[Bobbyj]

Oky first question is, i went to a psych and he wanted $300 for first visit, does this sound normal? I looked him up and he had good reviews and everything, didn't find anything bad. I have health insurance as well so idk, i told me parents and they were shocked. Every visit after that is $100 too so what's the deal with that?

Secondly, have any of you had success without meds? All of the side effects are terrible and i live an active lifestyle, i don't like the idea of meds blunting my personality or taking energy away from my workouts. I definitely don't want to gain weight either... When i'm sober i'm generally accepting of myself, i carry an "i don't give an F attitude" for the better or worse so i get over thigs fairly fast. All my relationships seem to have been ruined while under the influence so it's hard to know if i'd have better success while sober. I do relate a lot with BP and possibly BPD so i wouldn't deny having them, i just figure if i'm not hurting myself or others, why should i care if i'm hyper or down sometimes? I like the idea of being different as long as it's under control. I still go to therapy and have a healthy lifestyle.

Anyway let me know your guy's thoughts, thanks.

$300 is normal for your first visit, but ideally your insurance should cover it. Did you check if this dr accepts your insurance?

If you have a high deductible plan, then you'll have to pay full price (i.e., out of pocket) until you meet your deductible. So, it's possible the dr accepts your insurance, and he's telling you the price you will currently have to pay through your insurance.

I can't really speak about meds, but my BP symptoms started around 11 and I didn't seek help until 10 years later. It was rough for me, but I'm sure there are people who live happy lives being med free. Everyone tolerates symptoms differently.

[scatterbrained04]

As far as the pricing for your pdoc, it is pretty reasonable. I've seen MUCH higher. Mine was $350 initial visit and is now $160 for a 30 minute visit now.

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[zepchic]

I got by for a long time without meds....then took them for awhile...then got by another 10 years without, now I am back on, so it's possible

[gina_re]

That price seems about right for the initial consultation and follow up visits. However, if you have insurance, it should cover the costs (not including the copay) assuming he's in your network. Otherwise, you should just have to worry about the copays. Out of network doctors you will have to pay more.

[wildflowerchild25]

Plenty of people live med free. It's just a matter of your quality of life. If your quality of life is high without meds, then you can stay off of them. No need to medicate if you don't think it's a problem, although we are not always fully aware of how our behavior is affecting others. So even if you don't think there's a problem, if someone is telling you you get vindictive and hurtful when you're angry you might want to look into that. Not saying that's true for you, just giving an example.

Personally I cannot live med free. I did for six years but my illness was in a remission of sorts. Now that it's in full swing again it's impossible. I do end up hurting myself, and sometimes hurting others. I'm much happier on meds. But it took three years to find the right ones that didn't have intolerable side effects.

[Keegan2015]

As others have said, those prices are pretty standard for pdocs.

As far as not taking meds goes ... virtually any mental health professional would probably say it's a bad idea ... people who have lived experience would tell you that your mileage may vary.

I've been very non-compliant with meds in the past and its had pretty disastrous consequences so now I'm currently back on meds and taking them as prescribed and things have been going well so far. Not all medications will have the terrible side effects that you've read about ... part of starting medication is that you'll unfortunately have to work with your doctor and experiment until you find a combination that works well for you.

So far I've had the best experience with lithium, but that's just me. Conversely, risperdal, abilify, and lamictal were either unhelpful or had such bad side-effects that I stopped taking them against medical advice.

[smallwonderer]

I've never been on APs really. Maybe some brief period taking my zyprexa willingly. I spent a fair amount of time on a low dose of wellbutrin (150 extended release) but my anxiety was creeping up so I stopped that too. Last year, I went manic and psychotic without being on meds (first year after BP I diagnosis) - caught myself and basically took zyprexa PRN and some sleep meds until I got back to normal - and then crashed to a major depression after. This year, I have done much better. I watch myself a lot for behaviors, I watch my sleep, I try to manage how I respond to triggering events, exercise, eat well. I imagine life would be easier if I just went on the meds but I also feel like I have similar problems to those on here who are med compliant. I would say for me the top reason I stay off of them are I need my brain when it's clear and it seems more likely that that is an option if I am both balanced and off meds, though I don't think imbalanced and off meds is better than balanced on meds.

Yup, that pricing is not unusual. Which others have already said too of course. But you also asked what the deal was with that, and the answer is that being an intake, it is a longer time than a regular appointment. Hope that helps.

[Victoria'smom]

I'm assuming you are just getting dx'd so I'll tell you what my 2nd pdoc told me. He asked me to give him a year. Tell him all my complaints large or small and if I didn't feel better then he'd help me get off the meds. So give your pdoc a year. You may not be 100 percent by then but you may feel a bit better. It's worth a shot. As far as being slow, or blunted that happens with over medicated there are tons of "activating" medications you can try.

[Ocean Swimmer]

I gained weight unfortunately. About 40 lbs. I'm almost 6' so it's not a disaster,but I'm happier thinner.
You drink a lot of alcohol? Could be self medicating.
I self medicated all thru my 20's& 30's but not alcohol.
Your questions about if it's possible to live a quality life without Meds? Yes.
But I've had some serious episodes,ip,ECT.

So I'm completely compliant with recommendations from Pdoc.
You are young. Sometimes bipolar seems to have worse effects when you are much older.
I think it might have to do with hormones.
Best of luck. Keep going to Therapy. NAMI and DBSA have free groups.