It seems that there is this stereotype about Bipolar patients not wanting to take their medicine or stopping medicine without consulting a doctor. However, like most stereotypes, perhaps there is some truth to it. I personally have Bipolar type 2 and often find myself wondering, “Do I really need these medications?” or “Are these medications actually helping or hurting me?”. Why do I wonder this? Mostly due to negative side effects. I can’t help but wonder sometimes if the cure isn’t worse than the disease at times. Weight gain, acne, digestive problems, being pushed further into depression or hypomania, anxiety, jitters, uncontrollable muscle spasms, irritability, crying spells, etc. Sometimes I really do wonder if I wasn’t better off before.
And about consulting a doctor before stopping meds, in my case at least, my psychiatrist is only able to see patients once every few months due to the shortage of psychiatrists in the area. He is EXTREMELY busy. It is unlikely I will hear from him in the interim, even if I have a question. Of course I can speak to his office staff, but that isn’t the same as actually speaking to a doctor. And even if I were to call and tell the office staff I wanted to stop taking the medicine, likely they would just request I wait until my next appointment, which may be months away. If the medicine is truly causing side effects I can’t stand or making me feel worse, why would I want to endure that for months before making a change?
I am not writing this post to encourage anyone to go off their meds or anything like that. I believe strongly in listening to medical advice, but I wanted to explain to those who are outside of the Bipolar loop why this can often become a legitimate issue. And no, right now I am not stopping my own meds, but I have been tempted many times, which makes me sympathetic to those who have.
Maranda Russell 
I can sympathise I am on 7 tablets a day for various conditions and at times I feel like flushing them all down the pan!
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Yep! I take stuff for other conditions too (fibromyalgia, degenerative disc disease, plantar fasciitis, IBS) sometimes it just seems like too much!!!
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You wonder if there is another way. I have Angina and Diabetes. But doctors won’t pursue natural options, they make too much from pharmaceuticals.
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Agreed. Money plays a huge role in what doctors try.
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I agree that the wait period between med reviews often makes it difficult if something happens with a medication. If I end up having a serious reaction, it can be extraordinarily difficult to be seen in between appointments and so I’m left with the option of essentially going unmedicated until my next appointment and risking that, or potentially risking my health. It’s a big problem. There have been times when I literally had no other choice (heart arrhythmia etc).
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Yup, it really is a problem. I never realized that there was such a long wait between appointments until I started seeing a psychiatrist recently. I’ve often had to quit meds suddenly in the past due to allergies, so that is always a possibility too. I seem to be allergic to almost everything.
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Me too. I’ve been through 27 meds so far. Some were sensitivities or extreme side effects, but most were complete and total intolerances. It’s actually about to be 28…
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😦 That sucks. I hope I don’t have to do that.
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I hope you don’t either. It’s been a nightmare. Really. Inpatient medical hospital stays, psych stays, ER visits, the whole nine.
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