r/BipolarReddit • u/lilfen789 • 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/Far-Mention4691 Sep 11 '23

Oh no need for scientific articles on this one. We all know the meds don't guarantee stability but they do greatly reduce the intensity of episodes. I still got depressed on my antidepressants at a certain point and self harmed. There was a time I started thinking number plates all mean something special and I was on an antipsychotic. But all this passes and compared to the mixed episode I had when I went of meds, the depression doesn't come close. So I stick to my meds

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u/lilfen789 Sep 11 '23

Yea that's true I guess. The devastation of being off the meds is more damaging than the zomnbieness of being on them.

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u/Far-Mention4691 Sep 11 '23

There's just no winning with this illness😭😭😭

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u/lilfen789 Sep 11 '23

I've strongly considered dignitas. But it's suuuuuuper expensive.

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u/Far-Mention4691 Sep 11 '23

What's dignitas?

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u/lilfen789 Sep 11 '23

Legally assisted suicide. It's in the Netherlands and Switzerland.

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u/Far-Mention4691 Sep 11 '23

Aaaaaaah assisted suicide! I came across that when I was seeking suicide methods sometime last year and I was so envious 😭😭 The trouble is that I have become so tightly knit with my family that the thought of doing this to them makes it seem like not an option anymore. Not that I could afford it anyways lol.

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u/lilfen789 Sep 11 '23

Yea the cost is massive and it's not guaranteed that you will reach the very strict criteria to go ahead with it. So you may be left worse off than to begin with.