What is your opinion of current medications?

I think some medications can really help, but others don't do a lot. My brother has bipolar disorder, he only takes 1 medication.

I believe I have had bipolar since I was a teen ( due to certain traits) but only have been diagnosed for the last 5 years. The worst thing you can do is stop taking meds. With bipolar, getting on the right medications is like solving a puzzle. They have to try different ones, dosages and combinations. I seem to have a good combo now but I still have some depressive/manic states. Work with your doctor and be patient. I went through the shaking and the weight gain with some of the pills I was on. Good luck to you and keep working with your doctor.

Your raise interesting issues. These things are a dilemma.

Please make sure you dont crash out in this phase. I am certain your doctor must be desperately trying to get the right combo, also what happens is most people keep doctor shopping and doctor hopping which creates more mess. Please stick to your doctor because he knows you, your moods, your ups and downs. also sometimes there is a seasonal component and most bipolars are down from October to March. Try working out on some course of action including involving and getting yourself busy to an extent to keep your mind busy, it works big time, and also please do not hope for one magic pill to stop everything because there is not any. so please let your doctor know you have stopped medications, have a work-in appointment with him and get the medications, dosages etc changed, refilled and please get back on your medications.

For as long as I can remember I've had depression problems. A few years ago I was diagnosed as bipolar. I went through medication after medication. I had so many problems. One med I flipped out on, others caused major weight gain, others I was awake for days, and had a lot of anxiety. It took me a good 2yrs before I found a med that actually worked for me. As of now I'm taking Lamictal(a mood stabilizer), WellbutrinXL, and Paxil. I'm taking the Paxil to help with my insomnia. At certain points I lost hope with all the medication stuff and the bad side effects. I wanted to quit but I kept with and I'm finally starting to somewhat get off my feet. If you want to try meds again don't give up:) -Stephanie

I've had the same problem and other additional health problems that prevent me from taking many of the medications. Paxil was the worst of them!

I AM MIXED ON THE WHOLE THING.I KNOW PEOPLE WHO TAKE AND IT MAKES THEM PASS OUT FOR 7 HOURS AND THEN THEY ARE UP.iT HELP THEM A LITTLE. I KNOW TEENS WHO TAKE IT AND ALL THEY WANT TO DO IS SLEEP, MAYBE TO MUCH A DAY. I DO NOT KNOW BUT IF MY TEEN WAS IN SPORTS THEN, NOW COULD NOT STAY A WAKE FOR IT NOW. I WOULD BE WORRIED. THATS MY I HAVE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT IT ALL.

I went through the same thing . I just had to keep tweaking my treatment and now i found a combo that works for me (Lamictal & Kolonopin)I also had to find the right doc and therapist and have made adjustments to my lifestyle ( which sucks at first) such as taking meds at the same time every day,sleeping schedules and eliminating stress in my household. Thats a must for me as life outside is stressful enough so I now treat my home as my sanctuary.That also means that goes for anyone else in your household.I know it sounds silly but i do recomend "bipolar for dummies" to anyone who has this and their families sig others whatever. It really is like an instructional manual (for me) and i've learned things that have stabilized me and help me cope with life itself.As for side effects,you make the adjustments in order to be stable. That's why we try isn't it? I have stopped meds and found that the bad will eventually outway the side effects and you wil suffer along the way. Who needs that? Work with the doc and eventually you'll find a combo that will work for you.FYI side effects aren't forever they last 3 weeks tops and then start to subside. Get that book and inform yourself that way you can speak about options with more of an opinion and understanding about whats being recomended to you. Good Luck!!!

I also have been diagnosed since my teens which was about 20 years ago. I have been prescribed a lot of meds over the years and I've found that I really do function better with them than without. It's crucial that you have a doc who listens and is willing to take how you feel and what the meds are doing to you, into account. If you feel "strange" on one kind, that is obviously not the one for you. There are tons of them out there and it may take awhile and a lot of trial and error, but in the end, once you find the combination that works for you, I think you'll be very happy. I was trying all different ones for 18 months before we found the ones for me. Now, though I'm far from normal (who'd want to be anyway) I feel a million times better about myself and the way I function. I honestly don't know how I survived before. I know the side effects, well, they suck, but I really hope you give them another shot. The meds, not the side effects. Good luck and feel free to let me know how you're doing.

Bipolar medications can be a real crapshoot because while they do wonders for some people, they don't help other people. I'm surely not the only person who's had to try several different medications/combinations/dosages in order to find something that worked without having too many side-effects. Almost everything seems to either trigger depression, trigger mania, or make my ADD six times worse.