Thoughts on a possible "Bipolar medication discontinuations" subforum?

Hello Bipolar group members!

I put out an idea about the possible creation of a subforum here that would be a special place to discuss and share helpful info, suggestions, and experiences about either life off of bipolar medications, and/or struggles going off and staying off them, etc. I've seen such subforums on other mental health online forum websites. I even recall a couple members here suggesting such a thing, in the past.

I know some would benefit from such a subforum, and for others it may put what are occasionally triggering (or bad influence) posts away from the main forum. I received positive feedback from members Shoe and bluebicycle. Bluebicycle even suggested a good potential name "Bipolar medication discontinuations". Anyone like this idea?

If you do, please chime in. If there is enough interest, I can ask for it to be set up. I, personally, would hope such a subforum would be used for positive (not judgement), though I think statements of concern would be OK in such a place. I'd also hope it wouldn't be used for medication demonization. Just my view.

I originally thought the above-mentioned might have been a thread in the current "Bipolar Treatments" subforum, but perhaps it would get lost there. Does this topic deserve its own subforum? Or own forum in the main forum index of the PC website?

There is already a getting off the meds forum under psychiatric medications....is there a reason bipolar needs a special one or could people be redirected there?

Thanks, Sometimes psychotic. I only just noticed that a few seconds before seeing your post. https://psychcentralforums.com/getting-off-of-meds/

I'll pose the question to people here. Is there a reason Bipolar might benefit from its OWN post under a name such as "Bipolar medication discontinuations"?

We do have a "Bipolar Treatments" subforum here as of somewhat recently, even though the main PC Index had a "Psychiatric Medications" forum already, for a long while before it. I can't speak for others' view of the benefits of a duplication, but my reasons for supporting the duplication were because:

1. Only some people with bipolar disorder went to the one through the main PC Index.

2. People with bipolar disorder have unique experiences and concerns about certain medication issues that may not be fully understood or related to by people with other types of mental illness.

3. Many people who visit the Bipolar group on PC, spend most all of their time on the Bipolar group alone. I can say that I do, with the small exceptions of the social groups.I visit other groups very rarely.

The above are just my personal usage observations. I know others are different.

It's all about website usage analytics.The last post in the current "Getting off medications" forum was on February 3. And before that January 30. Would having a special one on Bipolar increase activity and provide justified add-on value for people with bipolar disorder? I'm not 100% sure.

I think the forum would be a good place to keep potential negative influences in one spot -- as BirdDancer mentioned before -- and to also have a place where people can do their own research on medication discontinuation. (The idea is that everything would be kept in one place, thus easier to peruse.)

The current "Bipolar Treatments" subforum only seems to talk about starting new meds and questions about side effects, and I think it'd be good to keep it that way. Medication discontinuation is vastly different from starting/being on a medication. I also think the Bipolar Treatments subforum is very encouraging -- with people providing their experiences and giving ideas for helping people cope with side effects -- and in my opinion, discontinuing meds is not always a positive thing. It can be positive for some people, but not for a lot of people.

I think it's a WONDERFUL idea, @BirdDancer! As long as the people who decide to discontinue Medication are perfectly aware of the consequences of that choice, I see nothing wrong with it. Of course they can always change their mind afterwards and there's no problem with that either. I think having a Support Forum for this kind of experience would be REALLY useful and I'd consider it. I don't think people will be judged as everyone is ALWAYS so kind here. I'd approve it! Sending many safe, warm hugs to BOTH you, @BirdDancer, your Family, your Friends, EVERYONE HERE and ALL of your Loved Ones! Keep fighting and keep rocking NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS, OK?!

Thanks for your kind input on this, MickeyCheeky.

You make a very good point about consequences of going off bipolar medications. Then there are the added issues of going off of bipolar medications cold turkey, or going off one medication but not another, etc. The latter, especially, is quite a unique issue for bipolar disorder. If it is ever the case that such a "Bipolar medication discontinuations" subforum is created, what you mentioned sounds like great sticky material. Our current "Bipolar Treatments" subforum already has a very useful sticky created by bluebicyle. Thanks, bluebicycle!

What are these triggering, bad influence, or negative posts folks are referring to?

I presented the idea of this subforum as both a positive for potential visitors to it, and a positive for people who would like such posts off the main Bipolar forum, and may like it separate.

I'll give both sides of my thoughts:

Multiple people making "being off medications" sound glorified. Such glorification can be an influence for others (some very ill) to stop medications, sometimes cold turkey. This can not only be a dangerous influence, but a trigger for people who've either quit medications themselves (with severe consequences) or had a family member do so (my youngest nephew died by suicide in such a case).

Horror stories about stopping certain medications that might deter someone from ever trying what could be a very helpful medication for them.

Overemphasis about the dangers of being on any psychotropic medications at all. I'll put the name Robert Whitaker "Anatomy of an Epidemic" out there.

But here's the other end of the spectrum:

A place where people don't feel muted (or hopefully scolded) about desires to try a medication-free lifestyle.

Reading stories about ramifications of going off certain medications cold-turkey, without doctor assistance. This could help prevent illness (i.e. medication toxicity).

Getting good tips on how to more reliably maintain stability without taking bipolar medications. For example, certain healthy lifestyle tips.

If my idea is anger-inspiring, let me know and I'll ask for this thread to be closed and won't pursue the idea further. It was born from what I feel was open-mindedness. Nothing offensive. Helpful. Again, anyone please tell me if you disagree. No further interest will be taken as that and no action taken on my part.

I think it's a good idea, coming from someone who is easily influenced to try and stop treatment. I think it'd be helpful for my and others like myself if seeing other people go off their meds were in it's own subforum and that trigger could be more easily avoided.

I have never posted in the getting of off psych meds subforum since I already do not take them, and I do not intend to.

What I mean is, It is not the same to lead a med-free lifestyle than stopping certain meds (you migth want to stop all of them and be med free, or just stop one that is causing you too many side effects).

And there is more about being med free than stopping meds. Like how to deal with psychosis, anxiety, SI, bla bla bla without meds.

I think it is a good idea.

Thanks, spikes and OliverB.

OliverB, you make a good point. As you read, my original thought was for such a subforum to also be a place for discussion/support for people who have never been on medications and never plan to be. I guess with that in mind, if such a subforum were to be created, perhaps the name "Bipolar medication discontinuations" wouldn't imply full inclusion. I would think it certainly should. We'll see if this has further interest, and if so, only then might we inquire about possible creation. [It may not be approved, even then.] If so, a more inclusive name would be even more ideal. Who knows. Maybe "Bipolar Med-Free or Discontinuation"????

I think it wouldn’t hurt to try to get approval but I’m thinking it might be a ghost town where people who need support don’t get it. I just don’t know how many people are stopping meds at a given time and whether this would end up being isolating rather than helpful.

I will say that I stopped meds for nine months while under pdoc supervision...he in fact recommended I stop meds because we weren’t sure whether I had a one off event or was truly bipolar. However I would be unlikely to visit a subforum for that topic although my advice might be helpful.

Regarding triggering perhaps there could be a sticky with the types of post that require trigger warnings and how to do that?

I feel like there is a lot of energy poured into avoiding triggers or people being negatively influenced. I have a few thoughts on this after recently trying to do the same in an epic fail type of adventure.

We are all unique individuals with our own experiences. We are all responsible for the information we digest.

BirdDancer, you mentioned a book above as a negative influence. I found Whitaker's book to be an eye opener that led me to do a lot of my own research. You pointed out the criticism of it at the time when I mentioned it here previously. I found several of the points you raised imporant and valid, but I was also able to research and find support for a lot of Whitaker's claims. It wasn't all bad and it wasn't gospel. It was information and I took responsibility for what I chose to do with the information. A discerning eye is important. I appreciated your raising an alternate lens to view the work through, but I didn't see it as an overemphasis on what I view to be some very real problems Whitaker sheds light on. To me, it was good food for thought. My opinion doesn't make you wrong, but assuming the work is negative and creates negativity here isn't wholly accurate from my point of view. It actually helped me to know some very helpful questions to ask when I was approaching weaning off meds. It inspired me to seek some of the most valuable information I have gathered here to date.

Sometimes an experience that is percieved by one as completely triggering and fearful and negative can also be experienced by another as a restorative, loving and positive experience. It all depends on where you're standing relatively speaking, what your current state is and what sorts of catalysts you wish to leverage for growth. We share our experiences and they set off chain reactions constantly. I have very rarely experienced anyone who has purposefully intended to trigger anyone. I have, however, experienced backlash from a well intended comment setting off a chain reaction in someone else. We cannot know exactly how others will react. We can only walk with the best possible intent and learn as we go. We can then offer more respectfully in the future.

I myself have been triggered on numerous occasions. I have seen advice offered that I feel would most definitely impact me negatively should I act upon it. I do not blame others for this. I place the responsibility solely upon myself to navigate away from or around things that upset me. Or... Better yet, I hold gratitude for the triggers as they shine a light on areas of opportunity for personal growth. I have also seen that same advice that would harm me go on to inspire amazing and positive changes in others. The value existed despite my position on it. Does the fact that it triggers one outweigh the benefit of the other? This is a clear no for me. I see myself as no more or less important than anyone else here.

I am truly sorry for anything I've said here or elsewhere that negatively impacted anyone. That has never been and never will be my intent. I hope we can overlook it human to human and realize that on the whole, information is neutral. It is our individual choice of how we process it that makes the difference. It is our intent to offer kindly and our willingness to learn from our unintended consequences that makes the difference.

All of that said, I have felt that my discussing weaning off meds has been triggering to some and I've kept my discussion of it to a minimum after viewing how it was affecting others. I appreciated the experiences others shared and I especially appreciated those who took the time to offer their words of caution. They were a huge comfort during an unknown and somewhat fearful time for me. I'm not sure those same posters would have contributed to those threads if they were kept in a separate place. BirdDancer, you are a great example. You offered tremendously helpful insight while I was weaning off Geodon. I would not have been as prepared if you and some of the others didn't help me to know how to better proceed.

Placing those discussions away from the mainstream to avoid potential negativity for some feels a bit like pushing something away because we're fearful of it. I'm not opposed to separating the info, but the motivation feels off to me.

I've never used my own story to glorify coming off meds. I imagine that happens, but again, we all need to be responsible for seeing through information like that and assessing its worth or potential harm to ourselves. Additionally, I have seen several members wisely and lovingly counsel those who were in an unbalanced state and mentioned that they were planning to come off meds in regards to the potential danger they were facing. That critically valuable exchange might not occur if these discussions were not a part of the mainstream threads. Those discussions are literal lifesavers in my humble opinion.

If there is not a separate space for these discussions in the future perhaps we can rightfully name the threads the way the user who recently created one did. There was no guessing needed to know what would be discussed in that thread. Anyone who is cautious of the impact of such a discussion had every opportunity to walk away. If they were triggered or negatively impacted they chose that path. Those who felt they had something to offer participated. I found nothing about it threatening. That's just my two, maybe three cents on all of this. I know others may disagree and I'm good with that. I just needed to air some of this out as it has been on my mind and my heart recently.

I'll support whatever the group decides, but it is my hope that we move forward with strategies that create an abundance of value over those meant to avoid perceptions of fear and negativity. Potential negative influences for one can be the key to health and wellness for another. So many threads we author and participate in here ride that very thin line.

Hi fern. Thank you for your thoughtful response that offered new points of thought regarding the idea. Your input (everyone's input) is quite significant. That was what I wanted in this thread. Any changes to a forum must always be for the greater good. If there are significant enough ways they wouldn't be, then the knowledge of them serves only good.

At this point, I will step back from the idea proposed in my original post. Anyone else with other insights is welcome to provide them. I will look forward to reading any additional views on this. It's actually a pretty big topic, I think. I've added a trigger icon, just in case it could be triggering.

Thanks BirdDancer! You are serving as a great facilitator of the discussion. I appreciate you.

People with BP have a higher tendency to stop taking necessary medications than do people with other mental illnesses. Besides that tendency, how is med withdrawal for BP's different than med withdrawal for someone with another mental illness?

I think there are pros and cons to having a thread for discontinuing psych meds, there are many reasons people decide to stop meds..

As many of you know I have been Med free since March of last year. At times it’s been a big struggle.

I have gotten some nasty remarks about my posting that I am off meds. But I am very careful when talking about it so being basically attacked wasn’t pleasant nor warranted.

I certainly do not wander this forum promoting everyone try Med free because it’s really a big decision and hard work.

People with Bipolar do have a higher rate of stopping meds because Hypo is like a drug.

I think a Sticky for our forum would be very helpful because the one on the psych meds forum gets very little traffic.

Thank you

I agree with much of what Fern has posted. Despite being someone who is easily triggered, personally, I don’t see the value in a separate forum. I think the forum would potentially become a dead spot. I think that there are already three places that someone can post: this forum, the bipolar treatments forum and the psych medications forum and therefore I don’t see the need for yet another forum.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pookyl I agree with much of what Fern has posted. Despite being someone who is easily triggered, personally, I don’t see the value in a separate forum. I think the forum would potentially become a dead spot. I think that there are already three places that someone can post: this forum, the bipolar treatments forum and the psych medications forum and therefore I don’t see the need for yet another forum.

I tend to agree. I think your idea is worth considering, Birdie, and I'm certainly not trying to shoot it down. I'm just truly not understanding how med withdrawal (or cessation) is different than med withdrawal, etc. in general (non BP) is. For example, I think there's a Lamictal withdrawal thread on the Medications board (I'm not positive). Maybe some of us can visit that board and see if we have any input.

I like the idea. It'll go well against BP treatment.

Hi BethRags. As of this moment, I am not really thinking about this proposed subforum any more, but to answer your specific question, I don't see the issue as drug withdrawal so much as illness relapse.

Quote:

Originally Posted by BirdDancer Hi BethRags. As of this moment, I am not really thinking about this proposed subforum any more, but to answer your specific question, I don't see the issue as drug withdrawal so much as illness relapse.

Oh, dear. Now I am confused. I'm sorry, Birdie. So...a subforum on illness relapse...do you mean after having stopped meds? Please don't give up on your idea; I think you have plenty of "yesses" and, speaking for myself, I'm just trying to understand. I hope this makes sense, but could you perhaps give a random example of a post that might be in the subforum?