Hi,
How’s it going?
Yesterday I wrote a daily email about lying and bipolar disorder. I talked about how many times people with bipolar disorder don’t remember what they said or did because they are in episodes.
AND, they are not doing it on purpose. That’s a big difference.
I personally have so many people TRY to lie to me in a given week it’s amazing.
You might not realize this, but in order for you to have found my site, I had to buy advertising. You buy advertising from advertising companies. These people lie all the time. It’s amazing.
The difference between them and the person who has bipolar disorder who lies in an episode is they do it on purpose to con people.
I just had a guy that lied to me for about 8 months about some stuff and he basically stole money from me.
He did it totally on purpose. Anyway I just wanted to talk so more about bipolar disorder and lying. Remember the person that doesn’t lie on purpose and doesn’t know what they are saying and doing is WAY DIFFERENT then the person who lies and knows exactly what they are doing.
Anyway, I hope you’re having a good day.
Today I also want to talk about:
The REAL Bipolar Conspiracy
Many people think that there is a conspiracy by big drug companies to sell people with bipolar disorder lots of drugs and make lots of money off them.
People have said these things about me:
- · That I am a big drug company myself (when they say this I wonder if they mean that I am a building instead of a person?)
- · That I am a tool of the big drug companies
- · That I am an owner of a big drug company (I wish – I’d be rich! LOL)
- · That I love drug companies because someone in my family is the owner of a drug company
- · That I have billions (that’s the term several of people have used) of dollars in drug company stocks
All because I promote that people with bipolar disorder should take their medications.
In my courses/systems below, yes, I do promote that.
SUPPORTING AN ADULT WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarsupporter.com/report11
SUPPORTING A CHILD/TEEN WITH BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
http://www.bipolarparenting.com
HAVE BIPOLAR DISORDER?
Visit:
I DON”T promote big drug companies.
I DO promote people with bipolar disorder staying on their medication. I even quote the statistics of people who go off their medication and what happens to them. And it isn’t pretty, But it’s the truth.
Here’s the REAL bipolar conspiracy:
Drug companies do not work hard enough, and I repeat, do NOT work hard enough, to sell people on taking their bipolar medication.
That’s because they don’t advertise bipolar medication. It doesn’t make them enough money.
It’s sad, but true. I wish they would spend billions running ads on TV that talked about people who died from stopping their medication. They should show these peoples’ family and friends.
They should show homeless people that once were not homeless but now are because they got off their medication.
They should advertise the statistics of people who die from not taking their medication.
They should show all this to keep people ON their medication. They should just try harder.
But they don’t.
They focus on drugs that make you have sex longer.
They focus on drugs that make you stop going to the bathroom. They focus on drugs that help your bones.
They don’t focus on drugs that will help your mental health though, do they?
Oh, wait – I just saw a commercial the other day for depression. But that was only one commercial.
And we all know that depression is only ONE part of bipolar disorder.
They were advertising for a new drug for depression, not a drug for bipolar disorder.
WHY NOT?
What do you think?
FIND OUT WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING ABOUT ME
Visit: http://www.bipolarcentral.com/testimonials
David Oliver is the author of the shocking guide “Bipolar Disorder—The REAL Silent Killer.” Click Here to get FREE Information sent via email on how and why bipolar disorder kills.
Post responses below.
But we have a new commercial out in the US, at least in the western part, for Abilify and that is for BP and it seems to be gaining in the amount of times I see the ad in a typical day of TV. It is only one for now, but it is a start and happens to be one of the meds my daughter is on. But you are right, I practically went into shock the 1st time I saw the commercial and it actually talked a bit about BP. I thought “Finally something on TV about BP!” TV commercials are the mainstream of getting info to people, so we have one started now and soon there will be others! YES!
This is my story, my granddaughter knew her daughter wqas sick but sent her away to the estranged father, he died and her mother would not let her come home, she said some horrible things to her mother who also got sick and died, she denys all. She has oneaim to get money for doing nothing. Her grandfather, my x-Son in law,knows she’s sick and uses it against her so he can rob her and her sister of their mother’s property, he calls her a bab girl and addict/ She refuses help, I had her involuntarily committed and she ran and Police picked her up, she fought two officers, landed in jail and is now on probation for one count and awaiting trial for assualting police officers. I have tried to get her help, she cons everybody to thinking she is the right one an her grandmother, sister and I are the bad ones, no one is listerning to me. I have allowed her to stay here, she refuses to work, sleeps until 3PM and continues to BS everyone and turn on us when we don’t agree with her. We are asking hr to leave as she is adetriment to our household, which is my two bio-sons and two grandsons. I am at my wits end, she knows she is sick but she wants to dictate what and when she gets medication and wants no outside held, that is from doctors.
Amen! They definitely need information on the effects of with/without medication. I have a son who is bi-polar. On medication he is wonderful — and we know the flip side. Thank you for all you do
I’ve seen the same ad that Helen refers to. I, too, was surprised the first time I saw it. As she mentioned, it could be the beginning.
I’ve been seeings ads for Abilify and others for quite some time. I resent the way they make it sound like if we only took a pill everything would be fine. As you know it is not nearly that simple but that is the message non BP people hear and they think it’s our fault we’re not well. I don’t know a single person with BP that is on just 1 medicine and is functioning. I do know of several that are on many or even none though that are still successful.
I was doing better before I ever went on prescriptions. I wish I would have educated myself BEFORE I went to the first doctor because then I would have recognized him for the quack he is and I would have moved on to a competent doctor which I have since found.
I was already aware of my condition and treating it successfully with natural methods. I had diagnosed myself and had begun telling my friends. I was doing so well even that a nurse friend who worked on a psychiatric ward doubted my diagnosis. Unfortunately another friend knew one severe BP1 and thought she therefore knew everything there was to know about it. To appease her I agreed to see the above mentioned quack. I probably should have sued him for malpractice!
“IF IT AINT’ BROKE DON’T FIX IT” If it is broke, like you say finding the RIGHT DOCTOR & THE RIGHT TREATMENT WHICH MAY INCLUDE MEDICINE is the first step.
Medicine is not the answer for everyone. ALL 6 OF MY SUICIDE ATTEMPTS CAME WHILE ON MEDICATION. I stayed on bad medicine because people say not wanting to take the medicine is part of the condition. IT MADE ME WAY WORSE. I STAYED ON BAD MEDICINE FOR 3 1/2 MONTHS OF PURE HELL THAT I HAVE NEVER RECOVERED FROM!!!! ALL BECAUSE PEOPLE KEPT TELLING ME I HAD TO KEEP TAKING MY BAD MEDICINE.
But I agree if you have actually been fortunate enough to find a medicine that makes you better than by all means keep it up!
I don’t think the money shoud be spent to sell the drugs but to encourage seeking competent help who can eventually help us work towards a succesful treatment plan that ,may include a number of medicines not the latest magic pill.
Educate don’t market!!!
Good question! Maybe it’s the stigma that’s still attached, but talking about it more (like you have mentioned before) is one way to educate people and make it less of a secret issue. Since there are millions of people with bipolar it should be brought to the surface more often. There are so many drugs though and each person it seems needs a different one or different combinations it may not be that easy to promote just one. What about bipolar research groups doing fundraising? That would also be an excellent way to educate people.
David,
Thank you for all the e-mails. I am in daily contact with friends and co-workers who are bi-polar. One very good friend is currently serving 20 years in prison. For much of his young life, all the so-called experts treated him for ADD, but it wound up being a prison doctor who finally diagnosed him with bi-polar. More importantly, the drugs he was taking for his ADD were probably causing his bi-polar to escalate to the point where he was completely out of control. I’ve watched them all cycle from depression to mania, and I see the influence that the medications have on them. To me, it seems that they are constantly in search of the perfect cocktail, one which does not exist. It also seems they are sacrificing their physical health for a “cure.” (Helen) I also heard the commercials for Abilify. Dear God, who in their right mind (i.e. a supposed medical doctor) would prescribe something so risky to a bi-polar patient! The side effects of this drug (as well as many others) greatly outweigh the good. How could anyone take a chance of inheriting yet another permanent disorder (in this case tardive dyskinesia). Of course, the ad does not use this terminology. That might be too frightening.
I am totally sickened, appalled, and disgusted by the entire medical community and how they continue to prey upon these emotionally ill people. It is not at all about helping people anymore…it is all about money. As I have told many of my bi-polar friends (the ones who are of reasonable intelligence and very knowledgeable about their illness), you can control these cycles. Most are in tune with themselves and know the signs of an impending episode. Just as a stroke victim has to re-network in order to regain prior functions, so can a bi-polar reroute their impulses. This CAN be done, and I speak from experience. For most of my life, I have been a very depressed individual. I am now 49 years old and through my reading, I see that our minds greatly control our moods, and so I no longer ALLOW my mind to cause me to be depressed. I have trained my mind to focus on the positives in my life and that is my cure. No drugs, no psychotherapy, and no doctors telling me to try this drug and come back in a month with a full report. That is utter BULLSHIT!
Thank you for allowing me to vent via this webpage. I realize that every bi-polar person must make their own decisions about medication, but I just wanted to share my thoughts with others who are feeling my dismay
Hi.
I have been married to a man with BiPolar Disorder for over 12 years. I have been with him when he was on his medication and when he was off of his medication. I don’t need to say a lot about medication – just tell you that when he was not on his medication I would leave him. As a result of the no-medication times – we have had to go through bankruptcy, move, go without eating. I have lived in fear, lived in poverty and lived without family support because of people’s denial and fear of mental illness. Things have changed. I have changed. Things are going very well for both of us. It is a challenge for both of us to live with his Bipolar Disorder, but makes a stronger commitment to a relationship to work with and understand his illness as well as realize that I need respite from him occassionally. I think the years of chaos make you not overact to small things and react to serious things. All part of maturity. I would like to be a person that others could email when things are getting tough. I do love my husband, he is not any different that if he had diabetes or cancer. It is a diagnosis – that all parties need to adjust their thinking and responding to. Yes we went through times when he was on drugs, unpredictable, reckless etc – without his medication. Why go through this if medication can help. (notice I said help – not cure)? If your partner had diabetes would you not give them their medication? or would you just let them fall apart? There really is no argument about the medication. The most challenging part of the medication – is to find the right medication and the right dosage – and to take it and stay on it.
Dear Dave,
Thank You for your articles about medication and bipolar disorder.
I struggled with something (bipolar I think) for 18 years before I was correctly diagnosised.It was when I started taking medication for bipolar disorder that I started feeling better than I ever thought I could or would. I don’t think you talk about medication enough. It keeps me stable. I have a psycologist that I see every week. I have a psychiatrist I see every four weeks to discuss my medication. i wouldn’t think of going without my medication. I due tend to go suicidal but it is then I want to take to much medication. I believe in Jesus Christ and that He is my Saviour and the only way to God. It has been God who has saved my life several times. Maybe it sounds like I am preaching but I am not. I just want to share that God is the One Who intervined on my behalf. He saved my life and provided me with a doctor who diagnosised me with bipolar and prescribed medication for me. If it had not been for God and my medication I would be dead now. Now the next question is why hasn’t God taken the bipolar,schetzo affective, and borderline personality disorders from me? I don’t see these as punishment or torture. Everyone has their hills they must climb and we all have a thorn in our side. These disorders have just brought Jesus closer to me. God will never give me more than I can handle for I can do all things through Christ who strenghens me.
I hope everyone will stop giving you a hard time about medication. I am sure you must save someone’s life every day.
Take Care and God Bless,
sandie porter
I find your information to be helpful. My mother, now deceased many years, was bipolar . My dad, who knows. Being the oldest sibling in a totally dysfunctional family lifestyle pl\was truly a challenge. I simply stopped believing in myself that I could succeed. Life changed over the years. Despite a divorce and a courageous decision exactly 6 years ago to move to the Northwest and start my life anew… the seeds of sadness lie deep in my soul. I am replacing them with seeds of happiness, and share that this is working. Through the divorce I had to survive with drugs. At one point I was inpatient for a week and a regimen of five medications. For anyone who needs medications, take them! Life is worth celebrating!
I am in the advertising field and call on pharmaceutical clients. There are several bipolar drugs being advertised, and have for years. Seroquel had a big push in 2006 and 2007. Abilify wasn’t sure how to “target” people with bi-polar – if it’s difficult enough for people to be identified by professionals in the medical field as bipolar, imagine trying to get someone with bipolar to listen to their ad message. They have been advertising in print, on TV, online and even on telephone kiosks for years. Lamictal advertises a different indication – epilepsy. To understand the process of mass consumer advertising, check out what the pharma indsutry has to go through to be able to even get the ads -in print, online or on TV. The FDA oversees it all. Usually pharma companies stick to advertising to doctors – because those are the people who should know about all the different medications and should prescribe them appropriately. Getting people to continue to take their medication is a global problem. Not just people who have the bipolar disorder. The main goal of DTC advertising (the term used for mass consumer advertising for prescription medications) is to get people to ask their doctor about them. To start a good conversation with a professional. Not to go to some website and self-medicate. And advertising the multiple meds that most people with bipolar need to take? Look at the companies – there are many different companies. The nightmare it would take to get even two companies together to advertise that their combo is helpful…not to mention that not every combo of meds is good for every individual with bipolar who has their own particular chemistry to deal wtih…
The Abilify commercial was on cable channels pretty regularly here in Oklahoma for several months during this past year. It is surely a start to raise society’s awareness in general about the disease. As I read the local and national news stories, I believe I am seeing a slow shift in how our society views mental health. I do see many efforts being made out there to shed light on the truth of mental health, and the treatments for mental health problems. Granted, the efforts being made pale in comparison to the media blitzes being launched for male enhancement, bone health, vitamins, pain relievers, etc. Even though depression is only one part of bipolar, it is also a mental health issue, and I am glad to see mental health issues being portrayed by the media in a different light – trying to reduce the shame of the afflicted, encouraging them to seek treatment, and trying to reduce the judgment of society toward the afflicted. Baby steps toward new perceptions about mental health issues, in general, are better than the many years that have passed with no steps at all.
I do not want to scare anyone, but I need to stress how vitally important it is for family and friends to keep in touch with pts on psych meds and self and family advocacy in general in the mental health system. I’m a college graduate with a BS in health science, 30 hrs of psychology and a pretty high average IQ, and a lot of common sense. Nevertheless, the following happened to me in my state which is ranked 49th in the nation for mental health services, but I’m not knocking the entire profession, there ARE caring people in it. I can’t be serious enough when I say find and use only them.
I was successfully treated for depression with prozac for 15 years, which didn’t work unless I practiced a healthy lifestyle along with it (diet, exercise, 8 hrs of sleep, going to Recovery Incorporated, the best thought/behavior modification program I’ve come across, developed by the psychiatrist Dr. Abraham Low at the University of Chicago 60 years ago as an aftercare program for his pts (with any diagnosis, as he indicates there are thought/behavior issues in common with all diagnosis). 2 years ago, I experienced a brief episode of depression due to a corrupt work situaion. Since I hadn’t been depressed in 15 years, this episode scared me, I had no idea how to manage it so I ran to the hospital for a few days safety. There I was misdiagnosed as bipolar (5 psychiatrists since then have verified I’m not and the clinic I went to for 12 years before that for med checks never even inferred that I was bipolar).
With the misdiagnosis came the prescription of abilify and the resultant condition “Akathesia” which can be caused by antipsychotic drugs in the same class as abilify. Symptoms of akathesia are pacing, restlessness (not being able to sit) cognitive disturbances, and suicide attempts.) Education about akathesia was not given to me when the drug was prescribed, and even the description of akathesia in the DSMIV (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual used mandatorily by mental health professionals to make a diagnosis doesn’t describe the condition that I was finally given printed information for.)
About a month after starting a 15mg daily dose of abilify, I began to pace in my efficiency apt, a 20 foot L shaped path. This was a completely new behavior and I didn’t even think of it as being a side affect since again the info sheet I was given by the prescribing Dr. didn’t mention pacing. I just thought I had a lot on my mind, but since akathesia causes cognitive disturbances as well, no wonder I didn’t think it might be a side affect. I never had side affects from prozac, so side affects was a whole new thing to me.
I wanted to stop this pacing thing and the sudden inability to make decisions. (I had gone from a well functioning working person with a fair amount of discipline and good daily routine and habits) to wondering why I was pacing and it made me feel I’d lost my mind which probably made it worse. Within a month I was up to pacing 4 hours a day on my little 20 foot path. I thought it was all about me and that I’d just suddenly “lost it”.
But I somehow got the wherewithal to ask my Dr. and she said “abilify can make you pace, lets lower the dose to 7mg, I don’t think you’re bipolar anyway and let’s get you off the med.”
Cutting the dose didn’t help and I COULDN’T STAND the pacing anymore, so naively I just quit taking it and did what was later named to me as “dropping in a hole”, a term used to describe what happens temporarily when you go off psych meds cold turkey. Yes I’d heard you should never do that, but I’d done it on prozac in my early years of taking it and I was OK. Well this “dropping in a hole” was like being depressed without that dark depressed feeling, it was more like having a lobotomy where I just had no brain, for 3 weeks I either stayed in bed or sat and stared at the walls. About a week and a half into this I asked my therapist and social worker to find a hospital for me right away. Nevertheless, I then made 7 suicide attempts, which I never in my life had done before, despite MUCH suicidal ideation during my 8 years of undiagnosed, untreated depression despite the fact I was seeing a therapist. I’d never heard the word depression (back in 1987) and apparently my therapist hadn’t either, since if she had she could have taken one look at me during any weekly appt in our year together and pinned it.
My therapist decided to have me committed, since I’d turned into a completely different being on the abilify and I think she was afraid I would leave the hospital too early, she knew I was in BAD shape with the side affects. So I appreciate her concientiosness. But when I got to the hospital the Drs said they thought my antidepressant had simply stopped working and prescribed a new one. They didn’t mention the word akathesia as a possible reason for my suicide attempts or pacing (I suppose because they knew the Dr who’d misdiagnosed me within 20 mins as being bipolar, by using one of those health questionnaires you see in the lobby of the Drs office that says “are you bipolar? Answer these questions and discuss them with your Dr.” I completed the 13 question check sheet, but he didn’t discuss the items with me which he should have (nor did he even ask me, as on the back page of the questionnaire “if any two of these symptoms had ever occurred at the same time which as in the DSM is key to the diagnosis. Well 10 days into my committment after stopping the abilify, while I was talking to a nurse, she said (seeming suprised the Drs hadn’t noticed it “Honey, you had akathesia!” and she gave me an educational sheet on it. It was then I finally stopped being concerned that I’d simply suddenly gone crazy. Again, it described what happened to me, the pacing, sudden inability to make decisions or even have the thought this might be a medication side affect, being extremely uncomfortable psychologically sitting down, although it was easier if I had one leg tucked under me (go figure.)
By the way, my new antidepressant (Cymbalta) which they started at 125 mg eventually MADE me manic after I got out of the hospital, I stayed up for a week, of course I didn’t care this time, I was synthetically induced into a bipolar state and mission driven. When I finally collapsed from that, I asked to have the dose cut. The 60mg has been working fine as an anti depressant for a year now.
NAMI has a wonderful 12 week class for family and friends of people with mental illness (for education and self care while caring about your loved one) and Recovery Inc has online education if there is not meeting in your area. Godspeed and the very best wished to you on your journey.
Great article, Dave. Hilarious! They think your’e in bed with the drug–whoops, I mean pharmaceutical companies! Just because you strongly promote medication for treating BP disorder. Which is probably the single most important part of treatment.
Simply put: I wouldn’t be alive today if not for medication. I need the medication. I do whatever it takes to get the medication. I take the medication following the doctor’s directives.
I don’t think Dave is getting rich off of my medication.
Any questions?
Hi Dave,
I most definitely agree. I’ve been on medication for the last 28 yrs. I’ve tried going off my meds to no avail. My dad told me that I was just taking a vacation when I went to the hospital for depression.(“pull yourself up by your bootstraps”). Needless to say, I wound up in the psych.ward because I felt better and didn’t think I needed them anymore.
Just to stress also, I finally got the wake up & stopped drinking (64 days), I should have done this so long ago. (I’m an alcoholic #1, #2 from my experience, medication doesn’t work as well w/ alcohol.
Fredrich Liebrich
How many do the “Meds” Kill? Accedental deaths due to not being conscious enough, Suicide due to the “Meds” CUASING Depression….
Organ failier, yes mine where cheched every Month! NOT the Brain, as it is ment to waste. It is the Sole purpose of the organism & it’s “Medications.”
Duity being to ruin lives & families.
How toPaypal??????????????????
Well geez Dave, as long as you have all these drug companies it would be wonderful if you could do the diagnosing too. LOL
1. Since for many years the medication that was most effective for BP was lithium along with older tricyclic antidepressants, maois, and the older antipsychotics such as haldol (ever seen those advertised?! and those drugs are now generic, of course the drug companies aren’t going to advertise those. They’re going to advertise things like Abilify because, no matter what it really does, think about it. AbiliTY? AbiliFY? When I first heard the name of that drug, when it was prescribed to me when it first came out years before it was advertised, I connected the dots. I remember saying, “Catchy name. So this drug says it’s going to make me ABLE to get better?” It was tongue in cheek but hey, somebody must have seen that too. It’s got a catchy name, it’s given “off-label” a lot, so it’s worth risking to advertise (read saturate the market with) it.
2. Years ago, nobody advertised any prescription meds on TV. When the companies were finally let loose on the mediand prescription drugs were advertised, it wasn’t the sex enhancing drugs that came first. It was things like meds for heartburn (call for your free information kit)and then, there was Zoloft (before the generic cirtraline came out) that even sent you a free video on depression. Of course, by that time, depression had become somewhat more respectable as an actual illness since several successful celebrities had come out and talked about their recovery from episodes of severe depression. Oh, the video did describe depression but of course, the only drug they wanted you to make sure you asked your doctor about was Zoloft. The ad campaign must have worked pretty well because then the company got bolder and started running commercials describing all kinds of conditions, from seasonal affective disorder to generalized anxiety disorder to social anxiety disorder, all of which (though no video this time) were reasons why the sufferer was to be sure to “ask your doctor about Zoloft”. Interestingly, after it went generic, I never heard any ads for Cirtraline. Hmmm. Wonder why? No money in advertising generics, right? Unless, of course, you were lucky enough to get a celebrity endorsement from someone who’d once braced the cover of a fashion magazine or a Wheaties box.
I don’t do TV anymore. I don’t even have cable or satellite. I read. I get as educated as I can. I ask questions. I don’t just ask the doctor, I ask trusted pharmacists.
I believe that guy that’s in the ad business.
As for Lamictal (lamotrogene) it’s an anticonvulsant, similar to depakote (valproic acid), tegratol (can’t remember the generic name) and others and is FDA approved for epilepsy. Many of these anticonvulsant drugs which are prescribed for bipolar are not officially approved for that use. But they work so doctors do it anyway because if they waited for more research studies and all of the bureaucratic hoops they’d have to go through to get FDA approval to prescribe it for another condition, a lot of years would go by and many people who could have benefited from them could be dead from suicide.
Personally, I was on abilify. I hated it. It has a long half-life, which means it’s in your system a long time and it’s cumulative, which means that if you take it every day and the half life is 72 hours, well, do the math. Its effects are going to intensify. If that’s what’s needed, and it apparently is for a lot of people, that’s great. It wasn’t for me. But that’s me, not anyone else. Everybody has their horror stories about side effects of meds. I gained 60 pounds in a couple of months on Zyprexa. That drug has been linked to type 2 diabetes. Does that mean everybody should run to their doctors and demand to be taken off of Zyprexa? Of course not! That one’s probably not the greatest example since there have been class action lawsuits brought against the manufacturers because of the abnormally high incidence of diabetes developing in patients on zyprexa. So all right. I’ll change the drug. I got tardive dyskinesia symptoms on respiridol. When I (and my doctor) noticed it, I was weaned off of that one and put on Seroquel. Big mistake; for me. I started getting fluid buildup in my feet, ankles and legs worse than most women get when their pregnant. It was so painful to walk that no painkillers helped, diuretics didn’t help, even support hose didn’t. For awhile I was in a wheelchair. Then I went to a walker. They tested me for blood clots. Nothing. Finally they listened to me and I cut way down on the Seroquel. Eventually, I found Invega. It’s a metabolite of respiridon so if you’re having side effects from respridon (Oh, heck, I don’t know how to spell it but you get the idea) then talk to your doctor. Now I’m sounding like a commercial for Invega. Sorry. I’m not even endorsing it. I just got it. I haven’t even taken it yet and have no idea what it will or will not do. Thank God my insurance covers it.
I’m not knocking Abilify or any other drug. I’m not a doctor. I can say what has or has not worked for me but really, everybody is different. Helen’s story notwithstanding, and having experienced all sorts of bizarre and unpleasant side effects that I won’t take time to enumerate from a wide number and variety of medications, I still, even after many tries, am not where I want to be. I still take a lot of meds and some of them make me feel less than wonderful. But it’s better than being dead.
As for the original topic, Dave’s relationship? with the Big Drug Companies, it’s just ludicrous. Dave won’t even tell you what his Mom’s medications are, not here and not in his emails and I don’t blame him. I know it’s hard when you’re trying to find the right meds. I’d love it (and I’ll bet he would too) if Dave could send out an email saying, “Here’s what you can take. It will take care of all your bipolar symptoms (or those of a loved one) and you’ll never have any side effects. Hey, he could write a book about Dave’s Mom’s Miracle Cure and make billions of dollars selling it, he could take down this web site because it would no longer be needed, and he could go hiking in the Himalayas.
But it’s not gonna happen.
So, get real.
Dave’s not in it with drug companies or doctors.
Next they’ll be saying he’s raising money for the Mafia. (No!! He’s not doing that either! But you see how crazy it is?
Get real. Case closed.
I have often wondered whether lying was a common symptom of bipolar disorder. From my observation it starts with embellising and exaggerating something which happened, then making up events. I don’t mean the sort of stories a person tells during an episode. I mean stories which are quite believable. However, when you find out some story your loved one told you about himself / herself was pure fiction you can’t be sure what to believe them the next time they tell you an interesting story.
Another common “symptom” related to lying is denial. My boyfriend, who has bipolar 1 would tell everyone that he is happy with his accommodation, when the truth is that he hates it and it adds to his depression. My ex-husband (untreated bipolar 2) denied his affair even after I found out everything about it. Of course he also denied that there was anything wrong with him. Both men deny over and over again that they need a reasonable income to afford a reasonable lifestyle. “I’m much happier now than years ago when I had money.” And later on the same day: “I wish I could buy xyz…”
Dave:
If people are accusing you of being “in” with the drug companies, that’s just plain silly. You would have to own stock in several different companies, or get kick-backs from specific companies who sold their meds because of something you said. I’ve never heard you mention a specific medication – you’ve just said how important it is to take them and you’ve spoken of them in general terms.
But this idea of yours that the pharmeceutical companies should advertise their drugs is ridiculous. They should not aim their advertising at potential patients or “homeless people”. The first step in managing bipolar is to be diagnosed by a qualified clinician. The advertising should be aimed at the
doctors, as they are the ones who can prescribe the meds and who can decide which meds are most appropriate for any given patient. And the drug companies most definitely DO advertise to the physicians. There are long ads in all of the different medical journals, and the drug companies send out drug reps to the doctors’ offices to tell them about the drug, usually give samples, and also usually give “souvenirs” with the name of the drug, such as pens, pads of papers, clocks, etc. It is up to the Dr. to diagnose the patient and prescribe the drug he or she feels will be best.
As we all know, very often with bipolar disorder we have to try several different meds or combinations of meds before we find something that really works.
I think that what would be more appropriate would be to offer education about mental illness in high schools. The teen suicide rate is through the roof, and if young people could understand some symptoms of different mental illnesses, it might help to decrease the stigma, and it might help the young people to ask for help when they need it. It would also help their peers to be on the alert when someone is in trouble and take that information to an adult. It would be a good idea to include information in these classes about how there are now many effective medications that are helping people, and how important it is to take them.
But to try and promote any specific medication to a potential group of patients would be counterproductive. A Dr. should not prescribe a med because a patient asks for it – rather the Dr. should prescribe the medication he/ she feels is right for that patient. The drug companies also educate the Dr.’s about which meds are best for which symptoms, how to calculate the dose, whether the drug needs blood monitoring, which meds should not be taken at the same time, and what side effects to look out for.
So what we are in need of is, in my opinion, general education about mental health and mental illness, not education about any specific medication.
By the way, Dave, what is the percentage of patients who die because they don’t take their medications, and where did you get that statistic? It seems to me that would be something very difficult to calculate mathematically.
dave ive seen abilify on tv alot everyday but yeah thats just one kind if meds im not quite sure whichone to suggest to my b/f they all have bad side effects and many havent exactly proven thereselves to be succecful they should advirtise more though telling the good and the bad end results they could have b/c the world is clues less obviously! or they re lazy. ppl with bipolar dont get a lot of things easy to them so they give up if the rest of the world doesnt try then why should they?great topic dave
I was glad you wrote an article about BP & lieing. It goes hand in hand with false memories that people think you just make stuff up when in your mind,it plays out like a real memory at the time.
As far as a drug conspiracy,I don’t think so. I will relate something else that we should all be aware of. I have a friend who’s Son lost his temper on the job. He was under alot of stress at the time & went in the bathroom & punched a hole in the wall. It was a one time incident & the young man has ZERO history with anger & violence. Never the less, his Company insisted he get psychologial evaluations & they have him convinced he needs medication. He’s on medication now and is all calm but to me seems in a robotic type move. Everyone says your so calm now but how will he react if he NEEDS to get angry? Say for instance someone was assaulting his child? At one point in my life I was put on valiums & someone told me my 4 yr. old was in the street. I said Oh, he is? Then I went on talking for a few minutes before even reacting to remove him from harm.O.M.G.! How dangerous is that??? I believe WAY TO MANY folks are blaming normal human behaviour on emotional problems. There are normal folks that just have a temper tantrum just like kids. They aren’t BP!! That makes it tough for regular people to RECOGNIZE those of us who REALLY need help. There are all kinds of regular folks that have different personalities. Some are laid back & easy going & the others are high strung type A personalities. Please warn all NOT to think everyone with an issue is Bi-Polar.
Thank you for helping me understand a little bit of what my baby brother is going through. He is 36 now and back on Depakote. Thank you again Dave.
How about a petition to do so circulated for signatures to whatever groups to which it applies?
The bipolar community is actually quite large but those afflicted with same and their families, caregivers and supporters don’t often get an opportunity to act as one. This might provide an impetus to begin some solidarity.
I have seen the abilify commercial and everytime I think that describes me perfectly. My docter has never mentioned abilify to me but she does list a large list of other meds as options. Of course I don’t know whats helpful and not so its trial and error for me because it seems she leaves it up to me what I want to do. I do think its very important to stay on your meds because I had to go without a few days and I slipped into the bad stuff faster than when I first started getting help.
Hi Dave,
Yes, agreed about drug companies and how they shy away from mental illness. Very sad on how anyone shys away from this when they really do not understand. I am 36 years old and my mother is diganois with bipolar this all started from having children which i was the first. Back then they called this a chemical imbalance now we actually have a name for it. How can we come up with the name and then not discuss it???
I believe that mental illness is one of the hardest illness to deal with because it is always there. Not to say that cancer is not a hard illness to deal with but one thing about that at least you have your head on straight and you can communicate with the person, instead of feeling like you can not because you are walking on egg shells- afraid to say certain things that may upset the person, etc. What i am dealing with is that my father passed away of cancer pretty sudden found out had it and died within 5months. Which both of my parents were still together and yes he stayed with mom through it all and was very expericend with the disease. Now that he is gone it is very challenging to keep up with mom. She has done well for herself by getting through this HUGE challenge that was put upon her. I am very proud of her for this.. I have alot of worries with her living on her own now. you know the typical will she take her medicine correct will she have a break down and wonder off someone where?? But i take this day by day and i am very stong willed (i joke with mom that i took all of her chemicals) and this made me really strong willed and NO i do not put any blame to myself since this all happend when i was born.
Speaking of medications depkote has now come out with a generic, has anyone heard of someone going to the generic and having problems? I am worried this has happend with mom i will be going to her next appt. and ask this question. By the way mom has tried several medication i could name tons- but depkote with zyprexa (spelling?) has worked for her.
Hey maybe we could get one of our canditates for presiden to step up and talk about mental illness(there is nothing to be scared of ) issues have to be solved and addressed or we will never get anywhere…..
Thanks for your time
Jane
HI DAVE, THANKS A MILLION FOR YOUR DAILY E-MAILS, I AM LEARNING MORE ABOUT MY ILLNESS.I DESIDED IN FEBRUARY THIS YEAR TO GO OFF MY MEDICATION, AND THAT’S WHEN MY NIGHTMARE STARTED, ALL THE SIDE EFFECT’S, I TOTALLY LOST IT, I WAS VERY CLOSE IN ENDING MY LIFE, LUCKELY FOR ME I COME ACCROSS A PSICATRIST WHO REALLY CARES ABOUT HER PATIENCES, NOW 8 WEEKS LATER THERE IS AN INPROVEMENT, BUT I STILL CAN NOT COME TO TERMS WITH THE DIAGNOSES, ALL THE MEDICATIONS (I DRINK 12.5 PILLS AT NIGHT AND 4 IN THE MORNING). AT TIMES I CAN NOT UNDERSTAND WHY BECAUSE OF THE SIDE EFFECT AND THE PROCESS TO GET THE RIGHT COMBINATION, BUT I SUPPOSE I WILL GET THERE IN THE END. THANKS AGAIN FOR THE INFORMATION.
hi dave i myself have reciently found out myself that i have bipolar and my step father also suffers from it now i am in wat i call the guinea pig stage of finding out wat medications work for me, my step father however has had it for the last 20+ yrs and has always taken his medication that was untill a couple of weeks ago when i got a phone call from my mother telling me they were at the hospital case he had overdosed on her sleeping tablets as well as his medication, and all this was because he had stopped taking his meds. i must say this was a big eye opener for me cause i got to see first hand wat not taking your meds can do, and made me realise how important taking them is even if your stil in the guineapig stage.
thanks
Jacqui
I was diagnosed with being Bipolar. And I had two major episodes- once when I was 19 and once when I was 35. Major ones. Inbetween I was fine and I did not take medicine. I go totaly crazy when I do not sleep for days and yes you do not know what is happening untill it’s too late. But for the past 9 months I have not been using any medicine. Not even my schedule 5 sleeping medicine. I was taking two Zopimed’s a night. I miss the comfort of the sleeping tablets but its so addictive. But I have changed my life circumstances, building a successfull business. You can say what you want but changing your circumstances like getting the career you want, getting success in life and having money to pay bills and having hope for getting out of a hopeless debt solution has been my biggest cure! Yes fixing what bugs you can heal you. I will have to see that I sleep enough during stressfull times and I should stay out of the mad zone. But I can also be positive and say I am fighting for my life for victories. Screw depression. Work , Work , Work! Make money, get out of debt, go on holiday, go fishing and do not work for a boss. PPl with Bipolar also have got talents. Surving major nervous breakdowns can make you tough. It takes time though to wind down. But my very expensive Pshyciatrist would never have supported me t see if I can do without medicine. I could do with a sleeping tablet now and then. But other than that I am happy to stay without heaps of medicine. You go see a insurance broker about lifes problems and you walk out with an insurance policy. You go see a Pshyciatrist and you walk out with medicine. They have nothing else they can or want to give you. He did not believe in me being able to not have an episode or get better without medicine. It can be done. And there must be side effects of long term use of heaps of medicine. You say something like Bipolar ppl should allways take their medicine. Even your cousin reads this in some magzine or newspaper and there you have it. Everybody knows it to be true as gospel. Problem solved! Take your medicine. Now everybody is happy. A solution to a problem. Well I am going to improve my circumstances, changes what is bugging me and I will be different but I will be happy, successfull and healthy – WITHOUT medicine. It can be done. I am living proof.
Dera david,
Im not actually on med so \I cant talk (Diagnosed Crinic Depresion which not much fun ) My Bp dfriend who lives away will turn the tables on me for th slightest thig, all beit she likes winding me up on things o f a sexual nature. When I was with her she told me the doctor had said she did not need her med. I had alarm bells at the time and everytime i suggested seeing them about it got “Well im going for a walk now, on my own ” Im a very tactfull guy but this was obviuosly a no go area. We only have a platonic friendship (Almost 3 years) and its a nightmare callin gher on phone. also she is getting words muddled up and shes almost at the menopuse. I wish you could email me personally for some advice. Thanks J
Lets face it if you are bipolar you can understand all of the above, if you are not bipolar you do not have a clue what it is like inside of us………I have been bipolar for most of my life, the cycles coming more rapidly and intense when I was a teen then tapering off during young adulthood only to resurface with furry in my early 40’s, which is where I am now……i have two suicide attempts under my belt, a few trips to the nut house and more manic episodes than one can count on all ten fingers and ten toes…….it is not excuse for bad behavior and i can say that most of my actions are embarrassing to me……..and when i am rapid cycling or having a mixed episode the voices scream in my ears, reminding me over and over of my behavior…..and not only that is screaming at me music lyrics are blaring, its like parasites eating your brain, they consume it until there is nothing left then they go dormant only to resurface when you have nourished your brain for them……..take a person whom is having a mixed episode in a crowd……watch that person, they suffer, they are confused, they hear voices, they scream for help and no one is there to do it……you look normal to everyone else but only you can feel it………sure some people are misdiagnosed and some people use it for bad behavior acceptance however these people should know if its real or not…….its called being educated on your own disease……read read read and dont stop reading……it helps to understand why you are special and if you can do it……realize that you were bestowed with a unique gift and when the spinning stops you will soar………..
Our bipolar family member insists he has been overdosed with medication. He lies and lies and lies. I don’t even think he would know the truth, no matter how it was presented to him. He pathologically lies about everything and anything. It is part of the disease and only stops when he is on an antipsychotic and then only when the dopamine is reduced to about 20% – the level at which delusions and other symptoms stop but parkinson symptoms start. He is really making a fool of himself for 5 years now, with all the lying, yet he refuses to take medication or go to a psychiatrist that would talk to any family that knows the truth about how he acts and behaves. He only goes to a psychiatrist that lies with him because the psychiatrist has been threatened by him and acts in unethical ways. When he is confronted by his behavior he lies even more. It is a big game to him to just keep lying and project this lying problem on anyone that figures him out. It is very sad because medications – the right ones – do help alot. But it is more important to him to keep lying and live a fake life.
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..and that is what is so wrong with society, you have got so many people, like MP’s on such a huge salary, who not just din’t understand what it is like to live, not just on the breadline, but under it, they simply do’t care to understand.. It is immoral