Experiencing Life Without Medications

Hi @Violacorso

I'm Margot, nice to meet you 😊

Reducing or ceasing medication can be a daunting process and it's great to hear you have a strong support network around you to help you along the way.

Although these threads aren't exactly what you're looking for, I thought I'd share them in case you find them useful:

Topic Tuesday: Medication

Got a coping strategy that you find good?

I wish you all the best with the journey ahead.

Hi @Violacorso,

i don’t have experience but wanted to say hi and welcome to the forum.

Im not sure if you’ve heard of PANDA before but the may be a really helpful resource too

@PANDA

im not sure that I can think of anyone of the top of my head that’s been through this (I’m sure there have been people but I can’t remember). However a gorgeous soul @Silenus has been managing without medication now for a long time. I’m afraid he doesn’t probably fit either of the experiences you were looking for but is an amazing wealth of information and personal experiences.

I wish you all the very best for this and hope you can filfil your dream.

💜🤗

hi, I went through the preliminaries of pregnancy with schitzophrenia and i found that the mere mention of pregnancy would stop my parents speaking to me for months, possibly

forever if i went through with it. It would also precede abusive name calling attacks

from my father. On my phyciatrists side, a meeting was called also by my father,

to "address the issue'. In other words, talk me out of it. I have had my partners phyciatrist say to him "has she given up the idea, yet?" and my phyciatrist refuses to discuss the

issue of my parents and sisters attitudes toward me and my husband.

As landlords my parents charge me rent for living in one of their properties, and there is

harrassment there too as well as extreme poverty.

This was as recently as seven years ago so I am amazed you have any support for

the idea because i had 0% support and no money as my husband has a mental illness also. In the end my husband refused to father any child with me and I just had to get

over the grief of having zero support.

I am sorry my real life planning for pregnancy is not more positive but I was treated

like some criminal when I wanted to and never had one.

It still hurts today.

genwhiz

hello @genwhiz, @Violacorso , sending you lots of hugs and please keep i touch

@genwhiz Your story is heartbreaking. I am very sorry that your family and the professionals around you were not more compassionate.

@Violacorso There are different questions in your post.

1) There is getting off medication and the pros and cons of that. It is possible if done wisely and with transparency and support of those around you.

2) There is the responsibility of bringing new life into the world. It is a huge responsibility that requires more than just being medication free. I respect your desire.

I have had experiences that relate to your questions but at the moment I am overwhelmed and taking more medication as an older woman than I did throughout my young adulthood.

Hi @Violacorso... lovely to meet you.

Firstly, a huge congratulations for your self awareness, maturity, and mental and emotional intelligence to approach these important life goals with a plan of action and an open mind to experience from others... I don't doubt for a second that you will be able to pull this together... for want of a better expression, I feel it in my water (pregnancy pun intended)...

A strong support network of family and friends will most definitely stand you in good stead, because unmedicated can be a rough ride! But it is one that can be managed with ever greater self awareness, a dedication to the life journey that you walk both inside and out, the power of your will, and the love of yourself to yourself, as well as the love of others...

I believe that to be a winning combination...

I have never been medicated for my bipolar... heck, I wasn't diagnosed until I was 39 years old... but I had been living the rollercoaster all unmedicated since I was 8 years old...

31 years, unmedicated... I say unmedicated, but there was the booze and the weed at times when the need was greater than the ability to deliver...

But this does not detract from the most important journey we must all make in order to live fuller, more balanced lives... we must journey within ourselves and come to understand ourselves better...

Years ago, I was stuck in an ignorant pattern... it held me for nigh on 3 decades... work too hard... then the stress fires the bipolar ever higher... you thrive on the stress... it drives you higher... you crave the heights... boom!

Burnout... depression...

I was trapped in that ignorant pattern for so long...

Now? I had a major breakdown 7 years ago, and have spent that time rebuilding myself by getting to know myself better after I fell apart. How else can I put myself together again if I don't know where all the different bits go?

Self awareness is key, for me... nothing is sacred from brutal questions that demand honest answers...

In getting to know myself better, I become keenly aware of when something starts going off kilter within myself, and I am getting better and better at working out what the trigger was (even if it is just biochemical without an external trigger), and how best to respond to it...

To me, communication with your support crew of luvs and bruvs around you is everything... if you trust them as your crew, talk to them... let them know where you are at, and together you can quite often work it out...

I hope some of my rambling thoughts have touched on something that may be of help to you... feel free to ask questions of me if you like... I may not have the direct experience you require, but I have walked this path for 46 years, and plan on walking it for a good many more...

Much love and respect... oh, and hugs and happy vibes too...