Hi, how’s it going? Hope you are doing well.
The other day I was reading a response to a blog and saw a comment that really bugged me. It said that the medication that was talked about in the blog was horrible. This person talked about their experience with it; about the side effects they got from it and how it didn’t even end up working! And then they went on to say that no one should ever use it because it would do the same thing to them.
It’s that last part that bugged me. I understand that people have bad reactions to medications. I understand that medications don’t always work the way we would like them to. But everyone is different. Everyone’s body responds differently to every medication.
So we can’t just assume that what doesn’t work on one person won’t work on anybody. After all, there are tests done on every medication to make sure it will work on at least some people. If you are taking a medication legally, then chances are it has passed that test. Which means that it works for some people.
Now, of course, that doesn’t mean it works for everyone. Usually not even close. But your psychiatrist can help you determine which medications are more likely to work in your situation.
Sometimes they get it wrong and you end up with a medication that is wrong for you. When that happens, you need to go back to your psychiatrist and talk to them about it. They can then safely get you off of that medication and put you on one that will hopefully work better.
It may seem like a long, drawn-out process, and sometimes it is. But in the long run it’s worth it. It’s worth it when you find the medication that works best for you. It’s worth it when you get to the point where it’s obvious that you are on the road to recovery. It’s worth it when you get to the point that you can lead a normal life for the most part.
But it doesn’t help anybody to go ranting about the medications that didn’t work for you. If anything, it just scares some people off that might have been able to benefit from that medication.
Especially when it is put on the internet. You never know who will be reading it when you post something on the internet. It may be someone who is far too gullible for their own good. Or it may be someone who worries about everything.
Either way, they might believe everything you say, even putting it over what a doctor would tell them. Which doesn’t make any sense, because a doctor went to school for a reason, and (most of) you don’t have the same background and knowledge.
I’m hoping that most of you don’t have this problem. But maybe you have come across other people who do. Maybe you have been complained to, and warned against taking a certain medication. Maybe you have read blogs like the one I saw, where people were typing those sorts of things in the comment boxes. I’m sure you’ve “heard it all” – I know I have! Unfortunately, not everything I’ve heard has been good. And this is certainly one of those times where it wasn’t good!
Complaining doesn’t do a lot of good to begin with, but claiming that everyone will have the same reaction to a medication as one person did can only do harm. Have you ever heard of a time where someone did this?
Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
Post responses below
I have had this done to my son before… a person who is not even bipolar or one who has never had to even try medication for a mental illness… You know the well-meaning family who says medications are “stupid” and “dangerous” and kids should never take them.
And then there are the ones who go on to say the meds didn’t work for them so they will not work for you.
Lucky for me I have seen this happen enough where I can intervene and say, “actually I have seen a medciation not work for one person but yet, so-and-so is doing great on that medication.” It’s important to put out accurate information on medications.
What works for one may or may not work for another. It just depends on the person and their unique body.
Good work on making sure we all know…medicaitons effect us all differently, even the big name ones. We just have to keep trying until we find the medicaiton or the combination of medications, that works for us.
I have come across this MANY times. Some people are SO depressed that “NOTHING IS GOING TO WORK”. And then there is the stigma that goes with “that particular drug”. I guess what l’m saying is first and formost you have to become accepting that for better or worse to are dianosed with the diseased called “BIPOLAR”. And once you can except that you have to figure out in your own mind ( with the help with tons of information and Drs.). That for me I refer to my disease as the two year old around my leg. Sometimes this child and I have a good day and sometimes we don’t. But I can’t get mad at a 2 yr.old-what good does that do? But you always have to be prepared for that acting out/or temper tantrum.(the bipolar) I hope this helps.
I have taken a lot of medication for I suffer from bi-polar as does my daughter and between the two of us we have been on more meds than I could even begin to recall(although I have them kept in our logs) but I agree that just because a medicine does not work for one person could work wonders for another. With us having two people in the same house who have bi-polar we are our own study group. For example she has been on Seraquel for years and each time I have tried it, it gave me horrible leg twitches like restless leg syndrome. But she has had great success with it from the start, so we are living the example from tour post today, it does not work for me but does work for someone else. So I agree bashing medicines can be harmful to all and not only does the medication make a difference but so does the strength or dosage. My personal opinion is DO NOT ever bash a medicine, as a whole maybe mention it did not work for you as an individual but that does not mean it won’t work for the masses. Just my opinion!
Unfortunately, I’m a person who has bad reactions to most medications. I suffer from epilepsy & my husband is bipolar. While I had horrible side effects from Lamictal & Depakote, I never once would tell someone that they wouldn’t work for them. After my nasty run in with Lamictal, my husband was put on it for his bipolar, and it has worked wonders for him! No side effects & his mood swings have greatly lessened in severity and frequency.
Since I’m so sensitive to meds, I usually don’t rant about my personal experience with them; however, if I’m asked, I will tell people about my experience. I also make a point to also tell my husbands experience because I would never ever want someone to make a decision based on me, the minority!
OMGosh! Okay, sorry to whoever wrote this but, hello! I have been Dx w/ bipolar 4 years ago. (I think I may have had it since I was 19?). I am now 38.
Through the years they just thought I was depressed.I have been on: Nortriptaline, Amitriptaline, Wellbutin, Xanax, Paxil, Abilify, Cymbalta, Seroquel (which I had severe reaction 18lbs in 9 days!!), buspar, hydroxyzine, Effexor, Trazedon, Ambien CR and reg Ambien, Lithium, Lunesta, and many more…..
In fact I was hospitalized by my own will because I knew these meds weren’t working just this month. My doctor took me off all of the meds I was on.
I am now only taking Neurontin (Gabapentin)(Mood stablizer/helps w/ chronic pain & fibromyalgia) and Sertraline (Zoloft).Thanks to a very wise doctor.I have severe anxiety, borderline personality disorder, disassociation, cutting,suffered from anorexia nervosa for 11 yrs, and I’m a recovering addict from prescription meds and I used cocaine for 4 mo to try to self medicate. I have been clean for 2 yrs 1 mo on prescript and in June it will be 3 yrs from the cocaine.I’ve also suffered great loss. 14 miscarriages and 13 surgeries, so that has heightened my depression and when I’m manic…Holy cow, watch out. Either I shop like crazy or clean for days without sleeping.Then I start hearing things, but it’s my own brain with racing thoughts that are going so fast I cant understand what I’m thinking.
People who make these kind of comments either are in denial because of the “social stigma” than mental orders have been associated with…Look back even 30 yrs ago and families would “put away” a family member that had any mental illness, like they were a shame on their family. It disgusts me.
Also I’ve had ECT three times and I would do it again if I needed it.It’s NOT like “One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest” w/ Jack Nicholson.
Bipolar is a diagnosis. IT IS NOT WHO YOU ARE. You don’t go up to someone and say; “Hi, I’m bipolar, how are you”………I let this disease/disorder effect my life so much in the past that, I finally realized that I need to stop feeling sorry for myself and do the best I can. Everyday is a struggle. Some days suck while other days are fabulous.I take every day as it comes, even if it’s only second by second!I’m thankful that after ALOT of trial and error we have found the right medicine for me. Every body is different. Different hormones, chemicals, and energies. So don’t give up on 1 or 2 medicines..it takes time to find out what is best for you & your body/mind!
I’d like to thank you, David Oliver for having this website and sending me emails. They are helpful for me and my family to help understand this never-ending disease. Thank you so much! Brenda S. in Beaver Dam, WI
yes I too have had bad reactions to the medications…but like david says:…it works for some and it doesn’t for others……we have to keep looking for medications that do work….and of course therapy is very helpful with all the coping skills it teaches…
For those who have bad side effects or no results w/meds, or just want to get off the treadmill…you might want to check out http://www.truehope.com for an intensive treatment program in micronutrients that actually heal the neuron problem in the brain that causes the imbalances in the first place. Support is great too..
Unforrtunately for me, I fell into this trap a couple of years ago, when I saw that my regular antipsychotic makers had a lawsuit against them for the “black box” reaction to the med. I went to my shrink, and asked to be taken off of Zyprexa and “maybe” be put on Seroquel. She weaned me off the Zyprexa, while increasing the dosage of Seroquel. Three months later – when I was totally ON the Seroquel, I began to feel listless, fatigued, and uninterested in life. I finally made an appointment with my shrink, and told her that I was “dragging” through life, and what could be the cause…
She said that some people felt “drained” while taking Seroquel, and that appeared to be what was wrong with me. She then weaned me OFF the Seroquel and put me back on the Zyprexa, which still remains my “drug of choice,” as I am maintained quite “normally” on it.
I agree with Dave that you just CAN’T take someone else’s experience as relative to your own. One drug may be “perfect” for one person, and cause insurmountable side effects to someone else. ALWAYS work with your doctor when side effects interfere with normal, daily activity. I am blessed that I am on the RIGHT cocktail now, and am managing my bipolar in a “normal” fashion.
BIG HUGS to all bipolar survivors and those who love us. May God bless you real good. I continue to pray for my country.
Dear Dave and all the people who have bipolar,
My Dr. had me on a lot of meds and sometimes he even recycled them and I ended up doing better a second or third time through. Through all of the experimenting to find the right meds (10yrs) we finally got one that seemed to work. I’m like hypersensitive to all meds and they all affect me somehow in good and bad ways. The point I’m trying to make is, you just don’t know when or if you need to change meds and if you do cuz of side affects… sometimes you just have to keep going around until something feels more good than it does bad. Seroquel ended up being the med that helped me the most. I had terrible side affects at first and wanted off it immediately. But then I noticed how mentally good I felt and the physical side took “time” to overcome. Now I don’t feel the bad side affects anymore, and I am so glad to find something that makes me feel pretty normal and level on a day to day basis. Not that I don’t have to deal with some bad days either. I do. And it’s hard to have this thing always showing up in the wrong places at the wrong time. I’ve also found it very important who I allow to be in my inner circle. If they turn out to be bad news, I extricate them immediately, which usually makes the symptoms die down. Talk therapy is great. Sometimes buying something helps, but not spending all my money, which I still have trouble with. Saying “no” helps a lot. And learning when to say yes. There’s a lot of learning to do when you have bipolar and the more you know the better. Thanks Dave, I love your daily thoughts. They help keep me centered and help me think of myself in a better light. It all helps. Education is the main thing. Educate yourself and don’t give up. It can take a long time sometimes to get on the right meds.
As someone else pointed out it also matters the amount and dosage sometimes can make all the difference too. Am so glad I stuck it out and today am a better smarter person for it. Thanks for letting me share!! I’m so glad I’m not the only one who struggles to get it right.
I have an associates degree in interdisciplinary sciences and I wholeheartedly agree with all aspects of your comment and commend your research as well.
Dear Dave,
IF POSSIBLE, A PERSONAL RESPONSE IS REQUESTED.
The county I live in, Sacramento, CA, and Sacramento County,is tentatively planning on closing almost all of the mental health clinics, and County Medicale has already begun NOT COVERING some consumers’ medications. HELP!! If you could write a letter of support for us, identifying yourself as being very knowledgeable in this area of mental health, it sure would be appreciated. Your timely response to this request is necessary, as we’re attempting to work w/our Board of Supervisors, and time is of the essence. Pls. contact me @ my email, if you need more info. WE COULD SURE USE YOUR HELP. Lynn Sawyer
Hi,
I just sent you a private email to call me.
Dave
David,
I wrote quite a bit and have retyped it several time, but since I had difficulty reading the characters that are required,my comments did not go through. What is the reason for having these characters, especially when they are so scrunched together that you can not read them. I refuse to rewrite what I wrote once again as time is always short in dealing with a bipolar child, depressed husband and teach.
Anita
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