This is a serious question, and a serious problem. There are a lot of people out there with bipolar disorder that are non compliant with their medications, or abusing their medications.
I fall into the former category, unfortunately, I'm terrible about staying on my meds. I usually go about 6-9 months, and start feeling pretty good...and then I start missing a day here or there. And then a week here or there. The next thing you know, I've been off my meds for 3 months and I'm headed into a spiral that only leads me to the hospital.
So how do I stop this spiraling pitfall of devastation? I wish I knew. If I knew, I'd probably be a millionaire. What I personally do is have checks and balances. My husband is one check. He asks me almost daily if I'm taking my meds, and I'm honest with him. There's no point to lying to him, it'll just cause more trouble down the road. If I seem to not be doing so well, he'll have me put in a call to my doctor, who is really great about calling back. My mum asks me a lot if I'm staying on my meds as well.
I mean, I know it all is ultimately my responsibility to take my meds, but having a good support system makes it much more likely that I'll stay in full compliance. I've been taking my meds regularly since March, and I don't foresee me quitting them anytime in the near future, so maybe with all this help, I'll finally break that brutal habit.
Fingers crossed eh?
I fall into the former category, unfortunately, I'm terrible about staying on my meds. I usually go about 6-9 months, and start feeling pretty good...and then I start missing a day here or there. And then a week here or there. The next thing you know, I've been off my meds for 3 months and I'm headed into a spiral that only leads me to the hospital.
So how do I stop this spiraling pitfall of devastation? I wish I knew. If I knew, I'd probably be a millionaire. What I personally do is have checks and balances. My husband is one check. He asks me almost daily if I'm taking my meds, and I'm honest with him. There's no point to lying to him, it'll just cause more trouble down the road. If I seem to not be doing so well, he'll have me put in a call to my doctor, who is really great about calling back. My mum asks me a lot if I'm staying on my meds as well.
I mean, I know it all is ultimately my responsibility to take my meds, but having a good support system makes it much more likely that I'll stay in full compliance. I've been taking my meds regularly since March, and I don't foresee me quitting them anytime in the near future, so maybe with all this help, I'll finally break that brutal habit.
Fingers crossed eh?
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