to pretty significantly reduce my meds. At this point I am only taking 100 Lamictal (and Deplin, but that's not technically a medication). It is not much but it is night and day compared to no meds at all. Might it be an option to reduce what you take instead of going off completely?

If you do decide to go med-free do it with the cooperation of your pdoc. Don't burn bridges in case you need to go back with your tail between your legs (like I did ). Also make sure that you have both support and monitoring from a therapist and friends/family. I know that it can be hard to tell how bad I've gotten "from the inside.". Feedback from people who knew me best was helpful in the decision-making process. It was also important for me to have a line where I would say, "okay, being off meds is not working for me". I my case it was having intrusive suicidal thoughts. That was my sign that my plan wasn't working. Another thing I would consider is going off at a "good" time (e.g., not when your job is in jeopardy, you have a major stressful event coming up, etc.)

At the end of the day, you know what is best for you. There are a handful of people here who are able to get by without meds. It is certainly something you could try. If it works great, if not you could always start again.

Good luck!
EJ

[MommaR]

I would seriously only recommend one even TRY w/ Dr assistance. Many (most) BP meds can cause seizures if you try to stop them too quickly! Don't ever try to be your own Dr. The reason these meds are by prescript only is bc you need to have training to know how to properly administer and STOP administering them. Im takingmy first pharmacology class now and its scary stuff to try to dance w/ w/out professional advice.

[moremi]

Momma is right about the seizures, I just had that happen to me with topomax. I went three days without it and had a siezure. Not good, and then for three days later had tremors. Not a good feeling very scary. I have weined myself off of my meds before and not had the horrible side effects but after about three weeks of being off of them it is always the same thing feeling suicidal, very depressed back on the couch disappearing from the world and my life. I commend those who can go off of meds and there are a handful on PC that I know of who have successfully done so. I think its awesome and I wish I could do it. I guess it just depends on the severity of your bipolar and well the person in general.

[Moreta]

I stopped taking my meds one time, and got very psychotic and suicidal. Ended up in the hospital for 3 weeks. I would love to come off my meds, since I'm trying to become pregnant, but it's just not going to happen. I came off Effexor 2 years ago, and it took 3 months, and I still had issues. Whatever you do, do it under doctors supervision.

[Moodmuse]

Nope! Always had a relapse one being worse than the other

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD