[simplydivine1030]

Every med I've ever been on has taken the best parts of me away - I feel like a zombie - no emotion - cognitive dulling - memory loss - etc.. (not to mention weight gain). I'm weening myself off my meds now (I know, no lectures please!) and I'm looking to see if anyone else manages w/o meds. I've been on a zillion cocktails and each one is worse than the last. I'm open to trying something new down the road but right now I'm just so sick of feeling like I'm trapped inside a lifeless, stupid, fat, body. Currently on (weening off) lithium & abilify.

[*Laurie*]

It is very possible that the doses you're on are too high. I have definitely experienced that and dropping the doses can make a huge difference.

A successful medication regime shouldn't make you feel like a lifeless zombie - at least, not past the time of the initial 'getting used to the med' phase (about 3 weeks). A good med regime will make you feel more energetic (but not manic), inspired instead of depressed and anxious, emotionally pretty stable, and generally feel good about yourself and your life - also, the right meds will help your sleep normalize. Yes, many meds do tend to cause weight gain and (I find) they tend to cause me to be sleepy earlier than I might otherwise.

I'll be frank. For me, if it weren't for psychiatric medication I would have suicided many years ago.

If I were you I'd give dropping your doses a try before going off entirely.

[~Christina]

I decided I wanted to be med free, So I took almost a year to get as many coping skills and plans made so that I had the best chance..

Almost 10 months now med free.. Is it easy? Nope.. It takes alot of effort, Sometimes I just white knuckle it and ride the wave..

Is it possible that I may need meds at some point ? Yep .... But I will only do very short term.

My Pdoc is okay and supports me. I was cycling on the meds , so why take Chemicals daily? I refuse to be a snowed under drooling and always starving.

[Christopher1990]

I tried, it didnt end to well.. it was great while it lasted though.

maybe one day.

be careful

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[gina_re]

I always end up back on them, so I might as well just keep on truckin..

Maybe in retirement and I don't have any responsibilities I can try again. But then again I'm sure there are another set of pills ready for me..

[YMIHere]

Originally Posted by gina_re

I always end up back on them, so I might as well just keep on truckin..

Maybe in retirement and I don't have any responsibilities I can try again. But then again I'm sure there are another set of pills ready for me..

Like OP I sometimes wish I could go off and then the thought scares me to death. I feel like I definitely lost a creative part of myself but I gained a functioning adult (most times).

My memory is shot. There are so many things I want to do. I'd love to be independently wealthy so I could take a medication vacation and see what happens.

But right NOW I think I need doses tweaked or something because I'm not doing well.

Went off and immediately had a mixed episode. I did go off cold turkey, though.

It took several months back on them, to stabilize.

I've given up on bipolar medicine a while ago and I instead get by via a high quality diet free of processed and fried foods and at least 60% of it being raw veggies and fruit, plenty of B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids, plenty of physical activity at the gym, doing yoga, or practicing martial arts (which is also a perfect coping skill if you have more issues during mania or have any anger problems), and self awareness of the length between my moods and my triggers and learning how to cope with them.

It is possible to be bipolar and not take conventional medication for it. It's simply much more difficult and most people tend to choose the easier way of doing things. Getting off medication is more than worth it though and it was one of the most liberating things that I ever accomplished next to getting my driver's license

[Christopher1990]

Originally Posted by DarknessIsMyFriend

I've given up on bipolar medicine a while ago and I instead get by via a high quality diet free of processed and fried foods and at least 60% of it being raw veggies and fruit, plenty of B vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids, plenty of physical activity at the gym, doing yoga, or practicing martial arts (which is also a perfect coping skill if you have more issues during mania or have any anger problems), and self awareness of the length between my moods and my triggers and learning how to cope with them.

It is possible to be bipolar and not take conventional medication for it. It's simply much more difficult and most people tend to choose the easier way of doing things. Getting off medication is more than worth it though and it was one of the most liberating things that I ever accomplished next to getting my driver's license

wow. i find this quite inspiring. last time i went med free I wasnt prepared and my diet wasnt healthy enough. I was going to the gym, but I should of also practiced meditation and yoga. also, find a holistic doctor. i was also drinking at night to fall asleep.
i was 5 months medfree before mania. stress got to me, and it acually happened during spring break. and it actually happened when I stopped drinking at night to try to get off the booze. I stayed in my bed for like 3 days listening to spotify and writing all sorts of stuff on my ipad. I gave up on life.

how long have you been medfree?
also, were you diagnosed bipolar 1 or 2?
im 1, and I believe its harder for people that have a risk of getting into full-blown mania. coping and finding relief is almost impossible during a manic episode, without medication.

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Originally Posted by Christopher1990

wow. i find this quite inspiring. last time i went med free I wasnt prepared and my diet wasnt healthy enough. I was going to the gym, but I should of also practiced meditation and yoga. also, find a holistic doctor. i was also drinking at night to fall asleep.
i was 5 months medfree before mania. stress got to me, and it acually happened during spring break. and it actually happened when I stopped drinking at night to try to get off the booze. I stayed in my bed for like 3 days listening to spotify and writing all sorts of stuff on my ipad. I gave up on life.

how long have you been medfree?
also, were you diagnosed bipolar 1 or 2?
im 1, and I believe its harder for people that have a risk of getting into full-blown mania. coping and finding relief is almost impossible during a manic episode, without medication.

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I have Bipolar 1 and I have been med free for just over two years. I got sick and tired of the negative side effects and constantly being given medicine that didn't work and only caused me more pain, so I did a lot of research and decided to start treating my own problems.

My mania phases can get intense, but they are usually short and I can work around them if they get too crazy.

Also I work from home and choose my own hours so in the rare event that my mood becomes too out of hand, I can stop working for a few days and keep my mind busy until my mood settles. It's rarely more than once a year that it gets that bad for me though.

[Disorder7]

I hate meds. I stopped taking them and had a mixed psychotic episode.

I became violent and did something horrible to someone I love. They had to have medical attention. Had they told the truth about what happened, I'd still be in jail.

But I think it's possible to be med free if you're not prone to violence.