[emptyspace]

.
How do you know that you are "as good as you can get on meds," with the meds you are on?

At what point have you said, no more med changes, I am the best I will get?
What gave you that idea? or did you just get tired of med changes?

Was it your decision, your pdoc's decision, others?

How do you know it's time to stop??

[Terabithia]

hmmm. That's a really good question. I have a hard time believing that it's ever as good as it's gonna get, I guess because it can feel so intolerable. Also, with new meds. coming out every now and then, I try to believe that a newer medicine will handle those symptoms even though my doctor may say that some symptoms no medication is going to take care of. He's only told me that once, but it was enough. I refuse to agree.

[IrisBloom]

If you think you are not improving with current meds be sure you tell your Dr. An increase or change may be in order. Some of us will never get above a certain level of "better", but being stable at a certain level is preferable to mood swings and ever lower lows. Don't forget you are in charge of your recovery, so don't be afraid to tell your Dr if you want to try a different med. And keep in mind it takes around 2 months to really tell if it is having a positive effect on you. Also, some of us never stop meds. For some it is a life long illness.

[~Christina]

I think its a case of not settling .. When you feel that your life is on track and your enjoying daily life that you feel content ..

Most MI symptoms will come and go ..Its not often that they go into remission for ever .. But when you obtain a quality of life that makes you happy that might me the good place to be/ aim for.

take care

[venusss]

I think it's good to realize that there are really things meds cannot take care of... meds alone will not make you happy. It should just give you enough space to be able for you to feel... not miserable.

Trauma issues, bad self-perception or existential problems.... these are something that meds will not touch or not in depth at least.

A book could be written on that question.

[RiverStreet13]

I don't think you will know; it will just be a subtle shift and then realization, perhaps.

[splitimage]

I think for me it was when I realized that for the first time in a very long time, I was just feeling "normal" or what passes for "normal" for me. I'm still having emotions - I get sad, I get happy, I get bored, I find things funny. But none of them are extreme, they're appropriate for the situation. And I feel like I have things to look forward to, and that I'm planning, not just reacting to situations.

It's taken meds, therapy, staying sober, and finding stable housing to get here, and literally years. But on Fri. I told my addictions Dr., that this is the most "normal" I've felt since 2009.

So it is possible.

splitimage

[Altered Moment]

All I know is that there is a hugely stark difference between depressed Zinco and "normal" Zinco. Mine is very cyclical so I am able to notice the difference. My full time normal has always been mildly depressed. I just came to accept that mildly depressed was the best it would ever get because that is how it has always been even on meds.

Recently after getting on Fetzima for the past months I have felt than I ever have. But I have still had these three or four day pretty severe mini depressions. I have never had one work so good. So you never know.

Sometimes a tough desicion to know whether to increase change or what. If I am in anything but severe I tend to think that is good enough. That is probably because I don't have much faith that what is currently out there will make things much better. But then Fetzima did. I think they have a long way to go with meds and hopefully better ones will come out.

If you have a major defect in how one area of the brain communicates with another (or whatever may be causing it) and a med fixes that it can fix a lot of things. But as Venus says no way is it going to fix everything especially not current meds. It also takes a lot of effort on our part.

[vans1974]

Originally Posted by emptyspace

.
How do you know that you are "as good as you can get on meds," with the meds you are on?

At what point have you said, no more med changes, I am the best I will get?
What gave you that idea? or did you just get tired of med changes?

Was it your decision, your pdoc's decision, others?

How do you know it's time to stop??

Hi,

Personally, I'm not going to stop, since I have treatment resistant bipolar depression, so that when the meds poop out, I desperately need to tweak my med cocktail to survive. According to expert psychiatrists at the Mayo Clinic, when we're in that tormenting, agony of depression, there's only two things to get us out of that horrible hell... ECT, or a med change. Also, according to neuroscience reports, in the next 3-5 yeas there's going to be great meds and options for treatment resistant depression. Just my thoughts on the subject.

[gubernova]

After 10 years I found a sweet spot in my med cocktail that makes me feel okay but not great. I try new drugs somewhat frequently and if things go berserk I go back to the sweet spot which is what I'm at now. I have anxiety and mood swings but they're manageable through talking therapy. When talking therapy stops working I hit the meds. The rub is always wondering if the new meds will just make me worse for a while. I set realistic goals (with my therapist) and when this debilitating illness is not letting me reach them it's just not acceptable.
Sometimes the risks in changing things are not worth it.