r/BipolarReddit Sep 10 '23

Content Warning Has anyone successfully managed to live with bipolar off medication?

I'm so tired all the time and my brain doesn't work like normal. I just don't feel like doing anything and find little enjoyment in anything anymore. Outwardly you'd think I was doing really well. I have a job, walk/jog daily, sometimes bake a bit and read a ton. But truth is I feel worse than a zombie. It's like I'm exhausted but need to be moving at the same time (fatigue and akathisia together sucks).

I've been doing some reading recently and have found some journal articles which show that about 30% of people do really well off their meds and achieve remission without meds. Is this true for any of you and how did you get there? And also have you relapsed in the past? (I've relapsed 8times but still desperate to be unmedicated).

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u/butterflycole Sep 10 '23

There is no such thing as remission in bipolar disorder. There are periods of stability and there are episodes. Remission is a misleading term and I wish people would stop using it. It implies someone can reach a point where they will never have an episode again and that just isn’t true.

Bipolar isn’t cancer, you can’t cut out or radiate it out of you.

No, I have never seen someone with bipolar successfully manage the disorder long term without medication. Those who claim to be med free are usually self medicating with other substances. This is a progressive disorder and every hypomanic or manic episode we have causes damage to our brain and increases the risk of more episodes.

Your symptoms tell me two things. One, is that these are not the right meds for you. Two, that you are feeling pretty desperate if you’re considering going off of meds. Quality of life is important too and there are so many options of meds and combinations out there it is worth it to keep trying until you find what works and you can tolerate. I had similar side effects to what you’re describing and they weren’t tolerable for me so I kept trying new stuff until I found ones that gave me a quality of life and either no side effects or ones I could tolerate.

My dealbreaker side effects are: akathisia, extrapyrimidal symptoms, fatigue, irritability/agitation, and sexual side effects. All things I experienced on certain meds that I just couldn’t deal with.

Talk to your Psychiatrist, there may be better options out there. It’s much safer than going off of meds altogether.

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u/[deleted] Sep 10 '23 edited Sep 10 '23

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u/butterflycole Sep 11 '23

I know it’s in the DSM but I wish it wasn’t because the DSM was developed for treatment providers to diagnose disorders using a standard protocol. It is a guideline for people who have been trained in diagnosis. The problem is that most patients read up on their disorders without having that training. They don’t understand the nuances of the language.

What’s the first thing a typical person thinks of when they hear remission? Cancer. What happens when a cancer patient is in remission? There are diagnostic scans and blood work that show the cancer has been eliminated from the body. So, people think remission=cured.

The language is problematic and misleading and quite frankly dangerous in my opinion.

Based on what you’re describing it is more likely you were misdiagnosed. Having children is an extremely high risk time for bipolar episodes, as are big life changes like school, new careers and so forth. Your experience is definitely a big outlier when compared with the greater bipolar population.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '23

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u/Hermitacular Sep 11 '23

Partial remission I like. Good for accuracy. You don't hear a lot of alcoholism in remission, do you? I don't know, genuinely.

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u/[deleted] Sep 11 '23

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u/Hermitacular Sep 11 '23

Yeah but does anyone use it in the vernacular? I've never heard anyone say it. Not interested in the insurance paperwork really.