Has anyone managed to stay off heavy duty meds and remain well?

[ElizabethJane]

I'm just testing the water here. I did not think I would reach the point where I might actually think 'is there life without meds' like a quality life and be able to lead a normal life without relapsing? I have had some impressive relaspes suicidal depressions and hospital admissions. Most of my early adult life was spent in and out of institutions. I have worked hard to get well and remain well. So what is next? My doctors are not even considering taking me off my meds currently lithium and mirtazapine. Do I have memory loss of the harrowing depressions and loss of self and the pointlessness of it all. But hey I'm looking around the other side maybe a reduction of the mirt probably not the lithium. At Christmas saw a different GP by mistake and he wanted me to invest in a light box as he thought I had SAD? It is just a thought probably a risky thought. I have been completely med free but that was probably three times in my life. Two were in psychotheraputic institutions and the other was when I was pregnant. Yet it still came back. It is just a thought. EJ.

[Tero]

It may be possible for some people. There are books suggesting yoga, meditation etc.

Cut down on coffee and tea if you use it.

I don' know that all the meds are that heavy duty and some have less side effects at low dose.

Each drug is its own. i would not be happy taking prozac.

[ElizabethJane]

Thanks for your answer Tero. I don't think that there are any easy answers that is all. I was wondering whether anybody had come off a mood stabilser such as lithium and remained well. The only times I have been off meds were in very controlled enviroments within a hospital setting. I have always become ill again eventually. I have much more of an understanding of my condition these days. It does not seem to matter what I think, feel or do the depression does eventually come back. Then there is a problem because at times I haven't realised that I have been ill. I have had severe paranoia and suicidal thoughts. Exercise does help and diet is important too. I have a good life at the moment. I work and have an active social life. That is not to say I don't have my ups and downs and anxiety. My threshold for stress is virtually nil.It would be good to find someone who is free of meds now after serious mental illness? Thanks for replying once again. EJ

[snowgoose]

hello:)

sorry I cant answer your question Elizabeth Jane but wanted to reply anyway .
I have read your support to others on here and find them very helpful and empathetic.
I am just wondering why you feel that it may be an idea to come off your tablets?
You have had a living hell of a time in the past obviously and my heart goes out to you .
However you mention a calm life now with your work,music and friends despite your stress tolerance being low .You support others here fantastically so you are not short of emotion or empathy and love . your personality shines through .

It has been said before that a diabetic has to take meds for life so why not us ..........if it gives us a stability and therefore the capacity for joy and peace we long for and you so deserve it .
to perhaps jeopardize that life you have now for a serious relapse is not in my opinion worth it .But then I know I dont have to take your particular meds .
take care whatever you do and enjoy the life you deserve. sorry I cant help with original question ! xx

[harasgenster]

Hi
Are you bipolar or do you suffer from anxiety and depression?

I wasn't on meds as strong as yours but was on them for years and then stopped. I found that I was very high anxiety but had, overall, a better quality of life because I was more functional without the pills. I eventually crashed and burned and had a bit of a breakdown, though, so I felt better for a period of time then suddenly crashed.

My mother was on a very high dose of Venlafaxine for years having been on ADs on and off for about 30 years. She came off them once she had had some stability for a while and says she felt much better afterwards. She did seem better.

I have also considered coming off mood stabilisers but I am very scared to. I have not been as bad as yourself so if I'm scared I can't imagine how you're feeling! If you have a psychiatric condition like bipolar you may need to listen to the doctors, because sometimes meds are the only way (although obviously even in bipolar disorder therapy is very, very important and I'm not sure if meds should be used alone). If it's anxiety and depression it is an affective disorder so meds aren't quite as vital as they are with psychiatric conditions but I would take this to your doctor and talk it through.

My doctors have always told me they wait for a period of stability. If you are stable and functioning for a while then they may consider at least reducing the dose.

If this is anxiety and depression, it is important to have tackled it from the root, though. Do you feel you have done that? Also, what are your reasons for wanting to come off? Mine were that I felt my brain was a little duller and my responses slower but it is vital in my job that I am pretty sharp cognitively. My doc said I could wean down from my pills because I had improved and the external stresses in my life had changed and some had been resolved. This seems to be the main reason they will allow you to wean down.

I chickened out in the end, by the way!

[bomberbeamish]

ive been waening down of seroquel and 3 days ago i stopped, and i didnt sleep for them 3 nights and i couldnt cope with it ,, i couldnt eat or function,, so ive gone back 50mg, and last night slept like ababy, x

[ElizabethJane]

So glad you are feeling better Bomber. I will reply more fully tomorrow. EJ.

[scaredstiff695]

hi
i don't no if I'm any help but i don't and have never taken meds. personal reasons i.
i have been low where i wanted to die even though I'm scared of dying and through a part of my life where i have believed i will harm myself and over new year i was having extreme panic attack daily and i mean bad. and i have or am coming through it and seeing the light.

i have to agree with above though if your quality of living is good on med why do you want to come off them? x
i admire you for wanting to though x x

[Stezzle]

I'm just testing the water here. I did not think I would reach the point where I might actually think 'is there life without meds' like a quality life and be able to lead a normal life without relapsing? I have had some impressive relaspes suicidal depressions and hospital admissions. Most of my early adult life was spent in and out of institutions. I have worked hard to get well and remain well. So what is next? My doctors are not even considering taking me off my meds currently lithium and mirtazapine. Do I have memory loss of the harrowing depressions and loss of self and the pointlessness of it all. But hey I'm looking around the other side maybe a reduction of the mirt probably not the lithium. At Christmas saw a different GP by mistake and he wanted me to invest in a light box as he thought I had SAD? It is just a thought probably a risky thought. I have been completely med free but that was probably three times in my life. Two were in psychotheraputic institutions and the other was when I was pregnant. Yet it still came back. It is just a thought. EJ.

Hey Elizabeth. I have suffered from anxiety for 5 to 6 years and was using self help and positive thinking to push myself through. After of years of struggling i finally went the doctors for help as i felt i was merely coping and not solving anything. I have been on 10mg of Citalopram since November and it has made my life more easier and i am not on edge about the smaller things. I go the gym three times a week to partake in a zumba class, It has built up my confidence and lifts up my mood and then i do a 30min swim after the class. I think this is the main reason i have been able to stay on such a small dose.
Saying that, i am going the doctors on Tuesday to ask for another medication. One that i can take when the onset of a big anxiety attack starts. I have some big events like being a bridesmaid, becoming a godmother and my boyfriends big work ball, which i am naturally flapping about, I am hoping that my doctor will be able to give me something that will help me get through the first big event and then as a stand by for the others ones if it over takes my will power.

I hope this sort of answers your post.

[ElizabethJane]

Hi Stezzle thank you for your reply. I'm not sure if the citalopram that you are taking is a maintenance dose or something that you intend to come off one day. Apart from self help techniques such as CBT there might not be much in the way of meds that your GP might prescribe. He might prescribe diazepan which used in the short term is very good at alleviating anxiety. It is addictive if used long term and very difficult to withdraw from. In my original post I was talking about the use of prescription drugs in the long term as a way of helping to maintain and stay well. I am currently on lithium 1,000mg and mirtazapine 45mg. I have had many different therapies over the years. I am currently well. That does not mean I don't experience highs and lows of course not. In the long term I will be on my meds. I have suffered severe mental illness and my doctors want to do everything in their power to keep me well. I think when I wrote the original post I was bowing to the pressure I felt was coming from some people in the forum. These people were saying basically that if any of us who were on meds long term were basket cases and unable to think for ourselves. This is of course nonsense. I have struggled for my independence and these people on the forum made me question whether I should be on meds or not. If they had seen me thirteen years ago in catatonic depression then they might have thought differently about being on meds. If this is your first bout of depression/anxiety then it is good to seek alternatives apart from drugs. I have been an in patient in two of the leading hospitals that run as psychotherapeutic communities in the country. They did not make me 'well' but have contributed to the more resistant/resilient person that I am today. I wish you well in your quest for health and wholeness.