Aa
Stopping medication - lithium withdrawal?
Yes I know the advice of don't stop taking your medication, but i'm tired of it all. No one around me believes I have issues because I can hide them pretty well and I would agree all the meds have helped control the ranges of mania and depression...but it's not me. when people say the meds will make you 'normal', what is that suppose to mean? Normal all my life has been voices, hallucinations, rapid cycling. I didn't know it was an issue until i lost control. I'm not creative anymore...and i need that.
So, I'm on cymbalta, lamictal, lithium and seroquel XR. I've stopped the seroquel (which was a bear) and have now stopped the lithium (another bear). I've read that in stopping lithium mania/depression can come back even worse after 3 months. I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences like that or if the cymbalta and lamictal might be enough to hold that at bay while giving me part of my 'normal' life back.
So, I'm on cymbalta, lamictal, lithium and seroquel XR. I've stopped the seroquel (which was a bear) and have now stopped the lithium (another bear). I've read that in stopping lithium mania/depression can come back even worse after 3 months. I'm wondering if anyone has had experiences like that or if the cymbalta and lamictal might be enough to hold that at bay while giving me part of my 'normal' life back.
With any medication you just need to think does the benefits outweigh the side effects...in your case no. You cannot do what you love because of the side effects but you should really consult with your doc before just stopping them, you need to be tapered off and it often can make you go into a depressed manic phase that you typically would not of gone into with a slow reduction. Plus there are other better meds that may not give you those side effects and still manage your symptoms of BP/mania.
I was put on lithium 2 weeks ago. I'm stoping as of today. I get the jerks from it. What I mean is I'll be sitting and out of the blue my arm will jerk or my neck or whatever. I've had stomach problems for the whole 2weeks now.
I also lost my coordination between my thoughts and my hands. I can't play my guitar anymore. I'm not putting up with this crap I'd rather be manic than to not be able to play my instrument.
My question will I experience any withdraw being that I've only been on it 2 weeks?
I also lost my coordination between my thoughts and my hands. I can't play my guitar anymore. I'm not putting up with this crap I'd rather be manic than to not be able to play my instrument.
My question will I experience any withdraw being that I've only been on it 2 weeks?
I quit lithium because I'm scared of kidney damage and dialysis. I'm manic-depressive but I'm also Roman Catholic. I beg for Jesus Christ to help me and every one else who struggles with mental illness everyday. I really, really, really hate meds. They make me a crappy bass player and ruin my vivid dreams. Normalized, medicated zombie... Being bipolar sometimes *****. Being normal *****. Being medicated totally *****. I take multivitamins, krill oil, B-complex and drink coffee. Caffeine is the absolute BEST most totally awesome "drug" in the world. I don't care what doctors & shrinks say. Caffeine rocks!
"It just really bothers me that my well being is tied to taking medication."
You're in the same predicament as diabetics who must inject insulin to live. Not one of them loves it, but ironically, without the medication they are totally defined by their disease. With it, they function as healthy members of society.
You're in the same predicament as diabetics who must inject insulin to live. Not one of them loves it, but ironically, without the medication they are totally defined by their disease. With it, they function as healthy members of society.
It's OK really, stopping medication is an easy trap to fall into. I never took lithium and might not ever but I never lost any creativity on any of the drugs I've been on. I also hate it that my well being is so tied to taking medication but I'm scared of what I'm like off of it so it's a catch 22 situation.
Have thought on your comments all night...and you're both right of course. I can't afford to loose another job because I'm out of control by anger or depression. In a depressed state where I am I was already cited for being disengaged...so i started the lithium again. It just really bothers me that my well being is tied to taking medication...i hate it...with an ever growing passion. thanks for the reality check. it's just so frustrating...i hate it...and i mean really hate it. thanks.
Going of off lithium makes me want to kill myself-It also makes me very angry, all the time-I'm never going off of it again, EVER. It doesn't take 3 month's for my symptoms to return. I takes about a week for me (after I stop) Ive lost no creativity from being on lithium. Here's a poem I wrote after leaving the mental ward.
"Manic Depression"
Raging thoughts and visions, swirl throughout my brain.
Whispers of death do comfort me, and promise no more pain.
If life is but a library, and I an open book,
how O how will I find me, hidden within that nook?
Madness dwells within me, a river raging swell.
How to be delivered, from my own prison cell?
The darkness it does beckon me, it knows my secret shames.
Mockingly it laughs at me, and Knows I'm not the same.
Powerless to stop it, life is but a lie.
But still I struggle onward, living but to die.
The insanity it beckons, within these hardened halls.
The gates of hell are open, reminding me I'm so small.
A lighthouse it doth beckon, upon the stormy sea.
Promising deliverance, but it seems so far from me.
Adrift upon the darkness, like rotten wood upon the tide.
I think I'll keep on swimming, and try to survive the ride.
"Manic Depression"
Raging thoughts and visions, swirl throughout my brain.
Whispers of death do comfort me, and promise no more pain.
If life is but a library, and I an open book,
how O how will I find me, hidden within that nook?
Madness dwells within me, a river raging swell.
How to be delivered, from my own prison cell?
The darkness it does beckon me, it knows my secret shames.
Mockingly it laughs at me, and Knows I'm not the same.
Powerless to stop it, life is but a lie.
But still I struggle onward, living but to die.
The insanity it beckons, within these hardened halls.
The gates of hell are open, reminding me I'm so small.
A lighthouse it doth beckon, upon the stormy sea.
Promising deliverance, but it seems so far from me.
Adrift upon the darkness, like rotten wood upon the tide.
I think I'll keep on swimming, and try to survive the ride.
People will probably believe that you have issues if you lose control again and around them, after the medicine gets out of your system. What is your game plan if you lose control again? As a composer I understand your need to be creative and after adjusting for nearly 20 years to symptoms of schizophrenia I feel bothered and uncomfortable a lot when I start to recover a lot so I can understand why you would want to quit the medicine. It's like where I actually feel bothered and uncomfortable when I feel peaceful because of feeling a great deal of anxiety and going through strife constantly all my life.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Bipolar Disorder Community
15 signs that it’s more than just the blues
Discover the common symptoms of and treatment options for depression.
We've got five strategies to foster happiness in your everyday life.
Don’t let the winter chill send your smile into deep hibernation. Try these 10 mood-boosting tips to get your happy back
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
