Does everyone else get tempted to go off their meds?

[rogelio63]

The last time I was on my meds steady for a while and got to feeling good, I decided to wean off my medications, with my Psych NP's help.  Now I feel good again and am tempted to go off them again.  I told my P-NP to pepper spray me if I ever tried it again.  Is this pretty common?

[believer31]

Well, i'm in the same situation! I wanna get off the meds 'cause i don't want to depend on anything. And because i have my problems solved and can't believe that i could go crazy again.  And in case i do, i believe that i could recognize the symptoms and ask for help before it really gets bad. That's why i think that i'll take my chances and get off my meds. I was talking about that to my doctor and off course she doesn't agree. We will talk about it more i'm sure. I want her to understand my triggers and the way i am really, my way of thinking and all of that and to see that i'm in a different situation now and have no longer the same problems.  No more problems - no more strange ideas about solving my problems! That should be obvius! I don't know what is your situation that's why i can't tell! The urge is in all of us, i guess! But who can really make it without meds??? That's a big question!!!!

[Blais22]

I've been off mine for about 6 months now.  It's hard at times, but I had a great support group around me and keep a very strict routine.  Now that I've recently got out of a relationship, moved cities, and changed jobs things are in a whirlwind again.  I think if you have multiple people to support you (i.e. watch you), and keep a structured routine it can be possible.  Although I'm pretty sure once my benifits kick in I'll get back on my meds and start seeing the doc again.  I hate to fall on someone for support and I drives me nuts that I have to take something to make me normal...

[rogelio63]

I sometimes wonder if the condition I got through when I go off my meds is just withdrawal symptoms of going off the meds.  And I always tell myself that if I got off them for a long time and got them totally out of my system, I'd be ok.  
But the last time I tried to stay off them for a long time, it didn't turn out real well.  Suicidal, angry at nothing, irritable.
I feel like I've lost.  there was a battle and I lost.  and here I am, a slave.  I think I'm haveing a pity party.  Havent' been able to pull out of it for a few days.

[weezer555]

I am quite sure all bipolar patients have discontinued a med or all meds several times.
I often fiddeled with my meds to help a manic episode bloom! I daily battle with taking my anti psychotic. I find that the times I want to stop meds or think they are bad for me, I am sicker than normal and tell my shrink (unless its mania lol)

[julie1224]

everyday i take like15 different thing and seems as though they are making more nuts

[rogelio63]

Thanks for that information.  When I first got diagnosed I thought, well, that explains alot.  Then I thought nope, I'm not bipolar and went off my medication.  Got in bad shape and got back on my meds.  Now that things are normalizing, I started thinking the same d@mn thing again!  It's like I have to fight to stay on my medication.  
That information will help.
Rogelio

[rogelio63]

I talked to her today about this.  Not going off my meds.  Fortissima, I did the same thing when I went off last time, really depressed, suicidal, irritability, rage.  My wife, who was always skeptical that I was really bipolar, was the one that said I needed to get back on the meds.  She's the one that said NO WAY, when I told her I was thinking about it this time.
I guess I just realized that I've been diagnosed for almost two years now and that it isn't going away, and the meds aren't the things messing me up, they're the things keeping my boat in the water.

[fortissima]

I tried to get off of my Lithium multiple times, but only for a couple of weeks, so not much happened. I figured that, since I was feeling good and that I'd made a lot of progress in counseling, that I would be fine. Those times, not a whole lot happened.

But this summer, I went off of them for about 3-4 months. I started getting really agitated for no reason, yelling at people, and became suicidal again. It was a gradual change, so I barely even recognized  it until it started getting out of hand. I started getting lethargic and depressed, or angry and agitated, acting impulsively, etc.

I also tried dropping cold off of my Clonazepam once, too. Flew into a maniacal withdrawal episode, throwing things and yelling and breaking stuff all over the house. Wound up hyperventilating and passing out when we got to the kitchen and I saw the knives. It was terrifying. So... don't do that, either.

Talk to your psych about your feelings about your medications and DO NOT just drop off of them on your own.

[ILADVOCATE]

  Yes it did happen to me before my current recovery because I could not tolerate medication side effects and also due to my own psychotic thinking (I have schizoaffective) I did not care about the consequence. After I discontinued medication I became hypomanic which I misinterpreted as feeling "really good". Then when that spiraled into full blown mania and psychosis I became frightened and signed myself into the hospital. That was the only time I discontinued treatment. However there were other times I reduced it to the point where it didn't work and began to decompensate and not be aware of it. Another reason that this may have occurred is I for the same reasons as regards psychosis saw my psychiatrist (not the same one I am seeing now) as an adversarial figure. I tried to resolve both of these issues afterwards and now that I have a greater understanding of why I need medication have seen it as just another form of treatment and instead of feeling that anyone is trying to control me think of self control which is a crucial part of recovery and stability as the end goal. I also know when I feel stable it is because medications are working to help me and I would not be so otherwise.

[rBoulet]

Happens to me all the time. Where i get to the point where I feel so fine with the meds that i want to get off them and just be normal. After all maybe they made a mistake I'm not bipolar after all and was just stressed.
Backfires everytime.