Category: Bipolar blog

How to Stop Antidepressants While Minimizing Withdrawal

While antidepressants can absolutely be life-saving medications, sometimes antidepressants aren’t the right medication at the right time for you. Or sometimes, it’s just time to try to get off of antidepressants. (For simple depression, this is often done if you have been stable for 6-12 months.)

Can't Get Off Antidepressants

But the key to getting off antidepressants successfully is to minimize withdrawal symptoms because otherwise you may feel like you’re trapped on the antidepressants. Additionally, the withdrawal symptoms may get mistaken for returning illness symptoms, which you do have to watch for, but if possible, it’s best not to get withdrawal and returning symptoms confused.

So, here are some tips on the best way to get off antidepressants while minimizing withdrawal.

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Bipolar Disorder – When to Get Off Antidepressants

I try not to give medical advice here because I am not a doctor. But so many people ask me about this I felt I had to address getting off antidepressants without withdrawal. So many people with bipolar disorder (depression and others) need information about getting off psych meds and they are not getting it from their doctors.

This is the first in a three-part series:

  1. When to Stop Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder
  2. How to Stop Antidepressants in Bipolar Disorder While Minimizing Withdrawal
  3. How to Stop Taking venlafaxine (Effexor) and Desvenlafaxine (Pristiq) – as they are particularly nasty to get off

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Selling True Hope to People with a Mental Illness

The Bipolar Burble doesn’t sell anything, not to people with a mental illness, or anyone else.

It will one day. One day soon it will be selling my book. And then another book after that. We writers do stuff like that.

And maybe one day there will be ads here trying to sell you other things too – therapeutic lights or omega-3 supplements for mood.

But one thing I do not now, nor will I ever sell:

Hope.

I will never, ever try to sell you hope, true or otherwise. Hope is free and selling it is a lie.

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Bipolar Blog Feedback – Update

Hi all.

You might recall, I’m taking part in a reader engagement and feedback program through WEGO Health.

Thanks to all of you who have taken the time to give me your opinion, but there’s more to do. Only about half of the people who have clicked on the survey have filled it out. We can do better than that!

So, Please Take One Minute to Fill Out This Survey

The goal is to find out more about you, my reader.

The more information I can gather, the better this blog can be for you because I want this to be a place that you find useful and engaging.

Hate something? Love something?

That’s what I want to know.

A Bribe

Two of you will be the first to receive my new ebook – for free!

Please take 60 seconds and fill out the survey. I appreciate it.

– Natasha Tracy

PS: And not to worry, this is the last nag article :)

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Mixed Bipolar Disorder – How to Treat Mixed Mood Episodes

In the final installation of my mixed moods series, I talk about how to treat mixed moods in bipolar disorder. If you need a refresher on mixed moods in bipolar 1 or bipolar 2, see the first three articles in this series:

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Safety Warnings for St. John’s Wort

Including the Dangers of Using St. John’s Wort to Treat Bipolar Depression

I mentioned last week that St. John’s wort has been shown ineffective at treating mild depression as well as moderately severe depression (major depression).

Nevertheless, St. John’s wort is the most well-known alternative treatment for depression and many people take it. However, there are absolutely some dangers in taking St. John’s wort that you should know about, especially if you’re bipolar.

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Additional Writings

Check out my Amazon Author Page.

I write a three-time Web Health Award winning column for HealthyPlace called Breaking Bipolar.

Also, find my writings on The Huffington Post and my work for BPHope (BP Magazine).

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