Do you have to take an antipsychotic

So i have had a couple of psychotic episodes during both mania and depression but i am wondering if they were caused by my mood and if the lithium does work to stabilize my mood then could i go off the antipsychotic meds i dont like the side effects and also i would ultimately like to go med free but i know that is unlikely right now.
how likely is a doctor to let you stop taking an antipsychotic if you have had a few recent episodes?
is it possible to be BP1 and be med free?
thanks to anyone who reads this

I'm on the border of SZA and bp w. psychosis. I'm never allowed to get off my anti-psychotic. I do think it is possible to live med free if aware enough.

I quit the stabilizer but continue the AP

Sounds like a conversation to have with your doctor. I take two anti-psychotics, but I also have a diagnosis of schizoaffective. I hope to be on just one anti-psychotic eventually.

My own experience: I take my mood stabilizer, but I stick to Lamictal and Gabapentin combined since I do not want to deal with the side effects of Lithium, Depakote, etc. That's just me.

High dose AP's are usually given to me to bring me down from manic episodes. However, when I'm feeling a little more level, I usually ask my pdoc to bring me down on the dose just a little bit, and she will listen to me. That is what I did recently. I choose to stay on an AP to help regulate my sleep, reduce the changes of paranoia or the occasional voices I will hear at night, and to attempt to alleviate the racing thoughts.

My opinion though....I would imagine it totally ranges from person to person. I guess a some might take into account if there's any recent hospitalizations, psychosis that leads to consequences (such as loss of job, income, or anything else that would impair someone as well as benefits vs. risks of taking AP's). It really should be a collaborative process between the patient and the pdoc....especially since you know your body....but that's just my two cents. Having a pdoc who will work with you and that you are comfortable with is definitely important.

I can't even imagine my pdoc ever letting me go off my APs. With any luck I may be able to get away with one at some point, but I know I'll never come off APs entirely. My manic episodes are too bad to go without.

I take two anti psychotics at low doses to keep psychosis at bay.

My pdoc is not taking me of my antipsychotic anytime soon.
I certainly don't think that I can be med free, at least for now... maybe forever
Don,t expect your doc to do much adjusting at least for a little while

At the moment I do. I take 20mg of Abilify and sometimes 10mg of Zyprexa to sleep. It is essential for me now but when I stabilise I can go off both. Med free is my dream too but it won't be happening for a long time. It depends on so many things but generally you would have to be stable for at least 6 months before any pdoc would be comfortable with it. Some of us will be on meds forever due to the nature of our illness. Meds or no meds, what matters is finding stability. The holy grail. Right now I think it is best you stay on your meds and see what your pdoc recommends to help you get through what you are experiencing now. Be patient. Stability will come. It just might take some time. Bipolar is generally a re-occuring illness and when episodes come, meds are needed to calm things down. Other meds help reduce relapse too. Hope you feel better soon.

Bp1 can go med free in certain conditions. Just google it for stories. The worst of the worst of BP1 have gone med free. As well as schizophrenics.
The question is forever? that I'm not so sure of. I'm med free now but if I needed to go back on for certain situations I would
I had a severe psychotic break. Did I need meds then? of course. Did my doctor say "Meds for the rest of your life" of course
they say that to everyone
I have seen a lot of people get worse on meds. More episodes, new symptoms ect ect
I think its a balancing act.
Good luck!

Oh and also I'm not exactly being honest with my PDOC
I still see him to get a PRN anxiety med just in case...I try not to take it but anxiety is a killer so I feel better having them on hand.

My pdoc thinks I'm still taking all the rest of the meds which would be a antipsychotic a mood stabilizer and small dose antidepressant. I'm not saying what I'm doing is a good thing I'm just being honest.

I weaned myself off....this is the hard part. You will feel horrible. Getting off the meds throws you into episodes and this is the point ppl think they cant ever get off.
It eventually calms down.
But like I said if I need them again so be it. I know its a cyclical thing this BP nightmare lol

Hello there. I just read your post. You know from what research I've done and also being Bipolar 1 that is the lie of the bipolar disease itself telling you that you can get off your meds. Once you are Bipolar you always are. I can't imagine getting off of my meds. In fact, I had to once because my pdoc took me off of them because he was a nut case and I go so bad I thought I was going to lose it. This is just me of course. Everyone is different.

you could be right. I am wrong a lot of the time even when I think I know everything
I will say I research a lot but that could be a good or a bad thing I guess. I do tend to get sucked into Mad in America as well as other antipsychiatry movements reading into the midnight hours. I do feel the population is overmedicated in general though.
But after that one psychotic break I never had another one. Paranoia mild delusions etc yes but nothing that horrifying (and it was HORRIFYING and more akin to a schizophrenic type of break with reality) has happened again. Some research points to overmedicating causing bipolar to become more of a chronic illness rather than cycle like it use to in the past.
Going by my worst episode they would antipsychotic me into oblivion for the rest of my life with the potential of massive weight gain diabetes low quality of life sedation etc
Ah who knows. I may be back here in a month swallowed whole by an episode and begging for meds lol

also I wasn't aware I was in psychosis at the time of my break. My reality was the truth. Most people here seem aware when they are in psychosis which always surprises me. I don't even have the insight to see more mild delusions until later on, after an episode. So perhaps I just have poor insight idk.

i didnt know i was psychotic either at the time but my T kept telling me i was and i didnt believe him but looking back i can see why T said that.

Also update i saw my pdoc and asked about the meds and how long i would be on them and they said long term this makes me sad i dont want to be on meds at all i want to live a natural life without chemicals.

Hey he didn't say forever .I'm not saying I'm doing the best but I'm only on a high level of Ap and a very low level mood stabilizer. That's an improvement to the 5 medications I was on before..

i guess this just makes me want to just quit and stop taking everything idk why i know i am being petty but this is just a big thing to me.

I know the feeling but things get out of hand and you don't even realize. I've been on and off meds for years. Currently I'm on my best streak of taking them daily. If you can voice your frustration to your therapist. Make it known that you want to be on the least amount of meds possible.

There are AD/AP combos like Symbyax and viibryd. If your insurance will pay for it. There are AP monthly shots also that might be an option. Then it doesn't seem like you're on as much meds.

I'm on an antipsychotic and just came out of a depression episode. My doctor would not let me come off yet, but maybe in the future. I'm bipolar I and trying to figure out how to get off my meds. My doc prefers to wait at least a year to show I'm stable.