Bipolar & Scared

[delta_sue]

I've recently been diagnosed bipolar by an evaluator and a therapist. :8: :mrgreen: :sad: The next step is to see the psychiatrist in order to explore prescription treatment options.

I'm scared!! I know I'm finally doing the right thing for myself and for my recovery by seeking help for this condition and its overwhelming symptoms & manifestations. At the same time, however, I can't help thinking about all the times I lied to doctors to get scripts for the sole purpose of acquiring & abusing the meds.

Today is 90 days and I'm finally feeling like I'm not depriving myself of 'good times' with my willing & conscious choice to not use. :confused: But I gotta ask :confused:: How will I know what's right when the time comes for pharmacological treatment of my disorder?

[kaistevens]

I am bi polar and have been on medication for years. The medications that your doctors will put you on are not the sorts of meds that people abuse, or even would want to. It is really no different that taking medication for High Blood Pressure, or diabetes, or even an anti biotic for an infection.

You are treating a medical problem, with a medical solution. Talk with your doctors about your fears and let them know your concerns.

I have had to learn the hard way that if I treat my alcoholism, but not my mental illness, I lose my serenity and my sanity. I have to take care of both illnesses to keep my recovery.

[mellotripp]

Dear Sue, the best you can do is be as honest with your Doctor as possible, tell him exactly how you feel, emotionally, physically, and mentally. You will find that as long as you can do that, it is not so bad to have a disease like ours once you get to know it. I am responsible for my recovery from any illness that I may have. I am schizo-affective, that is slightly a bit more complicated but even so, thank God for this illness because it wasn't till I tried to drink over the medication that I truly became powerless. And it wasn't till I came into recovery that I am learning how to live.

[delta_sue]

Thanks very much for the responses offered here. I'm happy to tell you that my prescription therapy is going well and I have a more positive outlook than I've had in a long time. Receiving psych treatment is just one piece of my emerging self and I'm glad to have it but I'd like to emphasize my gratitude to the addicts that I encounter on this site and the NA family I've been blessed to be able to attend meetings with. Thank you again...

delta_sue

[treetop]

I too am bipolar and take Depakote. There are not to many thrill meds for bipolar. You will be amazed what life is like when your brain works half way right.:1:

[Mr.Willing]

i am schizo too...those meds dont make u HIGH :) don't worry .... u r doing ur best anyway...i too had the same thoughts and fears about meds...not taking meds though is absolute insanity , dont u agree ??

[Mr.Willing]

hopefully anyone can help me by telling me will i ever be cured from schizo ??

[treetop]

Just don't know! I did not have bipolar until menopause. I try to live in today, present moment like and for today I will do my treatment. If it ever changes, I will praise the mighty creator.

[CD BUCKBERRY]

:29::29:delta sue ,Glad to have you here at CRF,we are here for you.Keep Coming Back,it works if you want it.Keep up the good work and don't go and work the doctors,it just makes everything worse and confusing.We are here to give you support.:29::29:

[treetop]

Delta Sue, glad things are improving for you. Keep taking good care of yourself.

[FoundSerenity]

Hi, my name is Suzanne and I am a greatful, recovering addict. I was six years clean when I had my first manic episode just before my 49th birthday. That was followed by a depression, another manic episode that lasted twice as long and a depression that was as equally bad as the mania and ended up in hospital for almost three months. All this happened in an eight month time frame. It was in hospital that I was put on medication that stabalized my moods. Just as The Program gives me a better way of life, the medication gives me a quality of mind that allows me to enjoy the life I have found in N.A. I am greatful I know the difference today and am medication compliant. There are many that are not. When they feel beter they think they don't need their meds anymore and stop taking them and never experience any measure of stability. Our pamphlet "In Times of Illness" and our newer one "NA Groups and Medication" clearly state that medications is an outside issue (Tradition Ten). I have encountered people that try to tell me I'm not clean - I know the difference between someones opinion and the literature of N.A. Thousands have gone before us to show us the way - we do not have to reinvent the wheel. I tell my Doctor everything and she knows me better than my mother does. I hide nothing from her - including my thoughts and feelings. I am monitored closely and like it that way. Honesty and acceptance are two big cornerstones of my recovery, besides my relationship with my Higher Power. We have to do what we have to do and that's the bottom line. Following a prescription is not using as long as the prescription is needed and neccessary.

God Bless you Delta_Sue.

[Faith92208]

I struggle with anxiety and depression, and I have to take medication. I do not abuse it, and I take it as prescribed. I have tried living without an anti-depressant, and the result was disastrous. I almost lost my job because I could not stop crying and get out of bed. These are serious mental health issues, and I'm so glad you are getting help for bipolar. It is good to be honest with your doctor about your experience with alcohol and addictive behavior; I'm sure that they will work with you to give you the best treatment possible.