Oh dear. And then you had to write a long explanation. I'm so sorry. The meds do have effects and during my decades, I was put on too many. Now I'm good. Mostly stabilizers and the. Best I've been since I can't remember. I have to eat really strictly and it has helped also. I'm sorry to say I don't have much trust in doctors these days. It was hard for me to find the right meds because I'm sensitive to side effects. My mom took prednisone and falls were devastating. You be real careful and make sure you have an alert system. Wish this site was easier to have a chat with. Hope your day is peaceful, with good thoughts. I hate mental illness. And I admire people that have to live with it.

I remember when I first started taking medicine I thought I only needed to take it when I felt bad but that's not the case you have to take it all the time so that it stays in your system and helps you I think there are those of us who really need medicine and others who might not need it as well but I feel we should at least try it and so in order for it to work properly if it's going to work you must do it everyday this is my thought for you

I took a cocktail of meds 9 years ago and swore Never to take meds again. It was horrible . Now, as another episode has come, I found a doctor who respects me so I trust him. He put me in just 1 med at a low dose and confirmed it to be just an aide; encouraged me to use other forms of therapy and to keep exercising ( hiking). That's advice I would give to you. Hope this helps.

Paula..it's not that I don't want them. I am afraid of the side effects...short and long term. I have been taking a med for 40 years that no longer works for me. I have heart failure and they tried 2 times to take me off the med but it caused so many problems with my heart that they keep me on a "maintenance" dose to keep me out of withdrawal. I also take another med that the long term side effect is brittle bones. I am 66 and have fallen a couple of times and have been blessed that nothing was broken. One of my dear friends took a med for a long time that ended up causing him to have secondary Parkinson's. When you put any med in your body you have to weigh the risk with the reward. I take meds for lots of things..heart, liver, seizures, stomach, cholesterol, blood pressure, vitamin deficiency...ect. I am afraid to add another to the mix.

Meds are usually necessary, along with therapy. Thing is, it takes a long time to try different meds before they get the right one. Doctor's care. It's not an exact science. And they need to be adjusted regularly sometimes. People with mental illness need regular doctors care, same as MS or diabetes. They offer so much relief, I'm not sure why anybody wouldn't want them.