Peace to you, Angie . . I believe that "treatment resistant" is very simply and perhaps potentially dangerously a bullshit term used by your doctor to deflect from the real issue or problem which just so happens to be the doctor's own limits rather than your own, if that makes sense to you, my friend, so that essentially we are really communicating about "doctor or treater finiteness or limitedness" rather than about "treatment resistance" here . . I say try another doctor and/or try some other things in addition to medication . . medication is not meant to be an end all or a cure all for mood disorders and there are many other things such as psychotherapy, including group therapy which helps some people sometimes more than individual therapy could or more than it does, I believe, and there is art (you can either create it or observe it, or you can obviously do both!!), there is music to either create or listen to or both, there are real and honest and fun and meaningful friendships, there is spirituality, there are peer led support groups, there is nature, there is reading, writing, and poetry (for example, I both read and write poetry and both of those activities help me tremendously), there is exercise, there is spirituality, there are many opportunities to help other people which can expand your perspective on life and its meaning while expanding your soul and spirit, there is physical exercise, etc., there are many ways to battle or counter depression in addition to "being treated" . . "being treated" makes us into broken objects that need to be fixed, and if the fixer can't fix us then he or she can apparently simply declare us to be "treatment resistant"!! . . I do not believe in that kind of treatment where if the doctor is not successful he or she makes it the patient's fault, you know what I mean?!!? . . you are wanting to get better so for someone or for anyone to tag you with such a label quite simply reveals a dishonesty and a lack of commitment to you in addition to a deflection from the real problem of treatment ineffectiveness, Angie!! . . hang in there . . I am sending out my best vibes to you, mi amiga . . Sam . .

I’d say change your doctor. I can’t imagine what I’d say to my doctor if he told me I couldn’t go back on a drug that helped me.
I’m on Lithium but not on that high! I’ve been on it for 10 years and it’s fine but they recently added a new drug because I was hallucinating bad so I’m taking something I didn’t want to take but I tried it and now I’m ok with it, it’s been 6 months. The hallucinating stopped, thank God and I’m fine. So, get off that really high dose of lithium, it’s not healthy or healing for you. Insist on what works for you or try something new but I think your doctor stinks for not listening to you!

I had a psychiatrist tell me that I may have treatment resistant depression because nothing has seemed to work. I'm on Paxil and Abilify and they've worked the best so far. I've been on so many different meds with no real success.

Not exactly the most helpful answer but I used to take a Lithium 900mg with Zoloft 200mg. I suffer from IBS and I just couldn't handle the abdominal pain associated with Lithium. I got off the drug after being on it for 7 months or so because it turned me into a zombie. I would never ever ever take that drug again but it isn't to say that it won't work amazingly for you. Just make sure to keep on top of bloodwork because Lithium poisoning is really real and dangerous.

I'm currently not taking any medication as I'm on a wait list for a psychiatrist (my old one only saw students and I'm not one anymore) so I don't have any alternatives unfortunately to give you :/

Best of luck to you!

I agree that your doctor needs to listen to you. If a medication worked for you before, why not give it another try? I have done this very thing myself, successfully. Fortunately, my doctor did not label me “treatment resistant “. It’s not always easy to find another doctor but, if you can, go for it.