I'm on medications for bipolar disorder as well as other medications (for skin and pain). Due to some reason or another, I have stopped taking all my medications. This has been going on for a week and my mood is ok. I feel fine and am currently leading a very relaxed life. I was on those meds for 2 years with frequent adjustments due to frequency and severity of relapses. However, its been a month of two since my last relapse and I'm feeling fine now even without taking meds.
Is it ok for me to stop medications and to inform my doctor that I'm stopping medications? It has been a long time since I felt so fine as I used to have relapses very often but it seems to be a thing of the past now. I understood that this is something I have to talk to my doctor about but she's not available to see me as she's fully booked for another 2 weeks before I get to see her.
I used to relapse within 3 to 4 days of not taking meds, with increasing mood symptoms as the time increases but this time round, everything is fine. Could I have really recovered?
Dear Ann,
You should be familiar with the early signs of relapse and be aware of these. It is not advisable to stop the medications as the relapse rate is high. A week of feeling well may not be indicative of recovery. Discussion with your treating psychiatrist who knows your case well should be the advise you should take, especially since it has been a recurrent course.
These information are also available on the internet and you should try to do some own research and be realistic on the risk of a relapse versus not taking medications
Regards,
Depnet