[InfiniteSadness]

Anyone feel this way for the most part. At the end of the day it comes down to meds and everything else is secondary or almost irrelevant? I forget a lot of what I learn to cope when my symptons take over. Maybe some of the old stereotypes about mental illness are true- to medicate above all. Im just giving a subjective experience here. Ive tried so many techniques/coping skills but they feel useless. Tried without med for period of time- anxiety/barely functional. At the end of the day im on med to help me from "freaking out" so to speak, and depression, no therapist can fix that for me for the past 5 years. It is a helpless feeling in a way

[growlycat]

Actually, it is the opposite for me.

I've been through every med you can think of with limited results. Usually I just feel "weird" for a few weeks.

Therapy has been the workhorse of my treatment. But I imagine it is different for everyone.

When I was most unstable, meds had to be the first line of defense in the short term because my instability was way beyond therapy. But in the long run, it was therapy that made the biggest and most lasting change for me, allowing me to eventually get off of medication. Some people absolutely may need to remain on meds due to the severity of their symptoms, but therapy can help solidify some stability and integrate healthier, more effective methods of managing symptoms so that the meds are more able to work more efficiently. It was very much a two-pronged approach for me for a very long time.

[unaluna]

I am finding that the closer i get to the real hankster thru therapy, the better i am able to fine tune and appreciate my meds.

[TheOriginalMe]

I am feeling like I'm too unstable for therapy and that I need meds to get me to a point where I'm safe enough to work on the issues I need to in therapy. My T doesn't see it that way, saying that meds can't fix me. I'm treatment resistant and have run out of options on meds, so I need therapy to work for me, but I'm stuck until my mood improves. It is very tricky trying to get the balance between meds and therapy right.

Originally Posted by lolagrace

When I was most unstable, meds had to be the first line of defense in the short term because my instability was way beyond therapy. But in the long run, it was therapy that made the biggest and most lasting change for me, allowing me to eventually get off of medication. Some people absolutely may need to remain on meds due to the severity of their symptoms, but therapy can help solidify some stability and integrate healthier, more effective methods of managing symptoms so that the meds are more able to work more efficiently. It was very much a two-pronged approach for me for a very long time.

That's how it worked for me as well, the bolded part.

I chose to do therapy without psychiatric medication, and it was probably much more difficult for me. But I had basically 24/7 access to my therapist with sessions, phone calls and emails, so in the end it was worth it to me. I don't necessarily recommend it to others.

My experience and observation is that meds stop working eventually and/or have side effects that r unpleasant. Know people who have to take meds for the side effects of their meds. So to be on the lowest dose possible or to have meds that work when needed, I have to do the work of therapy. Darn!!!!

[ScarletPimpernel]

I don't know if I'll be on meds for life, but I will be on them for long-term. My Pdoc finally found a combination that works, and I would be terrified to go off of them. The Latuda alone reduces my SUI and SI thoughts.

I will also need therapy for long-term. But I'll probably only need a few years of consistent therapy, and "refresher" sessions for the rest of my life. Idk.

I guess I find both equally important now and in the future. I just don't want to be in therapy for life. Then again, if it's ever possible, I would prefer not to take meds.

[The_little_didgee]

I don't function very well without medication. It controls 'symptoms' that therapy cannot relieve such as obsessive thoughts and hallucinations. Talking doesn't alleviate them. Therapy has been very helpful for interpersonal issues and coping. I've noticed my communication skills are much more effective.

[ThisWayOut]

I'm with growleycat in terms of meds not working for me. Therapy helps the most, though it's isanely difficult when my mood hits the really low points (like now). I wish there was a med that helped me, but they all work to make me more unstable. Even anxiety and sleep meds are only occasional for me. If I take them for more than s handful of days in a row, I lose it...

This all speaks to how little we truly know about mental health, and how everyone responds differently to treatment...

[SoupDragon]

Originally Posted by InfiniteSadness

I forget a lot of what I learn to cope when my symptons take over.

Yes I can relate to this. I can mostly manage my symptoms, but when they kick off big time I feel powerless to use any strategies to deal with them.

[brillskep]

I find that it depends on the level of the issue, level of resilience, etc. I've never taken any psychiatric meds so I can't say what I would feel like taking them; I know they have helped others. For me, my therapy has helped me a great deal to make changes in my life.

[BlessedRhiannon]

Therapy has been very helpful, but there are somethings it didn't touch. My compulsive behaviors are totally controlled with medication, where therapy alone only kinda touched them. I'd like to reach a point where I don't need meds, but I don't know if I ever will. I'm working on coping skills so that I can be on the lowest effective doses of meds, but the reality is that I may never be totally off them. I feel soooo much better right now, that I'm okay with never being off of meds if it means that I have a better quality of life.

[Coco3]

Originally Posted by brillskep

I find that it depends on the level of the issue, level of resilience, etc. I've never taken any psychiatric meds so I can't say what I would feel like taking them; I know they have helped others. For me, my therapy has helped me a great deal to make changes in my life.

That's how I think about it too.

[Lauliza]

I need the meds to even out my moods, focus and obsessional thoughts, which therapy does not help with. The meds help me function so well that I could go to therapy and learn the skills I need to really fine tune myself and function at a very high level. But I tend to be task focused with therapy and don't go on any regular basis unless I have a specific issue to tackle. I see my pdoc more than my T (haven't seen her since November). Without meds I am still high functioning, but I don't feel at home inside my skin. My moods vary to the experiences I have too, so I don't trust them. Its hard to explain and much of it may be sensory related. Whatever it is, the meds come first for me.

I don't believe this to be the case for a lot of people though, at least not those in shorter term therapy. Those in longer term treatment often have more complex issues so meds are just a part of the treatment.

[ManOfConstantSorrow]

Therapy works for me, so do the meds, but how will it be when I stop the meds? That is something I will have to find out.

[Favorite Jeans]

I really feel that I need both therapy and meds. I don't think of this a failure of one or the other, it just so happens that this feels like the best way to keep me functioning and in relatively good mental health. This strikes me as one of those issues that's highly individual because the root causes of our mental health issues are not all the same. I think you should do what works best for you and not feel that you failed psychotherapy or that psychotherapy has failed you simply because you feel that you need medication.

[Restin]

I guess we're all at different places on the road to recovery. Only talk therapy helps me. But I can relate to OriginalMe, and others, who need more stability via meds before doing the talking part. I do believe Lithium often helps BiPolar as it isn't a tranquilizer, but provides a simple salt the brain needs, so doesn't turn you into a zombie.

[precaryous]

Not for me...unless you count Ativan. I have tried just about all the anntidepressants and either I couldn't stand the side effects...or they didn't work. I'm not going to try any more antidepressants. They even had me try a few anti psychotics. All the newest antidepressants seem to be combinations or a reworking of the older meds.

I went without any type of therapy for fifteen years because I didn't trust I would find an ethical therapist who could help me. Began with current T a year and a half ago. I'm sticking with her for now.

[InfiniteSadness]

Wouldnt you say if you were ever in hospital once or more times, you would probably need to be on some form of med indefinitely?? Atleast thats how it seems, they tell you, if you were ever there. Again, i guess its a severity thing..

I've been in the hospital WAY more than once or twice, and I 've been completely stable and med free now for well over a year. I may need meds again at some point, but I don't see them as a long-term requirement for me anymore. I did think that at one point, but I found out differently.

[FranzJosef]

I did sometimes wonder what's the point of years of therapy when pills would put me right in a couple of days. But pills have side effects I didn't want to keep paying.

[kiwi33]

In my experience a combination of medication and non-pharmaceutical approaches has been more effective than either has been in isolation

In the words of both my psychiatrist and clinical psychologist, medication can help in "building a strong foundation".

Once that foundation is there then non-pharmaceutical approaches, in particular, Cognitive Behavioural Therapy and mindfulness/meditation methods (which my clinical psychologist has taught me, with support from my psychiatrist) have been beneficial.

[ThingWithFeathers]

Yeah, for me it's both. One without the other wouldn't help me. I need the relief from symptoms that meds bring as well as the long term gains of working at the cause of the symptoms through therapy.