[HALLIEBETH87]

Ok...what if you dont have real mental illness? Will a psych med have any affect on you? I used to be really messed up and then got on meds and since that time I am back to functioning and happy but I honestly thought I didnt need them anymore and still kinda too sometimes.

But recently I was totally anxious and havign si thoughts I havent had in 3 years so my pdoc upped my risperdal from 0.50 to 0.75 mg. Maybe Im crazy (get it??) or I dont know but I feel better since then. Is it because the thoughts just went away or is it that I can finally accept I need anxiety meds?

[roads]

I would say that a positive reaction to drugs prescribed for anxiety (I.e., a lessening of the anxiety) would tend to confirm the existence of anxiety to begin with.

In other words, yes--you need the meds. IMO.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I know I do for anxiety i guess. Before I was on them I hide from people because I thought people were always watching and laughing/talking about me, panic attacks at times and just, well, anxious.

But I mean the bipolar meds are what get me. I mean, what if anxiety was my problem? Im fine now.

[roads]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

I know I do for anxiety i guess. ....
But I mean the bipolar meds are what get me. I mean, what if anxiety was my problem? Im fine now.

Earlier you said,

I used to be really messed up and then got on meds and since that time I am back to functioning and happy

It seems to me that if you (1) were messed up, (2) got meds, & (3) went back to functioning & being happy--
the meds enable you to go from being "messed up" to being "functioning and happy."

I'd say that both the meds for anxiety & for bipolar disorder were doing good things for you. Why would you want to discontinue them & return to the way you were before?

[Diversion]

Don't fall into the trap that most of us Bipolar people do and think that because you are feeling better you don't need the meds. I once had a psychiatrist laugh it off because i was apologizing for stopping my meds , then crashing and coming back to her. She says it's in our nature to do that and explained to me that Bipolar is not curable...but it can be kept under control. You have to have the meds to control it though. So i just accept that now and take them.

[Perna]

If you don't have an illness, any med might have an effect on you but it won't be positive. They don't make drugs that do "nothing" if they are not "needed"; the drugs aren't intelligent.

[alwaysrejoice]

Diversion is right. Sometimes you start to feel better and it makes you think you don't need meds anymore. I've done it.

[AniManiac]

Originally Posted by Perna

If you don't have an illness, any med might have an effect on you but it won't be positive. They don't make drugs that do "nothing" if they are not "needed"; the drugs aren't intelligent.

I think this is not entirely accurate. According to my last pdoc, ADHD meds will have a similar stimulant effect regardless of whether or not you have ADHD. The difference is how it contrasts with your functioning without the drug. If you have ADHD, then meds bring you to normal-ish performance, but if you don't, then it's generally a boost above normal. The stimulants can be a performance-enhancer for just about everyone.

[HALLIEBETH87]

I dont know why I think like this but I just do!! I haven't stopped them because I honestly am afraid to because of what could happen if I do truly need them. Its just part of me says I dont need them anymore. That I have changed and it wasn't because of the meds but instead life choices.

Its all just so confusing.

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Ok...what if you dont have real mental illness? Will a psych med have any affect on you?

Yes, absolutely. Psych meds are serious stuff. For example, I don't have anxiety but if I take a benzo like Xanax, it will make me feel ultra calm and probably sleepy. Sleeping meds like Ambien will make everyone sleepy whether they have insomnia or not. Some antidepressants can "brighten" a person's mood even if they are not considered clinically depressed. And ADHD meds, as has been mentioned, will affect everyone. There is also a powerful placebo effect that many meds have.

[Elana05]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Ok...what if you dont have real mental illness? Will a psych med have any affect on you? I used to be really messed up and then got on meds and since that time I am back to functioning and happy but I honestly thought I didnt need them anymore and still kinda too sometimes.

But recently I was totally anxious and havign si thoughts I havent had in 3 years so my pdoc upped my risperdal from 0.50 to 0.75 mg. Maybe Im crazy (get it??) or I dont know but I feel better since then. Is it because the thoughts just went away or is it that I can finally accept I need anxiety meds?

Hi HALLIEBETH87,

Things can change. Your body or brain chemistry can change. Circumstances in life can have a triggering effect leading to more stress and anxiety. It is good that you are going back to see your doctor. Just because you need meds doesn't mean you're "crazy." I think it is helpful to think of it like any other reason you would go to a doctor - because you don't feel well and you want to feel better.

[HALLIEBETH87]

Its the whole idea of do I really need them that always gets me. My brain goes back and forth on the idea.

[sunrise]

Originally Posted by HALLIEBETH87

Its the whole idea of do I really need them that always gets me. My brain goes back and forth on the idea.

I am there with you on that. I don't feel I am mentally ill, but I do feel better when taking my ADHD meds. I recently discontinued one of them (Wellbutrin) for several months but I just felt "better" while taking it and was more functional and productive and motivated. So just a few days ago I decided to go back on it again. Maybe I don't truly "need" it but I feel and function better while taking it. Is that reason enough to take it? I don't know. At least for now, I'm choosing to take it again. Maybe I will change my mind and quit again sometime in the future.