I was diagnosed with bipolar 2, in 2002. I've been on Zyprexa, Abilify, Risperdil, Lemictal and mostly Topamax. I used to think Topamax is the greatest thing, thinking that it stabilised me and that the fact that i was always down was my fault and depression and that that was all my life was ever going to be... A constant battle to be happy. Then we decided ( my docter and me) to take me off the Topamax and on to Lamictal. After about a month things started looking up for me. I was going to the gym, eating healthy and working hard.( All the things 'normal' people do). This certainly made a difference to my moods and general outlook, but I was was never before able to get the energy or attitude to actually do things, everything was a struggle. Take note this was after being on Limictal for only one month on only 50mg of the 400mg recommended dosage. The pills made me gain a bit of weight and I was so sick and tired of all the adverse effects of medication that i decided to quit my medication. A BIG BIG no no for any sufferer. When you tell people you dont like the meds they almost instantly lift their eyebrows and tell you " JUST DONT STOP TAKING YOUR MEDICATION!" Like their fear is worse than yours. But I did. It's been going fine for a time now. I havent told my docter yet, but will the next time I see her. I know I run the risk of a manic or depressive episode but then I think...I was depressed anyways on the pills and there was always the risk of mania. So why not just ride it out for now. I would rather have a great year, like now, and actually feel things and then get manic again, however bad that was(nightmare) than be in an emotional catatonic state for the rest of my life.(not to mention the loss of appitite, nausea, dry mouth, tooth decay, hair loss and many more). I'm sorry but right now i think "the drugs don't work, they just make it worse.
Q: How come since i've been off my meds (9 months) I feel better than the last 5 years of taking them.
Hi, GR8life. Congratulations! One of the biggest fallacies about bipolar is that we need to be on our meds the rest of our lives. A lot of people do - don't get me wrong. But the brain - like any other organ - is capable of healing. Also, over the years, as we learn to restructure our lives and manage our illness with recovery techniques, meds become less vital to us.
I know some people who have told me in strict confidence they are not taking meds. They feel they can't go public because people would prejudge them harshly, such as "you're acting that way because you're not on your meds."
I am on one med at a very low dose. I feel much better than I did than when I was on a high dose. But at a certain time in my life I needed the high dose. I needed my brain slowed down until I picked up the skills to manage my illness.
Unfortunately, psychiatry has little faith in our ability to manage our illness. I strongly believe many psychiatrists err on the side of over-medicating us, then leave us on these high doses, even though we are not in crisis.
I'm going to assume you went through some kind of physical and spiritual healing. I'm also going to assume you are very smart about how you manage your illness, and that if you did see a need to go back on a med - even if for a short time - you would not hesitate to do so.
I strongly encourage you to keep posting here at BipolarConnect to let others know how you successfully manage your illness. Our community badly needs to hear from you. In fact, please feel free to contact me here through my BipolarConnect mailbox. I blog here as an "expert patient," and I would love to write a piece on how you manage so well.
Once again, congratulations and talk to you soon -
You've discovered the unfortunate truth that sometimes your drug may be your problem. Actually, a psychiatrist named Peter Breggin wrote a book with that title ("Your Drug May be Your Problem: how and why to stop taking psychiatric medication"). These drugs are toxic, cause unpleasant side effects, and occassionally brain damage or death. I'm very happy that you removed these dangerous drugs from your life. Psychiatry is not the answer to your problems....
I am very happy for you. Drug therapy isn't for everyone. If you needed them for a while, or not at all, it is fortunate you took the chance and tried living without meds. I pray that is the case.
However. I, not unlike most bipolar people, have done just what you did, and with horrible results. I have quit entirely twice in my life, and discovered both times that life on them was much better than not taking them at all.
Please watch out for two kinds of people: those that think that psych meds will solve EVERYTHING, and those who think these meds are a waste of time and money. You are a unique person, and you and your doctor (or pDoc) can make these decisions.
God bless you, I pray that your med days are gone forever, and that if (and/or when) you need to begin taking them again, they will help control whatever problems you are facing.
peace,
Winston C. Smith
Hey there . Would you take a second and read the question I posted today . Don't you love asking a uestion and not getting an answer but a question instead . See if my description seems familiar . I'm like you in that I really like feeling alive . My experience with mood swings is a reality but I have gotten older and wiser . I feel fenced in by the way the Lamictal makes me feel .
Sometimes being on the wrong medication can be just as bad as not being on any at all. Since 1997 I have been on EVERY medication known to man, to treat my depression/anxiety/bipolar. Nothing ever seemed to work for very long and some even made me extremely worse. Finally in 2009 I saw an advertisement for Pristiq. I mentioned this one to my Dr. So far it has done a world of good. One thing we have to realize is that these meds are only "to help" our conditions, none will actually cure true depression, bipolar or anxiety. On the other hand, Finding the right therapist is like trying to find a needle in a haystack. 
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