What are the consequences of a Bipolar male not taking medication or going to therapy?
Wednesday, May 26th, 2010 at
8:38 am
I have Bipolar type 2 and I’m not taking any medication for it and I’m not seeing a therapist. What are the long-term consequences for this?
Tagged with: Bipolar • consequences • going • male • Medication • Taking • Therapy
Filed under: Bipolar Types
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Why are you not taking meds?? If you insist on being off meds (for whatever reason), then you should have a trusted friend or relative who sees you everyday and can tell you – without any repercussions from you – that you’re off balance and need to get back on track. The “long term consequences” are that you will lose friends and family due to your mood swings, won’t be able to hold down a job, etc. There’s really no reason not to take your meds – if they make you feel numb or whatever – that’s what your doctor is for – to keep working to find a dose/combination that is right for you.
EDIT: Gardens…I just read your reply and wow – you said it better than anyone else could have. So sorry you have to go through that!!! To the original poster – GO BACK ON YOUR MEDS MAN!!
I’ve had bipolar for 15 years.
The consequences are :
You might turn to alcohol or street drugs to self-medicate
Your relationships will suffer.
When you do decide to go back on meds. your body might have become immune to them.
You might break the law and have BIG problems.
You might get suicidal.
etc. etc.
I know it’s tempting to try it without but it isn’t worth it , trust me.
I am an Aunt to a family member who decided to do the same thing. He ended up hospitalized and now has mounting medical bills to show for doing exactly the same thing.
I see people at work occasionally (I am a pharmacy tech) who are bipolar and it seems to be a trait among earlier diagnosed customers to decide they don’t need there medicines. I am not sure your reasoning for not taking them whether it be financial or just lack of motivation but I encourage you to start back on them immediately.
If you are having adverse side effects, please discuss it with your doctor and let them know. Maybe he or she can help you determine why you feel the need to not take them.
Therapy is very important and is rough at first but once you start feeling more comfortable with your therapist I assure you it will get easier. I believe the therapy and meds work hand in hand.
Your life can be so much richer but it takes work and what have you got to lose but ending up with a small disaster on your hands.
Worsening of your symptoms and if you go long enough without controlling it you can become Bipolar 1.
ms kitty is right. Bipolar is considered to be a progressive illness. In many cases, if you don’t get the moods stabilized, it gets worse. I was unfortunate in that I couldn’t find any meds that worked for me, so I am unmedicated. And guess what, the bipolar is MUCH MUCH worse in my 40′s than it was in my 20′s. i could still go to college and work when I was in my 20′s. Now I am totally disabled and can’t even manage a 5 hour a week volunteer job designed for people with severe mental illness because it is so stressful I fall apart and end up suicidal and in the hospital, because I can’t do it. I was a geophysics PhD student working in planetary science with NASA and now I can’t even volunteer a few hours due to severe symptoms. I was too sick to have children – the state would have taken them away due to neglect. Do you want this to happen to you? you have to take meds, you will do better with therapy. Therapy keeps me alive, along with exercise, a light box, and social support, but I am only half alive and beg for death every night and every morning, because of the intense anguish the depression causes about 280 days of the year.
Please look into treating your bipolar disorder. If you can treat it successfully, you can live a normal life. If you are only partially successful with treatment, you will still be better off than me, or the 15% of people who kill themselves, or the other bipolar people who live under bridges.
The sooner you treat it ,the less severe the symptoms will be. You need to be on some kind of medication,even if it’s just lithium for you mood swings ( the generic doesn’t cost very much).You need to see a therapist for a while to help you deal with the idea of bipolar and to watch you for any worsening of symptoms you might be developing. The dr. that diagnosed you should have explained all this to you.
More than likely your next episodes either manic or depressive will be more severe and there is a real chance of being hospitalised. You may turn to illicit substances to control your moods and may also become a danger to yourself. Why did you stop taking your meds, I hope it was for a good reason. However, I am an hypocrite as I have stopped taking my meds on numerous occasions and as such I normally get hospitalised within 2 weeks due to relapse.