Good day all - I have been diagnosed Bipolar 1 for the last 20 years. I have been through suicide attempts, hospitalizations, and a plethora of medications. Last August, I did what I would not recommend anyone else to do .. I took a major chance and I stopped all my meds. I struggled with the possibility and nightmare of becoming psychotic as my then-doctor told me it was only a matter of time.
I continued to see her through December. She encouraged me to try other medications whose prescript
ion I kept .. just in case. With so many months behind me and not falling into the abyss. I stopped seeing her all together. I thought I could take on my demons by myself. My depression began to worsen and I was feeling hopeless. By March of this year, I found a holistic doctor. He assessed my medical history, current symptoms and did a variety of blood tests most Doctors wouldn't consider requesting .. He diagnosed me with mainly having hypothyroidism which was evident in my symptomatology and thyroid tests other than the usual T3, T4 and TSH. He found I had Reverse T3 dominance (aka Wilson's Syndrome) which can be due to metal toxicity. He instructed me to do a Urine Metal Tox Provocation Test which came back off the chart for Mercury Toxicity. . I will be undergoing chelation to rid my body of mercury and other toxic metals and will eventually have all my Amalgam fillings replaced with non toxic materials. This is only the beginning of my new treatment with this Doctor. I was luck enough to find a holistic Doctor who has a Psychiatric background. He is treating me orthomolecularly with vitamins and supplements.
Again, I stress that no one go off their meds !!!
But if you are inspired by my story .. I can give you plenty of reading material to enlighten you about
treating depression and bipolar disorder outside the realm of drugs with the help of a trained health practitioner .. This was my beginning .. read as much info as possible and seek out a trained professional in the field .. I was tired of 20 years of pharmaceutical which never seemed to work and I went through many - from tricyclics, to MAO inhibitors to SSRIs and neuropletics and more ... I am still suffering from symptoms as I have only begun but I have a new found hope in the new treatment I am undergoing and have more confidence in it than I can ever remember having on any pharmaceutical or with any traditionally trained Psychiatrist. I welcome any questions you have and am willing to provide you with the reading material that have helped me ..
Kindest Regards
D