Can meds stop working and how do you know?

[budicca]

Can meds stop working after a while? If so, how do you know which one?  What's the best way to approach that with my doctor?  I'm at the max dose for all my meds (abilify, lamictal, and lithium). My doctor feels that therapy will bring me out of it but I'm not so sure.  I'm feeling extremely depressed and paranoid along with some other tell tale symptoms,  I'm thinking that something isn't working for me but I don't know what.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Errr and I meant I was on the highest dose for each day, not that I was only on Geodon for one day.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Some people can build up a tolerance to certain medications or even all of them, I know one person for example who builds up a tolerance no matter what they are on.  I was on the highest dose of Geodon for example for a day and it kept starting to wear off and I had to be increased until I got to the highest dose there.  The current medications also can't fix all symptoms a person experiences like Geodon only made the frequency of my paranoia go away but not the severity as another example.  Medications work differently for each person however and I'm sure there is someone out there who responded to it the exact opposite as me and had the symptoms suppressed that I didn't have suppressed and vice versa.  Therapy has the potential to help especially if you are on the right medication.

[ILADVOCATE]

I would think there's a potential that is a sign that the medications aren't working. Medications can stop working after a while for some people. I know that happenned to me with lithium which is why I was changed to Lamictal (as an example). Best to describe your symptoms in detail to your psychiatrist and ask about available options as regards medications and perhaps they can change and/or adjust them.