Those of us with Bipolar Disorder are notorious for discontinuing taking our prescribed medication, but my recent crash after a six month-long mixed episode of BD has me considering doing just that. This is scary territory - very scary. Most reported incidences of us discontinuing our medications don't have happy endings. It's with a great deal of trepidation I'm even investigating this option.
Clearly, what I was doing and the pharmaceuticals I was taking when I attempted suicide last month were not working. Nor have they done so in the six years since my diagnosis and treatment began. I've been on numerous "mood stabilizers" and most of the anti-depression drugs available, including everything from the old tricyclics to the newest models on the road. I've been prescribed various pharmaceutical "cocktails," including drugs to address anxiety and sleep issues. I've been compliant, taking them all as prescribed. I've had to discontinue many prescriptions due to side effects, including one event that resulted in my being hospitalized for a week so I could be detoxed from a drug I developed toxicity to. But I'm still depressed, a bit manic, and not sleeping well. It's hard for me to see how continuing the same course of treatment offers much chance for a better outcome.
I've decided to learn more about holistic, non-pharmaceutical approaches to dealing with BD. There are a lot of them to consider. I'm looking at light therapy, several kinds of exercise, aromatherapy, nutrition, acupuncture or acupressure, hypnosis, Tai Chi, vitamin and nutritional supplements, sleep therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and more. Some of these things I'm already doing, but I could do much more. In the realm of nutrition, for example, a biggie is to stop eating refined sugars. I do eat well, in general, but sugar is a big no-no for those of us dealing with Bipolar Disorder and it's relatively easy ditch it.
So, there are alternatives to consider, but are they enough? Can I devise a plan that better treats my illness as its symptoms manifest themselves specific to me? Can I do it without pharmaceuticals? Safely? Is it advisable to make the change gradually, including a transition period during which I wean myself from pills as I introduce more holistic treatments? Will I ultimately decide to go with some combination of pharmaceuticals and more holistic remedies?
I won't make this decision alone and will talk to both my medical doctor and my mental health services providers as I continue to explore this for myself. Perhaps they'll suggest something I'm missing. In the meantime, I'm gathering information and learning a lot I didn't already know, including that many holistic approaches must be modified when used by those of us with BD. There are also financial considerations. My Medicare Part D prescription coverage will pay for bottles of hundreds of pharmaceuticals but not for the alternative treatments I'm considering.
I'll end by acknowledging once again that this is very scary territory to be charting. I know too well the stories of horrific consequences as a result of many others doing what I'm considering now doing myself. But I keep coming back to the "what I've been doing isn't working" place. All options are on the table. I'll share with you what I come up with as I get further into the process of exploring them.
