I'm off Medications, paying the price....

[Denya]

I have been off of medications for a month now.  I can feel the anger at full force,  I am also swinging from depression, to good feelings etc.  I don't have a job, do to all the medications I was on, I was a mess and stopped working, and now off the medications I still don't have a job and I'm feeling completely useless to my family, my husband and myself.  My question is has anyone stopped medicating and notice a good change?

[Denya]

wow, congrats for doing that going through all those meds.  I'm speaking for myself when I say this but I feel like my brain is being controlled by meds, I don't want to screw up my insides forever.
chicharron- Well, because I was on klonopin I realized that I did have addictive tendencies with my medications which in turn effected the way they worked.  I am going to ride it out thanks for your post


Thank you everyone.  I really appreciate everything you all had to say, I sense that everyone has been through this and I'm hopefully going to stay on this road of no meds and work through the feelings.

[Denya]

Jilkin, no I didn't stop with the doctors approval, I was just so tired of hearing my family be so cynical, and they all thought I was a much better person off the meds.  I love having  a job and being out in society, I can't take not working for a living, and waiting for disability is like watching grass grow, the process is not good for me, thanks michael!  I don't want to end up in a hospital bed again, and that is the reason I'm trying to keep communicating with you all.  Your my experts.
Bulldozer-  Thank you for your reply,   I am going to try to work on staying off the medications but I will concider seeing my doc again just to look over things and stay on the safe side thank you.

[Chicharron]

Maybe I am reading to much into your comments and your section "about you" in your profile. If you are apprehensive about taking meds because you are sober, you shouldn't worry about that so much. If you really need the meds you should probably take them. I'm on meds for bipolar disorder and I don't consider them to be a threat to my sobriety (twenty years). I did twenty years ago when a Dr suggested I take Lithium, I did not give it a fair try. Had I been confident in my sobriety, maybe I would have been helped by it then rather than waiting til a few years ago to find out I had a problem that could benifit from meds. I also tappered off all meds except Wellbutrin recently because of the effects of Depacote on me. Although it relieved my symptoms I became so unproductive that for all I know it cost me my job. And I also have some denial about my Bipolar status even though its obviously clear I have a problem of some kind. I was racing so fast in my doctors office that he did not want me to leave until I agreed on new meds. He feared that in my condition I would lose my new job. Other than that I dont have any further advice.

[nicolazrx]

i came off my manic meds (carbamazapine) for one week and felt so angry it effected the relationship with my partner and daughter... i came off the meds cause of the weight gain, which is now depressing me as i'm turning into a fat blob.... i'm back on the pills but going to see my psychiatrist at the end of the month to ask for them to be changed.... if you have bipolar you need to take your meds... why did you stop them???

[triedeverymed]

Unfortunately Bipolar disorder requires daily medication or we are unable to lead normal lives. It might be OK for awhile but it will continue to worsen to the point you will be seeking help again. That is providing you are bipolar. If you have anger management issues you can learn ways to deal with that without medication, same thin goes for anxiety and depresion. It's not easy but it can be done. The real trouble is Bipolar disorder, it must be medicated because it never goes away and left on it's own it can lead to big trouble, even suicide. It's a seroius disease that requires daily attention just like high blood pressure, or diabetes do.
If it is Bipolar, we have all be down the road of trying to find the right meds. See my screen name, I've been on over 65 medications in 20 years before I found the one that worked. I was on it before but with another med and it didn't agree with me but alone, the Abilify works wonders. You can find the right meds, you just have to be patient, anyone who is well and living with bipolar has been on a long road trying medications. It's very common.
You don't want your anger to get you in trouble. I know a lady who wasn't being treated for bipolar and her rage got so bad, she killed her husband in a fit of rage and is now spending the rest of her life in jail. I'm no saying you would do that but anger can get out of control really fast. See a doc and get his/her opinion.
Feel better soon!!!

[bernie40]

Oh Denya, I know exactly what you are going through because I did the very same thing.  I don't personally know of anyone who has successfully come off medication and stayed stable.

Please do not feel a failure, you came off the medication for your own reasons - perhaps like me to see if you could function without them - now that you know it hasn't worked see if a different combination of meds works better for you.

I haven't worked for 2 years but once I get meds sorted out I am going to return to part-time work but I'm not going "beat myself up" if that takes longer than I want.

Speak to your doc/therapist about how you are feeling.

I hope you feel stronger soon.

Helen

[Jikan]

Namaste,

I'm sorry I can't give you the answeer you want, but the times I became frustrated or angry and came off my medications I went through such agony that I once again started taking them which brought me back to a stable state or in the worst cases(3 times) I ended up in the hospital for extended says.

Evaluate whether you may need medication to remain stable. Did you stop with your doctors' approval? If not, you should probably let him/her know, since stopping your medications "cold turkey" can be very dangerous.

Whatever you decide, I hope you find the answers you seek.

It took me many years to find the right combination of medications that keep me fairly stable, so I wouldn't give up hope just yet.  Try patience instead.

Michael(Jikan)