feeling defeated

Hi, I'm bipolar. I've been on meds for a long time...years. I wanted off, am off of the Geodon now. It's the third week and I feel like I'm spiraling down. I put in a call to doc. waiting for call back. I already know he'll say go back on med. But am I just not waiting long enough? Do I need to be stronger and power through this feeling? I've learned so many coping skills through years of therapy. But nothing matters. I just don't care. Do I just wait these feelings out? I feel anxious waiting for doc. Feel like I'm just giving up by calling him.
Thanks for reading this.

Are you sure its not withdrawal? How fast did you taper off the Geodon?

What you need to do is give your body the nutrients it needs to produce the neurotransmitters to help you feel normal. This is easily done by taking amino acids, the mineral lithium orotate that controls mania and hypomania along with other nutrients to keep you healthy. This is what I've been using for the last 9+ years to treat my bipolar 2 and I've done far better on it than I did on meds.

Here are some links to help you get started:

This is the painstresscenter's site. Their book Heal with Amino Acids is very good, but doesn't address bipolar per se. Two other books that are very helpful are Break Your Prescribed Addiction about getting off prescription meds and The Anxiety Epidemic about treating anxiety and panic with amino acids.

http://www.painstresscenter.com/Heal...s/products/20/

This is the web site of Safe Harbor, an alternative mental health site.

Alternative Mental Health

This is a PDF file of a brain function questionnaire that will help you see how various amino acids work for various feelings and emotions. This is basically what I used to figure out how to treat myself.

http://drjolee.com/Brain-Function-Questionnaire.pdf

Thank you for responding. I did taper down on the med,
I just got really afraid yesterday and ended up taking the low dose Geodon.
I ill definitely look into those other sites. Thank you for all the information.
It's so frustrating though. I want to be healthy and happy. It just seems like there should be a better way then chemicals.
Thank you again.

Hi,

I'd discuss things with your doctor, as you're planning on doing, but two options that you might want to consider discussing with your doctor would be to 1) reduce your Geodon dose without completely discontinuing the medication, or 2) to continue moving toward your goal of completely discontinuing the Geodon, but to do it more gradually than how you tried to do it. I don't know how much Geodon you were taking before you attempted to discontinue it, but it's my understanding that discontinuing psychiatric medications abruptly isn't something that most experts recommend, at least in part because of the potential for withdrawal symptoms. Along the lines of what one of the above posters was saying, at least some of the symptoms that you're currently experiencing could basically be withdrawal symptoms, and discontinuing your Geodon more gradually might help to minimize these symptoms. I'd recommend consulting with your doctor and/or another medical professional before deciding what to do (assuming that you haven't already made a decision), but at the same time, you might also want to read some stories from other patients who've discontinued antipsychotic medications to better understand the kinds of experiences that those who've taken antipsychotics have when they attempt to discontinue the medications. One place where you might find some stories from patients who've attempted to discontinue antipsychotics and other psychiatric medications is the "Getting off of Meds" subforum here on Psych Central.

I wish you both good health and the best of luck overall as you move forward.

Glad that you reinstated your Geodon, hope your feeling better.
Take a look at this websiteTapering - Surviving Antidepressants Very good information on how to taper slowly.

I just wanted to post again real quickly to say that I somehow didn't see this last message that you wrote when I was working on the message that I posted here more than an hour ago. It's good to see that you've decided to take a low dose of Geodon for the time being, and I wish you continued luck in your pursuit of finding a good way to manage your mental health in the long run.

Are you a medical professional?

No, and I didn't claim to be. I provided info so the OP can do her own research.

It doesn't take a genuis or an MD to know that the body needs nutrients. Same with any living thing. Go to Home Depot and look at all the fertilizer for plants and lawns if you don't believe me. They sell them because the nutrients produce larger, lusher plants and greener lawns. Mega-vitamin therapy is the wave of the future. Simon Cowell gets vitamin injections weekly to stay looking young.

No need to become defensive. I've noticed your posts a couple of times and wondered about your experience.