Taking Bipolar Medications Daily Doesn't Bother Me One Bit
Should taking bipolar medications bother me? Psychiatric medications, including bipolar medications, are at the center of many controversial debates. Many people feel as if taking bipolar medications daily means that they are completely dependent upon them, while others believe that medications are necessary for their bipolar disorder treatment.
In the beginning, I did not like taking medications, regardless of their purpose. I would barely take Tylenol or aspirin unless I absolutely needed it. However, as my illnesses progressed, I became desperate and open to the use of medication. I welcomed the positive changes that my bipolar medications offered once my doctor and I found the right ones.
Taking Bipolar Medication Pros And Cons
Over the years, I have met people who had begun questioning their dependency on bipolar medications. Many people start to believe that they no longer need their medications because they have been feeling better, or that they would like to begin a more natural approach with natural supplements, such as St. John's wort (What To Do If Someone With Bipolar Refuses Treatment). Every doctor will tell their patients that it is not wise to stop taking their medications as soon as they start to feel better, but the desire for a natural approach is certainly understandable. We all know of all of the negative side effects that bipolar and other psychiatric medications can have - such as dizziness, insomnia, headaches, and many others.
My Bipolar Medications Experience
I do not mind taking my bipolar medications every day, but this stance is not one that many others share, and I have found that the prescribing doctors and therapists usually take one side or the other. For example, my first psychiatrist would write a prescription for a new medication at the drop of a hat for any complaint or side effect, whereas my most recent doctor is very methodical and treats each individual symptom carefully with as few medications as possible. In my own personal treatment, I have found that my medications are essential and work very well when combined with my bipolar disorder therapy. I can definitely notice a significant difference when I forget to take them.
Recently, a friend told me that he does not want to wake up easier every morning only because his medication helps him do so. I do not view medications this way. I feel as if my medications do indeed help me, and while taking them along with my psychotherapy, I am able to wake up much easier while also working on my coping strategies and thought processes. Treatment for bipolar disorder is a lifelong task, a lifestyle that needs to be maintained, and by always keeping this in mind, I am able to take my bipolar medications every day without being bothered.
What do you think? Do you mind taking your bipolar medications daily, or do you find them unnecessary and a burden?
You can also find Alexa Poe on Google+, Facebook and Twitter.
APA Reference
Poe, A.
(2013, June 18). Taking Bipolar Medications Daily Doesn't Bother Me One Bit, HealthyPlace. Retrieved
on 2024, November 21 from https://www.healthyplace.com/blogs/bipolarvida/2013/06/taking-bipolar-medications-daily-doesnt-bother-me-one-bit-should-it
Author: Alexa Poe
I'm an artist and I'm afraid meds will change my mental state for something that I'm not. I'm bipolar 2 so it's manageable, but I still have my depression & hypomanic stages like clockwork. I consider meds off & on but I feel it takes away my creativity.
That's why I stopped taking Prozac & was only prescribed seraquil for 'as needed'. Which would just put me to sleep, and I didn't mind.
I suppose I've gotten used to my routine & im very aware of it...I just get tired & that's when I begin to consider medication. It's the worst & the best.
I take many medications, for bipolar disorder and a few other conditions... Though I wish to come off my anti-psychotic (I just think it is time) I am largely ok with my meds.., my life is so different than it was before I was on them... I would not like to be that person again.., I have a journal I kept around the time I went into treatment... Though it contains some amazing poetry it is also terrifying... A little read through there will keep me on my meds for sure...
A lot of people, myself included, have said similar things about their art and writing pre- and post-treatment. I hope you're doing well!
-- Alexa
Taking meds for over 20 years, I wonder who the real me is.
This is something that is talked about and feared all the time. Do you feel as if you're a different person than you were 20 years ago?
-- Alexa
I used to absolutely hate taking medication. I would refuse most medications unless absolutely necessary. I never thought that I would end up needing to be on medication for (likely) the rest of my life.
I was so resistant that I waited until the pain became so unbearable that the only alternative to medication I saw was to end my life.
Obviously that didn't happen, and I'm still here. It took a while, but now I'm on the right combination of medications and have learned a lot about life through therapy.
I'm very thankful for the medications, for they have made me feel "normal" again.
I'm so glad medications have helped you, and that you're still with us! Thank you for commenting and sharing. I hear that a lot, as well, about feeling "normal" again. For me, I feel like medications have finally made me feel "normal." I don't feel as if I ever felt normal before that period.
-- Alexa
I agree. There came a point when I realized that I have a great life, full of fantastic people and that I will do anything I have to if it keeps me as a productive member of society!
That means taking medications, changing them when necessary, voluntary admissions to hospital, taking diagnostic tests & procedures, meeting for group therapy, individual therapy, registering with a disability at the university, calling crisis lines, and even confining myself to my bed if I think I cannot be safe.
I remember my first discussion about taking psychiatric medication with a counsellor in 2008. As a psychology student, I thought I knew enough to navigate the intricate landscape of mental illness. She asked me what my thoughts were. I said medication has its time and place. She responded, "isn't NOW the time and place?" while that specific medication did not work with me, it was a pivotal moment in my life.
Thank you for sharing this! I, too, am a psychology student in university, and I sometimes felt the same way in regards to my familiarity with the field. For the most, it has, in terms of the basics of treatment and such, helped me. I'm so glad that you've been able to do these things, and that they help you. It was very difficult for me in the beginning to find ways to help myself and to keep myself going.
I hope you're well!
-- Alexa
After my last episode which was really bad. I can not risk going back to that place. That is why I am glad I take the meds that I take. It took a long time before a combination was found which could help me. I know the discouragement when trying new meds and having to wait to see weather they work . It has been a hard journey but its worth it in the end.
I definitely agree. It was a somewhat long and hard road for me as well, but I figured that as long as I was in a little bit of a better place than before I was actually in treatment, than that was better than nothing. I hope you're well!
-- Alexa
i'm not bipolar but i have mental health problems and i've been so much better since i've been on medication. i don't mind taking them even though they have side effects. i still go to therapy every week too and i am perfectly happy to do that too.
I'm so glad you've been doing better with your medications and therapy! I hope you're well, and take care!
-- Alexa
Hi! I don't mind taking my medication, in fact, I'm quite grateful that they are available. It's nice to feel "normal" and not have that yo-yo roller coaster ride going on. I've been lucky, the doc found a combination that worked fairly soon in my treatment. I've had two changes of meds since that time, but that was a couple of years later.
Hi there! I'm so glad that you've found a combination that helps you! I feel the same way about feeling "normal," and I've noticed a huge difference in my mood swings as well. I hope you're well!
-- Alexa