Entry #2 – I Am Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired

Someone I loved didn’t survive bipolar past 49. March 1st is my 49th birthday.

“Have you tried natural treatments to manage bipolar symptoms instead of your meds?” When asked this question I thought, “This chemical imbalance is so severe that during my last hospitalization my roommate had nonverbal dementia! Have you asked people managing diabetes if they tried thinking more positively so that their pancreas can produce insulin naturally instead of taking prescribed life-saving pills or injecting insulin via needles?” I quickly calmed down and told myself, “People don’t understand how much someone suffers from bipolar. This is an opportunity to educate people.” It is this mindset that terrified me to NOT take psychiatric meds in the first place. Why did I not take medications until 41 years old? Let’s talk.

Have you said, “When are you going to get your life together? You don’t need those meds.” to someone like me? This question reveals that society lacks understanding of WHY people who suffer NEED meds. I tried, “the natural route”, by ways of healthy diet, counselling, exercise and naturopathic treatments (not covered). Absolutely NOTHING worked. God bless Mom who served food trays to patients at her local hospital where she encountered people on the psychiatric unit staring out the window with glazed-over vacant looks in their eyes. Her work experience made her afraid for me. I understand why she told me not to take meds, but at 42, I was sick and tired of being sick and tired. 

How many of you have tried meds for depression, felt off, and have decided that meds don’t work? There is much to unpack when it comes to psychiatric meds. I challenge you to ask yourself this life altering question my husband asked me. He said, “You have been on the same meds for a year, so why are you still sick?”  

Part 1 of this article is to challenge your thoughts. Don’t miss Part 2 in April’s issue on what action steps to take so that YOU are in control of your recovery. Buckle Up! TO BE CONTINUED…

 

Stephanie Preston creates powerful, humorous videos on managing bipolar disorder symptoms. She is a Social Service Worker, Health Care Aide and suffers from severe bipolar depression herself. She is the proud wife of St. Thomas Mayor Joe Preston, loves being a grandma and is Crossfit obsessed. Follow her at www.tiktok.com/@bipolaronthebrain and www.facebook.com/bipolaronthebrain.