DrStrangelove

My mother (and I) have been diagnosed with bipolarity, which attributes heavily to her depression and therefore to her drinking. She began taking medicine for it (for the first time in her life) only about a month ago, but then she stopped taking it because she said it made her feel "crazier". Now she's suicidally depressed. Is there any way to solve bipolarity without medication, or will she most likely have drinking and depression issues until she medicates? I prefer objective answers rather than nice answers because I sincerely want to find an answer to these issues.

Thank you,
Isaac.

NYCDoglvr

She must consult a doctor about medication. It frequently takes physicians several tries to get the right mixture of medications. I hope this helps.

DrStrangelove

Thanks. I think you're right about it but it doesn't seem like she's well enough to go through the torment of finding the right medication It's kind of a sad dilemma.

Threshold

If she can't handle the process of trying different meds till the right one is found, on her own. She can go to inpatient until she is stabilized. It's common.

She has a real illness that is chronic and deadly. Do not hesitate to treat it as such. If it were any recognized disease such as cancer or diabetes etc, would you hesitate to put her into the hospital until she was stabilized enough to return home and care for herself?

I am saying this as someone who lives with the same condition as your mother. I truly understand.

There are psych meds that throw some people (raises hand) into suicidal agitated states. There are many others that do not do this to me.

She is very lucky to have you as a support who is interested in helping her find true recovery. Encourage her not to give up. There are also support groups both online and face to face that she might find helpful and encouraging. Many people deal with these issues and knowing we are not crazy and alone, and that there are meds and methods of living a good life, with our conditions, can really help.

NYCDoglvr

I recommend getting her to a psychiatrist with some knowledge of addiction and putting it in his/her hands. The first anti-depressant I took caused me to freak out. I felt suicidal on the second one. When the third and second were added together I got my brains back. I've been doing great for five years.

serenity537

I'm sorry for your troubles. I know for me, it took a little over a year of trying all different kinds of medications 2 get the right recipe that works the best @ my currently. My pdoc took me off of anti-depressants after years of me being on them cuz she said it was causing my manic episodes.

I think that between drinking or having 2 see a psychiatrist regulary & looking for those correct meds is still 100 times better than drinking. I don't know how much your mom drinks but for me the drinking was killing me.

I agree with all the suggestions here & I wish U & Ur mother all the best. Thanx for posting.

Serenity

zorah

i'm also bipolar and have been struggling for the right med combo to make me stable. it's been a year. i'm assuming she's sober? anyway, for some people it just takes a while to find the right drugs. i would've given up long ago except a friend kept telling me that it took her a long time and that it's worth it in the end. who wants to live in misery? bipolar is tough. but there are many options drug-wise. perhaps she needs to know that she's not alone; many of us have had a rocky path to stability. i don't know of any non-medical solution to bp. at least for me; the mood swings are simply too intense. but life style has a huge impact: regular sleep times, exercise, healthy food. the sleeping thing especially. i go into mania and then a mind-numbing depression when i mess around with my sleep schedule too much.


zorah

BlueMoon

read that again . . . THINK about it . . .

If someone had a serious, potentially fatal infection would you wait to see if it cleared up on its own?
Or would you seek medical treatment?
“Suicidally depressed” IS POTENTIONALLY FATAL.

If you had diabetes would you wait to see if it gets better by not seeking medical attention?
Would you wait to see if you fell into a diabetic coma?
Or would you want to be evaluated by a physician and get the proper medication/treatment?

I’m on disability because I’m bi-polar . . . it is a PHYSICAL DISORDER of the brain.
It is NOT POSSIBLE for me to just “think myself well.”
Something is not right with my brain – same as something is not right with my pancreas – I have diabetes.
Medical attention is needed – along with medication.
Herbs / vitamins aren't gonna get it.

YES, meds CAN make you feel worse AT FIRST . . .
But taking meds for just a month is NOT giving them a chance to work.
It takes time for them to “kick in.”
That’s also why close contact with my psychiatrist is so important.

And YES . . . the frustration of finding the right meds is HUGE – but the oppourtunity to feel better, to be a functioning person is SO worth it.
No one HAS to live without help.

But the kicker is that you can’t FORCE someone to take their medication . . .