Replies to 'Bipolar Disorder'

It is very, very common for persons with bipolar disorder to go off their meds once they feel better. It makes them feel like they don't need them any more. I think doctors are used to that. It's just that it doesn't work.  

I was in the hospital with a guy who couldn't handle any more than lying in a fetal position. He was terribly thin and terribly depressed. He told me it had happened before and that he knew he needed lithium. I left just as his treatment started. Six weeks later I ran into him on the street. He was dressed in a suit and tie and back working. He had to remind me who he was because he looked so different. I asked him about his dosage of lithium, and he said, "Oh, I quit taking it. I feel so good I don't need it any more!" I could only remind him of what he was like in the hospital, and he just laughed and told me that would never happen again. I wondered how long his job would put up with his periodic hospital visits, but I couldn't convince him to stay on his meds. 

You should get used to the Respiradol. I have gotten used to drugs that would knock me out as I started taking them. Obviously, the doctor thinks that is the right dosage for you now, so I would definitely go with that. I would only revisit it if you don't get used to it. The bags under the eyes are a pain, but I still have them to some extent. However, it beats not sleeping. To me, that is one of the worst things about the illness. I hate that lying awake and simply not being able to sleep. Respiradol helps me with that so I go around baggy-eyed.  

During the time when I was off meds I went five weeks with only two hours sleep a night. I would go to bed, exhausted, at ten pm and then wake up at midnight, every night. I got a lot of writing done but looked and felt like something the cat dragged in at work the next day. I never want to go through something like that again.  

I hope all your meds are working and that you start to feel better. Getting control of your illness is worth all the hassle. Once you do, doctor visits are routine and your life settles down. Your relationship should improve, too. I hope so.