Question:
I had a question for anyone who might be willing to answer. Is there anyone who has been trying to cope with being bi-polar without medication? I'm 23 years
old, and have been diagnosed as being manic-depressive for about six
years now, though I probably suffered from it for quite a long time
before that. I've always been very emotional, and am the kind of
person who feels things very deeply. I freely admit that it may be
partly because of the fact that I am bi-polar that I am that way. I
mean, I'm very sensitive to criticism, and it's very hard for me to
shrug things off, but in the same way, I feel a lot of positive things
very deeply as well.
Answer:
Made it work? Well I'm not dead, so I'm not sure of the alternative.
Made it work?, as in "have I become wildly successful in any & all
endeavors I ever undertook?" Or, somewhere in between, just like
the "real" life normie's live? It's the same boat, isn't it? Yes, I'm
surviving & I still have new hopes & dreams. I still have successes
& gains, & I still have losses too. Again, same boat. I'm a 47 yr old musician who is both un-dx'd & un-medicated,
except for self medication (pot). I know beyond any doubt I'm bp,
but I'm just not sure what all is comorbid with it.
It does seem to be coming to a head, now that I'm much older, but
then I have nothing to compare it to, so I can't tell what a "normal
me" would be like either, especially at this age of "getting older". I
suspect theirs (normies) is also is filled with "things coming to a
head" from one thing or another in their lives, from time to time.
Hell I know it's true, as I see it daily.
Who's to say, really? (about meds). One the one hand, everything
includes trade-offs when making a choice about something. I'm not
gonna sit here & say that meds are bad, as so many people here take
them & the last thing I want is for them to feel like they're doing
something wrong. (theirs may be the "most right" choice, anyway). But
on the other hand, we are individuals with our own belief systems, &
so we each have the right to feel whatever way we want to.
From reading here, I must say I'm more & more skeptical about
the benefit of meds FOR ME. It seems no matter what we do,
we're always in the same boat, & so for me I'm strongly leaning
towards staying off meds & just trying to get by however I can.
This isn't advice, this is just me sharing about what I'm doing.
Btw, I *know* that music both gives & takes away, just like salt does
in the sea. Both the giver & taker of life. I get to jammin', really
getting into it, & ya, it brings on mania (actually, mixed states) to
the nth degree. It's quite electric. Both extreme ends of the swing of
mania & depression has both much to offer, & much to take away. To me,
it's a throttle issue, so it's a question of whether you're "up" for
handling it by your lonesome, w\o meds. Either way, a huge risk.
If there wasn't the possibility of profit motivation for meds, I
would proly' advise you to take them, but since I'm so cynical
about the politics of life, etc, I just do not know. The s are
raking in record profits. Also, drugs are much cheaper in Canada (more
proof $$ is really what's "important or bottom line").
I don't know why, but I feel like I'm in the dark ages
debating whether blood letting is the way to go, way back when it was
common. (I know, I know, it's still practiced to some extent, for some
things, but it USED to be common for practically everything). I keep
envisioning the far distant future in which people are saying, "Man,
can you believe what they used to do, to "treat" life\self-control?".
You may think you are old now Anthony, but you are still very young.
The vast majority of your life is ahead of you. Shit, 23 is just a
scratch. Hell, people even live twice my age (unthinkable).
I would advise that you seek self-control skill sets in as many ways
as possible. The broader the base, the better. This has got to be the
only course to take, whether meds are included or not - it's the same
boat. Good luck to you, & may you remain open as much as possible no
matter what occurs.
Well at least someone feels the same way i do... like for instance.. my gf
dumped me,, oh i'm 20 btw, well she dumped me and i took it so freaking bad...
like dwelled for months when she was so not dwelling... she always used to tell
me she was afriad i'd kill myself if she ever broke my heart.. well it came
close...
but that wasn't quite what your question was .. it was about the meds...
for me the meds have made me this super individualistic person... not like
lonely but NO ONE is like. I stand out so wonderfully and thats how i like
it... do you ever look for positives in bi polar? i think its one great
positive... so i'll be a junior in college at 21 instead of 18 like everyone
else i don't give a ... keep cutting back your medication until you get
bare bones amounts... then do what i do...
take the morning dose all the time, and the evening dose about a tenth of the
time... let me tlel you it works WONDERS! It helps lift the veil of shitty
side effects, just enough to let you out.... now if i could just keep a job i'd
be rolling... but how much of it all is bi polar thats what confuses me!!
