[The_little_didgee]

I don't think so.

Misdiagnosis could be one reason why someone isn't responding to medication. Medication can even cause psychiatric symptoms. I know this is very possible because I had Prozac induced mania even though I don't have bipolar disorder. Physical conditions such as hormonal disorders can do the same.

I think some people are getting major diagnoses because of medication side effects. For example someone takes lorazepam and hears voices when on it, because it puts them in stage one sleep even though they are awake, but drowsy. A careless psychiatrist will give them a schizophrenia or schizoaffective diagnosis.

I'm treatment resistant. Meds cause me terrible physical and mental sides effects.

[Calamity Jim]

I'm running out of meds to try. My doctor won't try the last few left for mania because my age and gender put me at high risk for serious side effect and since I have serious side effects on all the rest that seems like a bad idea.

I'm scared.

There is a difference in being treatment resistant and not liking side effects of meds. Treatment resistant means your symptoms do not respond to meds or therapy- after trying almost every med and therapy on the market over a period of years.

I am exhausted again now, my depression can be treatment resistant but I do cycle out of it eventually when meds dont help - usually with an inpatient visit in the mix as I get dangerous to myself. Zyprexa is a great rescue med for me. I do not like being on it daily but taking it PRN in distress does help give my brain a rest from the chaos. I am glad it works for you.

I have wondered about the forums before, I find many people on here struggle as they expect meds alone to fix them for problems that are not necessarily bipolar related.

[CopperStar]

Originally Posted by Supanova

There is a difference in being treatment resistant and not liking side effects of meds. Treatment resistant means your symptoms do not respond to meds or therapy- after trying almost every med and therapy on the market over a period of years.

I am exhausted again now, my depression can be treatment resistant but I do cycle out of it eventually when meds dont help - usually with an inpatient visit in the mix as I get dangerous to myself. Zyprexa is a great rescue med for me. I do not like being on it daily but taking it PRN in distress does help give my brain a rest from the chaos. I am glad it works for you.

I have wondered about the forums before, I find many people on here struggle as they expect meds alone to fix them for problems that are not necessarily bipolar related.

I am on some other peer support sites, too, and I notice people's signatures when they list their meds, and I notice when people make threads/posts about being on medication, yet describing awful symptoms (not talking side effects, but MI symptoms, I agree side effect problems =/= treatment resistance).

I just find it really interesting and also frustrating on behalf of the people who are doing everything 'right' in terms of compliance, yet not getting relief. I mean talk about a feeling of life being so unfair and unreliable.

It also makes me wonder about my own diagnosis. I think honestly that schizoaffective bipolar type might be more appropriate for me, but I'm not 100% sure, since it's hard to gauge myself from the inside-out sometimes.

Like I can't tell if I'm bipolar and Zyprexa is working on my BP symptoms, or if I have a psychotic disorder, and Zyprexa is stopping the psychosis and thus, as a result my mood has improved and relaxed.

Originally Posted by CopperStar

I am on some other peer support sites, too, and I notice people's signatures when they list their meds, and I notice when people make threads/posts about being on medication, yet describing awful symptoms (not talking side effects, but MI symptoms, I agree side effect problems =/= treatment resistance).

I just find it really interesting and also frustrating on behalf of the people who are doing everything 'right' in terms of compliance, yet not getting relief. I mean talk about a feeling of life being so unfair and unreliable.

It also makes me wonder about my own diagnosis. I think honestly that schizoaffective bipolar type might be more appropriate for me, but I'm not 100% sure, since it's hard to gauge myself from the inside-out sometimes.

Like I can't tell if I'm bipolar and Zyprexa is working on my BP symptoms, or if I have a psychotic disorder, and Zyprexa is stopping the psychosis and thus, as a result my mood has improved and relaxed.

Yes it frustrates me to no end that my pdocs say I do everything right and I still end up badly. For me personally I have spent well over $20,000 in just the last 3 years on psyc treatments (that is after medicare), I am not perfect by any means but I practice what I preach and still end up in the drain.

Its great you have some self awareness, you could be correct in your observations, I dont know you well enough to know for sure. Its just great that you are finding relief. I am less trusting of pdocs official diagnosis now after being on these forums. Self awareness is a good tool to have.

Due to side effects (Or at least partly, but who knows for sure) I remain in depression even while taking meds. I've tried all kinds of medication combos. I'm pretty sure that means I'm treatment resistant, but I could be wrong. I'm not entirely sure of all the nuances of the term.

[gina_re]

Originally Posted by lunaticfringe

I come to this forum mainly because I know folks here think in a similar way that I do, and I can't find that in my every day life. My treatment on Trileptal seems to be going pretty well in the last month or so. When I was on lithium for a few months I was struggling a lot more.

Same here...I come here because my thought process is similar to a lot of people here. And when I may be struggling a bit. So when I'm doing well I may not be posting, but when I hit a rough patch, here I am. I like how encouraging we are with each other.

[SillyKitty]

I've been listed as treatment resistant, but I'm doing really well on my current cocktail. I even got to drop and cut back on some. I mainly come here during rough patches, but I'm also here now, so...I guess I show up when I feel like it.

[Moogieotter]

Team Latuda for the win! *high fives SillyKitty*

[Standup2me]

I am here because people understand when I talk about Prozac tremors
Or Lithium salt mouth
Or hearing music in my head
Or being too tired to shower
This is my community-family

[venusss]

Originally Posted by Trippin2.0

Big Pharma's explanation is that everyone's chemistry is different so we will respond differently and experience different side effects.


Idk, I can't say if members are treatment resistant, because from what I've read here over the years, and experienced personally is that pdocs love to religiously practice polypharmacy. So who knows why the meds are not working when most people just get RXd a bunch and then some for side effects...


I think if more pdocs were open to actually trying monotherapy FIRST, then its easier to see which patient responds to what instead of turning people into walking drug stores.


Myself, I'm not treatment resistant, besides a terrible experience with lithium I've responded well to other meds, its just that I don't want be medicated till the end of time and my treatment team understands and also supports this.


I'm not closed to the idea of using meds when the shyt hits the fan tho.


I still check in and post here even though I am not as symptomatic as I was when first dxd 5 years ago.


With that being said, my opinions is that these boards would be null and void if only treatment resistant members posted.


Because who would be offering them support, guidance and tips?

Pharma's explanation seems to be "it's chemical imbalance, it's totally in your brain, we cannot measure it or see it, but it's chemical and you need our drugs. And btw, everybody's chemistry is different, but if you were diagnosed by ONE doctor you are bipolar for sure and you need our drugs FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. And if they don't work, keep trying more".


I wonder what the treatment resistance is. Because imho two people can have the same reaction to the same med actually. It makes them slightly better. Takes the edge off. Person 1 challenges the energy into more whining about "this illness robbed me of my life", feeling sorry for themselves and making more poor decisions and run to hospital each time there is a bump on the road. Person 2 can use that to work on themselves, white knuckle the bad times and move forward despite the struggle.

I've seen people right here to get 100% better and not because of some magic pill. Some realized it is people in their life who shattered them and they picked up the pieces and reinvented. Some went inside themselves and let it shine. And it was always their inner strenght.

IMho the MH system encourages some people in being ill, but drugging the **** out of them and learning them to be helpless. Sure, they cannot get in trouble since they sleep like 14 hours a day and spend the rest of time eating and being very sorry zombie... but that is really not a life or success story to be told.

[jacky8807]

I have read some great articles that say if BP people need meds for the rest of their life why are they not getting better and nowadays have much worse outcomes and more hospitalizations
According to what I read on the history of BP
People would actually come our of episodes on their own and recover for much much longer periods before so much medicine was used
How can you say I must be on these meds forever and at the same time never feel good?
Also I think once the BP label is intact patients tend to blame every feeling on BP when most of it is not
Meds for depression can be a must but periods of hypomania that are not dangerous just productive.....there is no reason to medicate that away

[Unrigged64072835]

I'm here for the fellowship mainly. I only have one support group IRL and they meet twice a month late at night.

I'm not necessarily treatment-resistant, but I do have serious side effects from some of the meds I've been on. My depression was mostly considered treatment-resistant until I was put on Lamictal. My current med regime is okay, but I've felt better.

I think a lot of people come here for support, no matter what state they're in. Some people write more than others, but it doesn't mean that there are others reading that are more stable and just don't have anything to say.

Copperstar I will grant you there is a tendancy for the negative on here. That is part and parcel for any forum. I'm sure that many of us do in fact experience some positives in our lives but who wants to hear and write about that.

But I think we ought to be. That is, I think we all should make an effort to on ocassion share the positive elements of our lives and sicknesses.

[wiretwister]

I write a lot when I start to lose it because seeing it in print seems to help me get a handle ... when I am ok I try to be helpful for others ... to try to give back from the ones I receive so much from ... my treatment resistant is trying to always cut my dosage as low as I can ... I don't ever expect to be completely med free but I have promised myself to be on as little as I can and feel in control ....

[bbTofu]

I like sharing in general, that's one of the reasons I'm here. But yeah, when I generally feel okay and just flow with my life not thinking about my moods n stuff, I naturally forget about the forums and spend less time on PC.

I got officially diagnosed w/ BP2 just recently, and moods have been really interfering with my life recently, added to me being in final year as BSW student, really messes with my head.
I'm overthinking about it all, and that is a real issue also.. that I cannot help but think about my moods, and then.. naturally I'm way more active on the forums here cuz I'm thinking about bipolar a lot.. see? I'm not necessarily in a bad shape currently, but still it's very dominant in my life so...

[unaluna]

Hey who you callin' treatment-resistant?!

[Fuzzybear]

[Nammu]

Originally Posted by jacky8807

I have read some great articles that say if BP people need meds for the rest of their life why are they not getting better and nowadays have much worse outcomes and more hospitalizations
According to what I read on the history of BP
People would actually come our of episodes on their own and recover for much much longer periods before so much medicine was used
How can you say I must be on these meds forever and at the same time never feel good?
Also I think once the BP label is intact patients tend to blame every feeling on BP when most of it is not
Meds for depression can be a must but periods of hypomania that are not dangerous just productive.....there is no reason to medicate that away

Good post.

[Confusedinomicon]

even if you do have the disorder, there's a culture in mental health that can teach helplessness. I do think that bipolar exists but I don't think every person is correctly diagnosed. I also don't think short-term depression/grief should be medicated, but that is too.

I think it's really easy to read a list of symptoms and then believe you have them. You can focus on those moments and then the frequency of those things happen more because you're seeking it. I was misdiagnosed. I react poorly to anti-depressants, read a list of bipolar symptoms and since I experienced some of them sometimes was reporting those things more frequently. I think that part of people declining so much after getting the dx can be related to learned helplessness. Then there's also being put on tons of meds at once and not slowly introducing them. It's damn near impossible to know if you're experiencing a side effect or the mood disorder.

When all the antipsychotics were made, they were not meant to be taken on a long-term basis and not originally made to be maintenance drugs.

I think that's why it is really important to bring questions and demand explanations from your prescribing doctor. They are supposed to explain why they are prescribing a drug and should be able to hypothesize what symptom or whatver that they're trying to improve.

And on the patient it's super important to tell your doctor if you're a struggler with compliance.

I'm not anti medication. Just think that medication is over prescribed.

Myself I just like coming and visiting every few months. I used to be super active here for a year-two. It helped a lot to get feedback. I think innerzones post is very good.

[hopeless2015]

I come here often but don't post a lot. I read a lot of great posts with great advise. It's comforting to me that we have these forums.

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[sui generis]

I don't think so. I think it's a mixed bag. I feel like I'm treatment resistant though... At first I'm fine for months sometimes if I'm lucky at least a year or two but then I fall into a horrible depression. The meds work but then seem to stop working =\ Makes me feel like I'm doing something wrong but at the same time I feel like I'm doing everything to get better.

I believe there are misdiagnoses or comorbid diagnoses.

Also, meds frequently lose their effectiveness, and need to be changed.

[Cocosurviving]

I first joined three years ago right after being dxd. I came for support and knowledge. I never started threads often very rare but I would read and respond to others. I was in therapy and going to a doc. I'm the opposite of most that have replied. In my darkness periods is when I stopped coming to the board. In my mind I feel like I'm burdening others with my problems. So I just stay away until I'm better. I stopped seeing a therapist July 2014 and only see a doc now. I've been hospitalized a few times. I never posted when I felted I needed to go. I came back to the board when I was back stable. I still do not start a thread often but will reply to them. Currently I do take meds and they do work but not enough to keep me able to work. I've been on a long list too that the hospitals tried. I have BP1, schizoaffective and anxiety.

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