Medicine as Management, Not as a Cure

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By Rebecca Palmquist

Medicines used for psychiatric care are not like antibiotics. They are not used for a few days and the patient gets all better. At this point in time these medicines are not cures, they are for managing symptoms as far as I am aware. That’s the way the doctor uses them for me. In fact when the diagnosis was bipolar disorder he wanted to prescribe medicine right away. This may have been due to the fact that my medication would take 4-6 weeks to come into full effect.

There are several symptoms my bipolar disorder manifests and it turns out I need a few medications layered over one another to treat those various problems. Unfortunately one medication doesn’t cover all my symptoms.

Medicine roller-coaster

Since my medicine regimen was kind of intimidating at first, I was glad I could ask the doctor what each medicine is and what symptoms it treats. My medicines are strong and it is to my benefit to take them as the doctor prescribes them. Sometimes the medicines don’t feel right. Sometimes they make me feel worse. That is when I have to be honest and sometimes even firm with my doctor. It is obviously not the right medicine for me. I spent six years on a medicine roller-coaster trying to find the right ones for me. Even having found a good mix, occasional changes, especially in dosage, need to be made as my bipolar symptoms ebb and flow through the year.

Another great addition to one’s support network is the pharmacist. The pharmacist is incredibly knowledgeable about the medicines my doctor prescribes. The pharmacist has been able to pinpoint side effects I should talk to my doctor about. Other medicines over the counter and prescriptions can either cause problematic side effects or just plain block one another from being as effective. This hasn’t happened often, but the pharmacist is always there to answer my questions about medicine, herb, and food interactions.

Maintaining brain chemicals…like a car!

There are different ways to understand maintaining my brain chemicals, but I like using a car metaphor. Maintaining fresh oil and keeping the fuel tank full allows me to go places. While there are several parts involved to maintaining my mental health, my medicine definitely ranks with gas and oil for a car. My medicine allows me to get out and go places literally and figuratively. It helps my brain run and so my body can move. I have the kind of mental illness that makes me depressed and stationary. I don’t move physically and my mind goes negative so I don’t think of much.

My medicine allows me to get out of bed and do the things I need to and even some I want to do. Medicine hasn’t changed my car. And without it, I don’t run well. But keeping the gas and oil up sure makes for a far better ride!

Two schools of thought

There are two schools of thought on medicine. One group is for using medication and the other is against using medicine to manage symptoms. They each have different reasons and philosophies regarding the matter. Online I was able to learn some about each idea and why they felt that way.

Medicine can get expensive even on medical insurance. So when it comes to psychiatric medication one should make the decision they are worth it and commit to working with the doctor and pharmacist. Once I decided it was right for me I chose to be religious about taking my medication. I wanted the full effect and all the benefits I could get from it all the time. Any time a medicine is changed in my regimen it is uncomfortable for a few weeks but ultimately the results can be worth it.

Staying on task with my medication has been beneficial. And I would encourage anyone taking medication to be diligent with it and open with your doctor about how you feel and what you’re thinking. That’s the only way he or she will know how to help. Hopefully, in time and with more research an actual cure will be found.

Reproduced with permission, originally posted on bipoluv