Thinking about quiting the meds

[dam1116]

Hello Everyone,

Over the past 2 months I have been on seroquel,lamactil, abilify and just started taking resperidone and zoloft. i was diagnosed with bipolar disorder based on my family history after basically two weeks without sleeping. The meds have basically destroyed my sex life and I want to regain it even though my psychiatrist thinks the numbness i'm experiencing in my groin area is all in my head. I honestly don't think so. I'm seriously considering withdrawling from all medicine and just going back to me and only me and putting my faith in God. Because I've felt horrible on all medicine and i'm tired of this trial and error stuff. I don't think the meds are the right path for me considering the sexual side effects i've experienced and only being on these two for three days I don't think much will happen to me. What do you guys think?

[Desuetude]

You can't know whether the med is actually working until 6 weeks after you're put on it. I think that if you're having any trouble then speak with your psych or whoever is prescribing you them and ask them what they think is best, tell them the symptoms you're having and the fact that you don't think it's right you're on them. Honestly I think it's better to give them a go first, give them the 6 weeks at least. My friend has been on trial and error with different drugs for a year now and she's fed up with it but her symptoms have improved, eventually the doctors will get it right. You just have to have some faith.

[dam1116]

It's just difficult to have faith. Like I said he thinks it's all in my head so it's hard to really discuss side effects with him. Every side effect i've experienced he thinks isn't real. I honestly think i'll be okay without meds I haven't really gave it much of a chance to be without then because I was so desperate then realized what they did to me and got so turned off by them once I got sleep and came to my senses. Thanks for the advice but i'm not totally sure what i'm going to do yet.

[Magenta]

You can't whether the med is actually working until 6 weeks after you're put on it. I think that if you're having any trouble then speak with your psych or whoever is prescribing you them and ask them what they think is best, tell them the symptoms you're having and the fact that you don't think it's right you're on them. Honestly I think it's better to give them a go first, give them the 6 weeks at least. My friend has been on trial and error with different drugs for a year now and she's fed up with it but her symptoms have improved, eventually the doctors will get it right. You just have to have some faith.

There is some truth to this and there isn't. Some meds take six weeks to work, others do take a few days. I've been on Seroquel, which the OP mentioned, and it starts working almost immediately. Still, any medication requires an adjustment period.

But the rest is true. You do have to give it time. Certain drugs may work or may not, certain combinations of drugs may work or not work well together. Some side effects may be from the combinations or from one drug. It's not an exact science. There's no 100% accurate way to measure what's going on with the chemicals in your head and it's all guesswork until there is some definite visible improvement. And that does take time, adjustment of doses, and a lot of patience.

Look, I understand it's frustrating and you have your faith and religion but a) suddenly stopping all medications seriously messes with your body. It makes you feel even worse. And b) there are some things religion simply can't fix, or (if you believe that it can) there's no guarantee. I mean no offense, truly. Medications are a proven effective treatment for bipolar disorder and your quality of life will be significantly better on the medication.

Some side effects are temporary and some may be in your head (or may not). But I'm just saying, if you come to believe you'll always have side effects, you may actually be tricking your body into experiencing these things. You need to give the meds at least a couple months before you know for sure. And you may not notice a difference but people around you might. Sometimes we don't see what's helping us until we stop it.

[Luminous]

if you come to believe you'll always have side effects, you may actually be tricking your body into experiencing these things.
^^^

Just give it some time, I know it is tough but you are a strong person.