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Bipolar 2 - to medicate or not to medicate?

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Should Bipolar 2 be medicated?
Yes 60%  60%  [ 6 ]
No 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Depends on the individual case 40%  40%  [ 4 ]
Total votes : 10

sunshower
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24 Oct 2011, 6:12 pm

If you have Bipolar 2, are you better off medicating it with mood stabilizers or not medicating and making use of the highs while riding out the lows? What do you guys think?


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24 Oct 2011, 6:48 pm

Without meds you chance the highs or low getting out of control before you are able to realize it and stabilize it. That typically leads to not so fun times.



Angel_ryan
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24 Oct 2011, 7:31 pm

Riding it out sucks but then again some people like me have a lot of difficultly with medication. It can take years to find the right meds and the right dose. Sometimes the wrong med can have horrible results. I was more suicidal than ever when I was on the wrong one. I've had such a bad time that I've been trying out 5HTP an over the counter vitamin for my melancholic depression. it doesn't cure it but it makes it less sever and manageable. I do get hypo mania but I do use that to my advantage. If I were worse than I am right now I'd be on anti psychotics and SSRI's but right now I'm enjoying the freedom of not taking those and dealing with the nasty side effects. For some people medication is a choice you can be non compliant, but if I were a danger to myself and other people I'd have no other option.



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24 Oct 2011, 9:35 pm

Hmm. I am certain I have this but my psychiatrist won't diagnose it as such, though she has given me medicines appropriate for it. They did not help me. If they help you I would say yes, medicate, I am a danger to myself when I get this depressed/anxious, and the cycle is such that it can be hard to get stuff done cause the feeling good doesn't last long enough before another depressive episode. Just me though..



Angel_ryan
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24 Oct 2011, 10:02 pm

purchase wrote:
Hmm. I am certain I have this but my psychiatrist won't diagnose it as such, though she has given me medicines appropriate for it. They did not help me. If they help you I would say yes, medicate, I am a danger to myself when I get this depressed/anxious, and the cycle is such that it can be hard to get stuff done cause the feeling good doesn't last long enough before another depressive episode. Just me though..

No me too I do get fairly suicidal thoughts and I have a lot of trouble doing things during that time. I cope with music and drawing. I try to imagine and draw a better place I'd like to be experiencing instead of what ever awful thing has got me too down to cope with life.



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25 Oct 2011, 7:53 am

I think first off, you have to determine if that is really what have. From everything that I have read (and experienced) if you have several mood episodes, then you definitely need to be on medication. There is also evidence that untreated bipolar will get worse over time unless its treated. Unfortunately, medication sucks, you really have to find the right combination that sucks the least (tolerated well). Having to go through the long process of which meds work and which don't sucks, but it's better than the train wreck your life will be without them.
I tried twice in my 20s to be off meds because I felt I was operating at reduced capacity, but then I got suicidal. There is a fine line between everything under control to losing everything.
If you have bipolar 2 you don't have to worry about full-blown manias, but I would argue that bipolar depression is worse--which you do have to worry about.



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26 Oct 2011, 5:54 pm

jackbus01 wrote:
I think first off, you have to determine if that is really what have. From everything that I have read (and experienced) if you have several mood episodes, then you definitely need to be on medication. There is also evidence that untreated bipolar will get worse over time unless its treated. Unfortunately, medication sucks, you really have to find the right combination that sucks the least (tolerated well). Having to go through the long process of which meds work and which don't sucks, but it's better than the train wreck your life will be without them.
I tried twice in my 20s to be off meds because I felt I was operating at reduced capacity, but then I got suicidal. There is a fine line between everything under control to losing everything.
If you have bipolar 2 you don't have to worry about full-blown manias, but I would argue that bipolar depression is worse--which you do have to worry about.


In retrospect, I've had lots of mood episodes. :( Ah hindsight (I always knew I was suffering from bouts of depression, but I thought the hyper-productivity in between was just my personality). I think I do need to be medicated, I have just spend an entire year as an invalid due to the severity of the mood episode I am currently experiencing.


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jackbus01
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27 Oct 2011, 4:48 am

sunshower wrote:
jackbus01 wrote:
I think first off, you have to determine if that is really what have. From everything that I have read (and experienced) if you have several mood episodes, then you definitely need to be on medication. There is also evidence that untreated bipolar will get worse over time unless its treated. Unfortunately, medication sucks, you really have to find the right combination that sucks the least (tolerated well). Having to go through the long process of which meds work and which don't sucks, but it's better than the train wreck your life will be without them.
I tried twice in my 20s to be off meds because I felt I was operating at reduced capacity, but then I got suicidal. There is a fine line between everything under control to losing everything.
If you have bipolar 2 you don't have to worry about full-blown manias, but I would argue that bipolar depression is worse--which you do have to worry about.


In retrospect, I've had lots of mood episodes. :( Ah hindsight (I always knew I was suffering from bouts of depression, but I thought the hyper-productivity in between was just my personality). I think I do need to be medicated, I have just spend an entire year as an invalid due to the severity of the mood episode I am currently experiencing.


If you fit the profile for bipolar type 2, then lamotrigine is a good mood stabilzer to start with. If you are taking just ssri meds than you will probably need taper down on that. I hope you found a psychiatrist that is tolerable (that seems to be half the battle sometimes). Anyway the good news is there is hope, if you find the right med combo than you can be functional. The bad news is it won't happen overnight, so hang in there.