Im Bipolar and off medication because I hate the zombie effect HELP!?I know im going to get a lot of "Get back on your medication its dangerous not to be on it" or "Bipolars tend to stop taking there medication when they feel better its pretty typical" "You could kill yourself get back on your meds" BUT that is NOT the answers im looking for. Im looking for compassion and understanding from other people in the same situation. I can't afford the medication or treatment so I use a program where I live called the Henderson Clinic. They let me see a psychiatrsit once a month who gives me free samples of invega 9mg and scripts for trazadone 100mg( to take as needed for sleep) Klonopin 1/2 mg twice daily (but i take 1 mg as needed) and we just started an experimental thing of taking 20mg of paxil and slowly increasing to help get me off the klonopin for my panic disorder (i slip in and out of agoraphobia a lot) but since it is an SSRI and EVER SSRI I have ever taken has put me into a manic episode it's not something we were sure would even work. I pay 3$ for the appt, I get free samples of the invega, and trazadone and paxil(generic) are on the 4$ walmart drug list, only expensive thing is the klonopin for 12$ . The whole problem started when I was originally on Abilify and Klonopin only. I WAS DOING GREAT! But unfortunetly, the company that provided them free samples of abilify stopped. And since I can't afford to fill a script, she switched me to Invega (she says its like inderol) but it turns me into a ZOMBIE, I have no life to me, I have no sex drive, I sleep 16-18 hours and STILL feel sleepy! But since im suffering from psychosis she had to up me to 9mg and cant lower the dose otherwise it gets worse. So.... One day... I said SCREW IT and stopped taking everything but the klonopin (as needed). My doctor still thinks im taking the meds but ive been off for about 1 1/2 months now. The mania is starting... I see it happening, at any time im about to go into a full blow manic episode. Im starting to mess up things at work. My fiance is having to deal with calming me down. The psychosis is at its worst ever. I sleep 3 hours. BUT I FEEL ALIVE! I have sex, I enjoy things! Should I tell my doctor I stopped taking the medication and see if she can help me do the whole PPRX thing for abilify? Im scared to. Im debating getting hospitalized again because I don't know what I might do. Please help and please don't be mean. By the way the Henderson Clinic is the only organization state funded to help mental health disorders and in my state i do NOT qualify for medicaid. I was diagnosed with panic disorder and aggoraphobia when i was 11 years old and Bipolar at 18ish when I tried to stab my boyfriend during a manic episode and was hospitalized and then Overdosed trying to commit suicide and was baker-acted. If you could also suggest some medications to treat the mania and depression that wont have such bad side effects like sleepiness, weight gain, etc
Answer by Wulfman
wow
Answer by shasha
My sister is Bipolar. I love her to death but when she is not on meds i cant be around her. Im not being rude or nasty but when your off your meds your a different person. You don't think as clearly. Now if your meds are making you feel like a zombie that means they are not the right meds for you. Bipolar meds should just even you out. So what you need to do is talk to your doctor and tell them that the meds aren't working for you and you would like to try a different combo. Hopefully you will find the right combo of meds to help you. Everything will be alright hun. Good luck
Answer by J
Your problem is a common one.
Antipsychotics are well known for making you fat, tired, and unhorny.
With your doctors permission, there are alternative sources of generic medication available from India that are readily available online. They are allowed to be imported.
Hey, this guy online said that patients with psychosis often have high levels of norepinephrine and epinephrine and that beta blockers might help.
Answer by Trance
Ok, I'm gonna try to be as tactful as I can here.
I know you hate the meds. All of us on meds hate the meds. But they really do help. I'm not gonna nag you about them since you obviously are intelligent enough to know about the dangers of mania and the slingshot depression. But I am going to bring up the people in your life. When people are bipolar, their mania and depression affects everyone around them. You mentioned before about trying to stab your boyfriend.. what if something happens and you try that with your fiance, and you actually DO stab him? Or you drive recklessly (I was notorious for this when I was manic) and end up in a car accident?
You should definately tell your doctor. Most of the time finding the right combination of medication is a process of elimination. One combo that helped me a lot was Celexa (SSRI) and Depakote (anti-psychotic). I think both of those are on the Wal-Mart generic list.
But seriously, if you think you're a danger to yourself and others, you really need to get back on your meds. And fast.
Answer by Jennifer B
I understand completely. Talk to your doctor. Explain your concerns. You really, really need to be on the meds for your safety, and the safety of others around you, but you can't live as a zombie forever. It does take awhile to find the right med combo that works without zombifying you, because everyone's body chemistry is different. Don't give up!
Give your answer to this question below! Access information and advice on a wide range of
mental health issues including conditions and disorders including stress and depression, therapy
Orignal From:
Im Bipolar and off medication because I hate the zombie effect HELP!?
No comments:
Post a Comment