Natural Bi-Polar Treatment

I searched the forums, and couldn't find anything on the topic...so...

I was diagnosed with bi-polar disorder a couple of years ago, and was pretty much a very depressed teenager.

Eventually I gave in and started taking medication for it. I was prescribed 200mg of Lamictal, and I've been taking it for over a year now.

The medication did cure my depression in a sense, but it also took a whole lot of other emotions away with it. Eventually, I got tired of feeling numb and started taking less and less of my medication. Right now I've been at 25mg for over a month, and I plan to decrease it to 10mg soon enough, and then stop taking it in around a month.

For some reason, I don't feel too different with the less medication I take, even a tad more alive.

The less medication I've been taking, the more I've been researching natural alternatives for bi-polar disorder/ depression. I've been taking omega-3 (Fish oil) and vitamin B (all types seem to help in one way or another), together with some of the good ol' ganj, and I've been feeling better and better everyday.

Anyone else trying to take the natural way out? It's still a little hard for me to accept the fact that such a thing as "bi-polar disorder exists" and that it's purely a chemical imbalance. Some research has been done about the subject (nothing big scale, I doubt that the pharm companies would allow that), and certain natural cures were found.

Does anyone have any experience with this? Any other natural remedies they would like to suggest?

I'm tired of paying for these pills that are only hurting me. I refuse to believe that I cannot live a happy life without a chemical dependancy.

Any comments? Ideas? Suggestions?

 

mmm fish oil

 

I don't think there is a natural treatment for bipolar disorder. I would rather stick to medication than risk ending up in a hospital or jail. It's your decision, though. I have never felt numb or emotionally dead due to medication. Maybe you should make your decision known to your doctor b/c there may be serious side effects if you come off the medication w/o proper care.

Peace and love

 

i used to be on Lamictal for depression with anxiety and like you said it helped in a way but pretty much I never got real excited or happy about anything. anyhow after being on many different medications I decided to talk to my doctor about just going off everything, but now i'm on something for ADD and an anti-anxiety med which both seem to help but as to natural treatments for bi-polar look into St. John's Wort i've heard varying experiences, never had it myself but might helpful to you

 

Cheers for the responses.

I am going off my medication very responsibly. I don't particularly like the mental health industry, so I would rather ignore my doctor. My doctor only wanted to further and further increase my dose of Lamictal.

Ridiculous.

I just experimented with it, saw how my body reacted to it, tried a lower dose first, and so on. I've been coming off it for a year now, it's not like I'm jumping into it. Anyhow, that's not really the issue.

I am pretty sure that I can get back on medication if I start feeling bad. I just honestly believe that the individual has power over his mental health. I just don't buy the "it's all chemicals" crap. I honestly believe that your lifestyle and your state and perception of life play a huge role. I still acknowledge the fact that there might be something chemical in there, yet all of this medication never seemed to be an answer.



I've heard about St. John's Wort, and it sounds fascinating... if only for the name.

 

ive been taking st johns wort for a few weeks now for my anxiety and depression, its been helping me so far
but its much milder than most bipolar is, soooo dunno if its right for you or not

 

St. John's Wort is effective for mild to moderate depression. It has not been shown to be beneficial for major depression and it carries the same risks as anti-depressants for bipolar disorder when a mood stabilizer is not being taken, which translates to severe mood swings, both depressive and manic.

Know what the risks and benefits are before taking anything, natural or otherwise. Just b/c something is all natural doesn't mean it is good for you or it is not dangerous. As I recall, the scientist who discovered Arsenic also died from it due to his method of tasting substances for identification.

Peace and love

 

Uhhum, I might stay away from the extra exotic kava kava and St. John's wort and such.

It amazes me that there isn't anyone who has more experience with this on these forums. Maybe I should post this in a higher traffic area.

 

the "natural treatment" for this label "bipolar disorder" is learning to deal with your emotions..

really is a simple solution.. some will say to simple.

all the same,thats the reality of it...

 

That's what I keep on telling people.

But every damn person in this society seems to be completely fucken brainwashed into thinking that a chemical is always the solution.

It's amazing.

It kinda feels like everyone who is different is zombified into conformity. Being depressed does suck, but is that necessarily bad? Some many great things have been created out of sadness, plus... it truly makes you appreciate happiness.

...and yeah, you grow up by dealing with shit. Simply taking a pill for it just seems like a cheap excuse.

 

oh i know,as one who has dealt with my own emotional problems on my own for 20 plus years after having been diagnosed with numerous labels as a child when preaching against the use of psych meds to them its always the standard rebuttals "you obviously have never felt what i feel","some people need to take them"."you have no idea what your talking about".

yadda yadda..

its not about what others think,its about whats best for you,.. you already know how to overcome this label.. JUST DO IT..

 

Yessssssir, and I shall. Even my parents are somewhat supportive of this, which is unexpected, but pretty cool.

 

I guess I would like to hear how bipolar disorder is not related to a chemical imbalance. Why does mania feel like being high on cocaine for periods of weeks? Why did Adderall make me sleep while manic until the last week when I did not sleep at all? We all know that drugs affect the chemistry of the brain, so why would bipolar disorder be any different?

If I can't sleep due to hypomania, what am I supposed to do to stop from spiraling into full blown psychotic mania? What am I supposed to do when intrusive suicidal thoughts constantly appear when I am depressed? How can one deal w/ severe thought impairments w/o addressing the physical aspects? I stopped taking lithium on my own, and the repercussions were severe, my grades suffered, my relationships w/ my family and fiance suffered, and my moods were tumultuous, leading to episodes of paranoia.

Medication *CANNOT* do everything, treatment of bipolar disorder focuses on the physical, mental, emotional, social, and even spiritual treatment. When one stops bipolar treatment, there is at least a 50% chance of remission, higher when kindling is a factor. Untreated or under treated bipolar disorder has at least 15 times higher risk of suicide. These are not risks to take lightly. I know you will do what you want to, but I hope you do not regret your decision, whatever you decide.

Peace and love

 

I am sure that there are people out there who have an extreme enough case of bi-polar disorder that they should take medicine.

I am not one of those people.

I've just never been a big fan of pills.

 

meditation will allow you control over the chemical composition of your brain

 

That's a tad far fetched.

I was never into any predescribed meditation as it is. I've always felt like I've always lived life in a meditative state as it is.

 

When your brain chemistry is equivelant to someone on cocaine or meth, how would meditation bring you out of the high?

Meditation does have some impact on brain chemistry, but depending on it as a mood stabilizer? I cannot agree w/ this idea, for meditation cannot bring a drug user out of their high which the high is caused by altered brain chemistry.

Peace and love

 

I tryed controling my emotions it did not work and St. John's wort put me on a realy mad high for months, im on Lexapro now.

 

I've got a variety of disorders and it got to the point where I was a danger to myself and abusive to everyone around me.

I don't know what I have, whether it's really bad anxiety, depression, OCD, bipolar or anything else. My doctor thinks (in my case) that identifying it into different disorders is pointless...he treats my brain as a whole. It works for me at least.

So now, 3 or 4 years later, I've got THREE different kinds of medicine and I've tried out many more, unsuccessfully...
At the moment, I'm supposed to take 200mg of Lamictal twice a day, four (don't know the mg..) Wellbutrin pills, and I'm starting Klonopin.
(Totalling thirteen pills every day!)

It will never solve the problem completely, but I can keep it under control. No more running round the house with a knife threatening to kill myself What I'm saying is that I've gotten used to the fact that this is always going to affect me, nothing will ever treat it and it's never going away with time or with anything I do. All I can do is accept it, and keep myself under control.
One day at a time...

Does anyone have a similar attitude towards it?

 

I have a similar attitude. I accept that I have a condition that is going to affect my life and is not going to go away, but I still have some control over it. This means lifestyle changes. Before I was diagnosed, I went out drinking 4+ times a week at bars, staying up 'til 5 am or later, smoking weed, and basically not giving a fuck about anything. It was the aftermath of two major episodes that made me realize that my life had been turned upside down and my disorder had taken over. I was diagnosed and started treatment, but I felt that if I became more spiritual, the disorder would go away. After about 7 or so months on my medication, I felt "cured" and that I was doing so well that I didn't need the meds. I learned the hard way, somewhat crashing and burning during school, my grades suffering, as well as my relationships w/ my parents, sister, and then-boyfriend.

I look back and I can see the damage that was being done while I was unaware during that time. I was blinded by my disorder. I know now that holistic treatment is the best method for controlling this disorder. Yes, I need medication, but that is only a small piece of the answer. I need a steady schedule, regular sleep, a decent diet, healthy relationships, challenges that are not too easy or difficult, and therapy to help me deal w/ ineffective or destructive patterns. It really helps to understand that an unhealthy pattern was developed as a coping mechanism b/c at one time, I needed it as a tool for survival, but now, my life situation has changed and the pattern is not needed. There is a lot of learning and accepting that has to happen. I have accepted that going out to clubs and bars 'til 2 am is a good way to have a "mood hangover" the next day, so I shouldn't go out late regularly. A single drink once in a while is okay while drinking excessively or everyday can lead to problems.

Ultimately, we have to take responsibility for our condition, b/c if we don't, our condition will take over our lives. Medication is only a small step in that direction.

I do wonder one thing, many people say that medication numbs their feelings- why? I have never felt that way before while on medication& I have tried a lot of medication. If you feel this way, do you see a therapist to work through emotional issues? I used pot and alcohol to numb my painful emotions instead of dealing with them, and therapy has allowed me a way to deal w/ them, hence, no more numbness. Perhaps the medication is not causing the numbness, but not dealing w/ your emotions is? It is much easier to blame a medication and quit taking it than it is to deal w/ difficult issues such as painful emotions. Just a thought to consider before writing medication off for good.

Peace and love