[HopeForChange]

Hi everyone,

This is the first thread I've started, so bear with me! I have schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type, and have been on a combination of meds for about six years. In the past year, I've really been in a good place, and even my psychiatrist agrees that I don't need as many meds (she's a really cool person who believes in addressing psychosocial factors as opposed to only biochemical ones). She said that starting with my next appointment, provided I'm still doing well, we may slowly be able to taper down to a lower dose or even completely eliminate some meds (gradually, of course).

My question to everyone here is: What can I start doing now to help prepare for the process of decreasing meds? What tools will help me stay stable? I know for one thing, I need to get into a habit of exercising more, as well as continue working hard to maintain a regular sleep schedule. Any other things I can do to make the process easier? I would be so happy if I could reduce the meds or even stop some!

Thanks in advance for any help!

Best,
Hope

[jesusplay]

from what I've been told is that i will need to be on meds for the rest of my life.

I picture you relapsing, i see me relapsing?

but I'm not a doctor.

Good luck.

[HopeForChange]

Originally Posted by jesusplay

from what I've been told is that i will need to be on meds for the rest of my life.

I picture you relapsing, i see me relapsing?

but I'm not a doctor.

Good luck.

Thanks for commenting! I know decreasing meds is risky, and as a pharmacist I do believe that meds can do amazing things. However, for me, right now, I'm doing really well, and it would be a slow taper--not just stopping everything at once. I do appreciate your point of view, though--at one point I believed I'd be on meds for life--but I've read some studies where people do quite well without chronic meds, sometimes even better than those on chronic meds. Thanks for reminding me to be careful, though, as I know relapses can come on very insidiously and I always need to be aware of that.

Best,
Hope

[wildflowerchild25]

I have to disagree with jesusplay - if you're under the care of a pdoc I see no harm in slowly tapering off, as if you have a return of symptoms the doc can change the dosage again. It wouldn't be good to just stop, but under a doctor's care it's worth a shot. You'll never know if you can handle it if you don't try.

Anyway I would recommend looking up information about mindfulness. Mindfulness as been helpful to me, especially with anxiety. I think it could help prepare you for inevitable mood changes and give you another tool to help cope with them.

Goodluck

Sleep and exercise is so important, I have also found mindfulness helpful at times. Are you interested in meditation? That might be another good skill to have, I am still working on that myself. I think its really important to have a good support network around you to watch out for symptoms and to help you through the difficult times.

[Confusedinomicon]

For heavy duty drugs I heard of a study that says to decrease medications by 10%. I started taking seroquel 50 mg and dropped to 25 mg but cannot completely drop it. Im having better luck titrating off of lithium. The worst part is the moodiness which gets worse if you drop medications too fast. I literally spent the past two weeks crying with an absurd amount of anxiety. It gets better though.

[HopeForChange]

Thanks so much to everyone for your suggestions/advice. I have a question, though--how do you learn to do mindfulness/meditation? I have tried in the past, but my thoughts just go all over the place. I'd like to learn, though, because those who do it consistently report that it's very helpful.

Thanks again to everyone for their posts!

Best,
Hope

[wildflowerchild25]

I would set small goals for yourself for mindfulness. It really does take practice. For example, maybe start with just one minute of meditation. Some of the exercises I learned in DBT were to practice eating food mindfully. Also, practice being mindful while watching waves on a beach on YouTube (unless you live near a beach lol) or something else relaxing. Just don't expect too much of yourself. It's natural for your mind to wander and you really have to build up to being able to be mindful and meditate for long periods of time.

I also found some mindfulness meditations on YouTube and iTunes that I listen to when I can't sleep.

Mindfulness for me is still a work in practice. I can do it during some activities but not others, but I am confident that I will get better at it. For me I just try to really stay in the moment. My mind can wander but I redirect it to my activity. Its an unfamiliar feeling to me to be mindful so it is taking some getting used to. Apparently there are some great mindfulness aps out there but I dont have a smart phone so cannot recommend one.

Holosync meditation really helped me with meditation. I am struggling a little at the moment but again I am confident that it will come good. I also found guided mindfulness meditation good. Progressive muscle relaxation also worked better for me than other techniques. There is a huge range of meditation techniques and tools out there, its a matter of finding what works for you. It will take weeks or months at least so dont expect a quick fix.

I have been slack with my yoga lately, but many unmedicated people in my group find it really beneficial. There are some really basic yoga routines available online to give you a feel for it.

I hope you keep us updated on your journey. I hope to be in the position to come off meds one day.

[unlockingsanity]

Stick to the things that provide your life with structure.

For me, that's working regularly, therapy, and forcing myself into social situations.

[HopeForChange]

Thanks so much for the mindfulness suggestions. Also, thanks for the suggestion to keep my days structured. I think structure is so important, yet so hard to put in place--but I'll definitely work at it!

Best,
Hope