[ozzy1313]

My therapist and I were talking about this yesterday, ((I don't want a debate, just other's honest stories)) This past year or so of being on medication I have been getting worse. My depression has been the worst is has EVER been in my life. When I brought it up in therapy yesterday she was fine with trying it- even brought up going to a naturalist if I wanted. I am going to start DBT classes and would have a plan in place. I see my pdoc next week and will talk about this with her. I am interested in what she will have to say. My therapist did wonder though (since I went to a pdoc mainly for anger/erratic moods) if once the lamictal evened out the hypo (anger) if it dipped me too low. I don't know. I don't have any side effects from what I am on, they just don't seem to work at all so maybe it can't hurt to try without.

edit- should add that I was on Prozac up till 2 months or so ago, and I take xanax at night for sleep

[Tucson]

Going off meds while unstable? Do you think your meds are causing your depression? I tried to go med free. It did not work out. As I was taking myself slowly off the meds, my depression went right through the floor. The doctor gave me two choices. Either be med free or be stable. My vote went to being stable. But then I cannot take risks. I have too much daily responsibility which I can never ignore. Not even for one day. So I cannot have any down time. But this may not be the situation with you.

[venusss]

Just FYI, there is more choices that "meds free" or "stable" and gosh, they often ain't choice. Are you telling the huge chunk of this forum from whom meds ain't work that they choose to be unstable?

Imho, sometimes the best thing to do is start blank slate, especially when you get to the point where you don't know where side effects end and your condition begins. Yes, those mind altering drugs (however FDA approved) can sometimes worsen your state.

to OP... if trying this med and that med and another med didn't work so far... maybe there is nothing to lose with trying other things. You can always go back on meds and with all the chemicals out of your system, you may be able to determine more clearly what is actually working and what is not.

I'm considering this as well, and for the same reasons. However I plan to wait until I'm back in my hometown around family and when I have insurance (this summer). But I would really love to know what you decide and how it goes! I am researching and planning to do a combination of more regular therapy + exercise and diet + natural medicines such as CBD oils - basically a lifestyle shift.

[ozzy1313]

Originally Posted by venusss

Just FYI, there is more choices that "meds free" or "stable" and gosh, they often ain't choice. Are you telling the huge chunk of this forum from whom meds ain't work that they choose to be unstable?

Imho, sometimes the best thing to do is start blank slate, especially when you get to the point where you don't know where side effects end and your condition begins. Yes, those mind altering drugs (however FDA approved) can sometimes worsen your state.

to OP... if trying this med and that med and another med didn't work so far... maybe there is nothing to lose with trying other things. You can always go back on meds and with all the chemicals out of your system, you may be able to determine more clearly what is actually working and what is not.

Blank state is one thing I was also thinking. When I first saw a pdoc and went on meds that was the only thing I was doing. I now go to therapy, I am educating my family so they can help me, and in 2 weeks start the dbt class. I don't know if it the medication is making my depression worse or not. I totally have my mind open to go back on medication if need be. I'm not even sure I am going off- just an idea my therapist and I talked about. I value my pdoc opinion and I think she will be on board with helping me do what I need to do.

This thread is also I guess me wondering what else you all do for your mental health that helps. ie yoga, diet, therapy, etc

[ozzy1313]

Originally Posted by thepterodactyl

I'm considering this as well, and for the same reasons. However I plan to wait until I'm back in my hometown around family and when I have insurance (this summer). But I would really love to know what you decide and how it goes! I am researching and planning to do a combination of more regular therapy + exercise and diet + natural medicines such as CBD oils - basically a lifestyle shift.

My family is all here to help if I need them. I am worried about the DBT class price. My deductible is $6000 but I cannot continue to live like this. I took a CBT class 20 years ago when I was suffering from an eating disorder and it worked wonders.

[Flyer]

Sounds like you have a bus full of backup, should you need them. If you feel like you are getting worse, you can always go back on them while finding a better med for you. You won't know if you don't try.

When I get scared, I 'run' to a therapist. Otherwise I try to take good care of me. Avoid negatives that I can and deal with the others as soon as they rear their ugly heads. Surround myself with positives. Find things that are 'healing' for me: a candle lit bath, nature is a biggie, giving my mind a break... Just make myself happy being me. Comfortable in my own skin. Only you have the answers you seek as each of us is different. Do what works for you.

Best wishes.

[HopeForChange]

I am currently in the process of coming off of my meds and it's going well. Only thing is that because my brain has been used to the meds for so many years, my psychiatrist and I have to taper very slowly to avoid psychosis/mania. I think one of the important things is to come off the meds with the help of your doctor rather than just stopping them abruptly on your own (not saying you're planning on doing this, but just in case I thought I'd warn you ).

Lifestyle modifications have been hugely important in functioning with fewer meds at lower doses. I maintain a very strict schedule each day--get up at the same time each day, take my meds at the same time, exercise at the same time everyday, go to bed at the same time, etc. I even try to have my first and last social contacts of the day at around the same time. Having a schedule has enabled me to function and feel so much better--it sounds simple, but I can't say enough about it's importance.

Spirituality has also helped me get through the hard times when coming off the meds. I don't think it matters what form of spirituality--just whatever is meaningful to you. Meditation is also immensely helpful, though I don't do it often because it's sooooo hard for me--though the difficulties probably mean I should do it more often, haha.

I know people who haven't had much success with fish oil, but I find it helpful in keeping the highs from getting too high and the lows from getting too low. It's not one of those things that makes you instantly feel better on a rough day--but taken over time, I have found that it minimizes the extremes of the mood. I use OmegaBrite because it's high in EPA, which my psychiatrist said is important--but there are other brands as well.

I'm so sorry to hear that you're struggling on the meds, and I agree that a blank slate could be helpful. Best wishes, and let us know how you're doing, okay Feel free to PM me if you have any questions about my experiences in getting off meds--I'll try to help in whatever way I can!

Best,
Hope

I hope the best for you if you decide to go med free. A lot of people have learned to maintain a sense of stability through therapy, and other means and not use the help of meds. I hope you are one of the people this works for as you clearly seem to like this option. In fact it's an option I wish I had. I tried med free and it didn't go well for me but I know many who are med free and doing well with using their coping strategies.

If you do go med free, I hope you continue to see your docs and monitor yourself, cause I would hate to see anything happen. Be kind to yourself and good luck!

[emory_]

I really hope you find what works for you. But please take caution in doing so. I tried to go med free about 1.5 years ago and it only took me one week before I was back in a psychiatric hospital. Also please know that those who do find help through medication did not find the right combination of meds overnight. It took me 2 years and 15 different medications to find the combination that worked, and I find that kind of thing being a pretty universal experience. Good luck with everything, and I hope you find happiness and peace soon.

[Tucson]

[Junia]

Wow. I wish you the best. For me, thought of going med-free is terrifying - but I really do wish you the best.

I think do what you're gut says. You can always go back on meds if you need to.

I'm starting to have doubts about meds too, but I had went into a psychosis when I was diagnosed with PTSD and bp. So I don't know if that has just made me more unstable than other bipolars that didn't go through that. Idk....

But do what your intuition says imo.