Can you really just "lose it" if you don't get your meds right?

So I saw my pdoc on 3/11 and told him I stopped taking the Lithium after about 1.5 moths. Upset my stomach awful, metal mouth, made me feel like a zombie... He agreed to let me try to up my Abilify to 5mg as I am on lowest dose of 2mg but if no significant improvement wants me to try Lamictal. His worry is I have so many highs and lows. I was in a funky mood and feeling blah and told him I was sick of meds, yada, yada... And he said we really have to get my meds straightened out because he worries I could have a break down and wind up so hypo it could cause me psychosis and stuff.

Is that true? I don't mean to sound ignorant but is that how bad this can truly get without treatment or is he trying to scare me into taking my meds? I've gotten pretty high before but never totally out of control and if he is trying to scare me into taking my meds it kinda worked.

On another note, if you have taken Lamictal, how has it worked for you?

Thanks as always for your advice!

The risk of swinging dangerously low or dangerously high is always there, especially if you are unmedicated. Even if you never have before it can happen. Also doesn't mean that it will. The risk is there though. A lot of people have stated that bipolar has gotten more severe as they've gotten older. I know mine has changed some as I have gotten older too.

Medication has been good for me in making the swings less severe or much shorter. It took a long time to get it right though. That's the frustrating part. I think it took about 2 years to get the combo right, but it was worth it for me. If I wasn't a single parent, I may have given up. I'm glad I stuck with it though.

I was on Lamictal for 3 years. I had some side effects such as acne. I suspect it may have made my vision worse, but I have bad eyes anyways so it's hard to tell. I went off of it because suddenly it made me feel kind of fatigued all the time. Well actually, I found out that was the cause of my fatigue after I went off of it. I was starting to feel "out of it" shortly after I took it. However, I was taking all 300mg in the morning. Probably splitting it up would have solved that issue. He wanted to try Latuda with me, so I switched. I would go back on it if need be.

Lamictal did stabilize me. It stabilized me slightly on the depressive side though. We added Trileptal, and that pulled me up more to normal.

Scatterbrained is right. It can happen. Your doctor is looking out for your best interest. That doesn't mean that you have to take one that leaves you feeling like a zombie. There are many combinations that you can try. Lithium didn't work well for me either. I didn't like the way it left me feeling. But after 3 hospitalizations I know how important the right med combination can be.

Be reassured, the right medication or combination of medication will help by making the swings less severe or much shorter. Persevere ; taking medication may cause side-effects at times but it is better than a non-medicated state.

Taking meds is a sign of recovery

I have been off meds for 9 months I have delusions hallucinations and paranoia it's not fun I wish I had meds I'm getting more severe symptoms the older I get as well this is the first year I've had hallucinations. Keep looking for the right meds bipolar disorder can be sent into remission by meds but it will get worse without them.

I personally believe that meds keep me in check. I started out on Lamictal it did lessen the swings as well as the extremes but I ended up needing to also be on a AP. I'm currently on Seroquel again, as well as Lamictal. Last March I came off of Seroquel because it caused me to be pre-diabetic and high triglycerides. I went into a mixed episode. While we were looking for an AP and I was allergic to several and I was in bad shape as far as the mixed episode. My pdoc was worried that I was going to be in some big trouble soon so he instantly put me on Haldol. It was wonderful but it brought too far down into a depression, which can happen he said. He was truly concerned, and I didn't feel like he was forcing meds on me. I knew that things were bad and getting worse and I needed meds.

So basically after my long story, what I'm trying to say is I don't think your pdoc is trying to scare you into meds, I think he's looking out for your well-being. For me, I have had no problems with Lamictal.

There really is no answer to your question because everyone is so different. There are plenty of people here who actually felt better after coming off meds and have been able to live med free. There are just as many who had a breakdown after stopping meds, myself included. I go back and forth on whether meds are necessary for me but since I had a psychotic episode without them, which was terrifying, I choose to stay on them. You CAN get worse and have a breakdown but there's no way to tell for sure.

Well, Lithium is pretty hardcore from what I understand. I remember reading one person's description of feeling like they were under "five wet blankets" while on lithium. It definitely works, don't get me wrong -- but your pdoc probably should have started you out on other stabilizers first, IMO. Because yes, everyone is different.

I can understand your going off it. I felt the same with Topamax -- it really slows me down sometimes if I take 100mg. My doctor reduced it to 50mg at night for that reason, but sometimes I do take another one during the day if I feel I really probably should.

My doctor is planning on starting me on Lamictal in May, which I'm happy about. I've heard good things about it. I really don't like Topamax.

Don't go off your meds. At least, don't go off your AP. For me, my AP is the most important one. If I go off that, it's bad news.

Thanks for all the replies. I have no intention of going completely off meds. Been down that road before a few times and know that's a REALLY BAD idea! I was just wondering if there was a possibility of becoming "delusional" per say if you don't have the proper med combo and your moods aren't under control like my doctor said. I have 3 kids and the thought of getting worse or out of control scares me.

Thanks again for the input ~ a huge help as always!

"Delusional" (per say), "worse" and "out of control" are all possible outcomes. I wouldn't risk it if I had kids.

I quit,cold turkey, in the end of January and within a week or so, had a complete mixed/manic episode that I am still trying to get out of now.

I am now slowly titrating back up on lamictal. It was a very dumb decision on my part. Read my earliest posts if interested. It has been Hell.
Worst case scenario.

Yes in my case you certainly can.... Including doing a lot of things I don't remember.... Which is a whole other diagnosis...

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