Reasons to take meds

We all need reminders of why to be med compliant So I figured we could put it here.

So why are you med compliant?

I am currently off meds with the recommendation of my doctor and the support of my T and my husband. When meds was the suggested course of treatment I was compliant...

Because it helped me to establish a path to stability

Because mania and psychosis were incredibly unsafe for me

Because my brain was on fire and I needed a break from the constant noise

Because I love my family and I love myself

Because I didn't have a strategy to properly cope with the trauma I suffered in the past and PTSD was causing me to lose control. Meds helped keep me stable while I explored these topics with my therapist

Because I was newly diagnosed and taking the meds as prescribed gave my husband and I a tiny shred of comfort

I'm med compliant because my behavior when I'm not on medication (or the proper meds) is highly disturbing to me. And as I've aged the physical toll on my mind and body is enormous. I like who I am when properly medicated.

I miss the manic euphoria, but I sure don't miss the anger/rage that follows the euphoria.

The severe anxiety with tones of depression is unbearable. I cannot live with it.

My psych team really works hard with me; I want to cooperate with them to show my gratitude.

Meds help me sleep.

One Med greatly curbed my excessive tears and lessened the duration of the attack.

Good topic, Miguel'smom. Thanks for bringing this up!

Without meds...

My manic behavior can become 'out of control" and "scary". It has led to the end of numerous relationships, prevented relationships, got me fired or threatened to be fired, made me quit jobs, affect my job performance, made me lose money, made me put my well-being at risk (in many ways), led to cops being called (or almost called), caused me extreme embarrassment and guilt after-the-fact, hurt and/or scared people I love/liked, put my life and others' in jeopardy, and more.

My depressive behavior has caused me to disappear from daily life, neglect my health and hygiene, be unable to do work/study or household tasks/chores, neglect people in my life, put my life in jeopardy, and cause extreme mental anguish for myself and those who love me,

Without proper medications, I not only experience all of the above, but have a tendency to self-medicate with alcohol. Alcohol abuse has its own large set of problems, including health issues, dangerous behavior to self and others, and some of the above-mentioned that come even from the alcohol abuse. Alcohol/substance abuse/addition is a very complicated combination that makes recovery often significantly harder.

When experiencing any of the above, I am not well cognitively. It can affect my brain in many negative ways. It is a well-known fact that untreated (or improperly treated) bipolar disorder can worsen the course of the illness. The more episodes experienced, sometimes the worse the episodes get. Or, the frequency may increase (kindling effect). The longer it is before treatment/proper treatment, the harder it may be to adjust one's lifestyle in a healthier way. Harder to teach old dogs new tricks. Plus, the brain may not "heal" as easily as it might when affected and then treated earlier in youth.

Though coping skills and healthy lifestyle do indeed help many people maintain stability and general mental wellness, it is often not enough for many people with bipolar disorder. If one is symptomatic with bipolar disorder and/or alcohol or substance abuse, as stated earlier, it becomes harder to practice coping skills and healthy lifestyle.

Basically, my functionality plummets when I'm mentally unwell. I not only owe it to myself to stay well, but also to those that love and like me. Taking proper care of my mental well-being brings comfort to others and helps rebuild trust. It is a show of love and respect for others. Not all about me, me, me.

Finding the right medication(s) is/are tough. Mastering coping skills is tough. Being tolerant of challenges/discomfort is tough. Giving up the more romantic aspects of bipolar disorder is tough. Putting in the work at therapy and processing psych issues is tough. Being patient and determined is tough. Working hard at one or all of these things is heroic!

Basically, if I don't take meds, I am toast. I will become manic and psychotic and depressed, at various times and to various degrees. I would be a total mess without these meds. Not much else to say.

Well I quit mine a year ago next month. Wow time has flown.

It’s not been easy and I’ve had a lot of situational things come up that were very trying.

But I made a deal with my husband that if I’m not doing well and I can’t see it I will trust his opinion and go back on them.

There have been a few times I have questioned if I should.. I have a few very trusted friends that I can discuss things with and they all agree that when I have struggled it’s an appropriate amount due to the situation.

I’m sure I’ll need meds again , my coping skills will one day be an epic fail at some point but until then im doing okay sans meds.

This could all change next week lol

But when I was on meds I took them because I wanted to feel better and my husband, daughter and friends deserved the best most stable me possible.

I have been close to losing friends by saying anything and everything that came to my head, including things about their sex lives. But I was on meds. I don't remember having that many episodes before I went on meds, actually. When I was making a recording with a women's choir I was in, I was five months pregnant and an emotional mess. The director had to come to the car and gently talking me into coming in to sing with them for the recording. Being pregnant, I think I wasn't on any medication- except for Zoloft which I know I took at some point, but probably later in the pregnancy. This was four years before I was diagnosed. So yeah- no meds plus pregnancy equals crying outside the church while everyone else was inside to make the CD. I've been hypomanic at lunch with friends- very sped up and hyper, bouncing the knife and fork against the table over and over... But these things don't seem to bother me. Its getting to be manic where I think I can fly and that God is talking to me where things get scary!

takes the edge off the bad lows, tames the rough parts of the up swings...in between, the "atypical," in particular, slows things down enough so I can process the world around me and act more appropriately. will i always need it? kinda doubt it, but...if I do, I'll just roll with it.

After a month or few of being stable, the people in my life that I love told me that my unmedicated self made them fearful of their safety. Hurt some to hear, but truth is truth. I'm having to really try and remember this now that its been a couple years; my instincts want to tell me that I'm fine, nothing is wrong, no reason to take meds, etc.

If loved ones are telling you that you need Meds , then take them.

I’m currently Med free but my husband and I agreed if he sees a problem I would trust him and go back on meds

We owe it to our loved ones to be as healthy and stable as possible..

I agree. At times we can be a burden to each other. Most times it is best to be able to count on a loved when whenever needed, but reaching out for additional support is a healthy step. Meds, and psychiatric are one way to step out of our comfort zones and find comfort with ourselves.

I had a friend from judo who has three kids like I do- mine are older than hers. Once it got out that I have bipolar, she didn't want me around her kids. Thank goodness she didn't just drop me then, but she told me how she had been feeling. I was shocked. People who are not in the know think bipolar people are violent. I've read about people who are severely manic needing to be strapped down at the hospital, but I tend to think that this is rather rare- isn't it?

Because I've had too much experience with the downside of stopping.

- Taking on too much debt
- Impulsivity
- Embarrassing behavior
- Taking on too many projects or not getting critical ones done
- Depression
- Suicidal thinking
- Disrupted relationships
- Forgetfulness

And a litany of others. I have to remind myself sometimes that the trade offs of being on medications are worth it. I miss certain things about unmedicated me, but I don't miss the complications that come without the meds.