Should I bother saving for retirement with bipolar?

Congratulations on being symptom free for the last 15 years! That’s an accomplishment largely due to properly managing your illness. You are walking your own path in life and with a healthy lifestyle you can expect to live long. Don’t go by statistics - there is only one you.

Lamotrigine is a very clean benign drug with little to no side effects. I wouldn’t touch it! I never heard of your other drug- I don’t think we use it here in the states. I would first see if you can lower the other drug, but if you’re doing so well I would not get off of the medication! Why stop a good thing and ruin what you’ve had for the last 15 years?

Start saving for retirement and push yourself to life a healthy balanced life.

@syebloggs welcome to Mayo Clinic Connect. Congratulations on achieving such a long period of stability in caring for your bipolar condition. That is rare. Many people with bipolar have difficulty finding an appropriate med, dose and schedule then adhering to it. If I were you I wouldn’t change anything unless my provider recommended to do so. Do you have a provider to monitor drug levels and follow up?

Statistics tell you nothing about an individual. If the average is 64, likely some have lived to 75 and others to 55. I was on risperidone many years ago (in the U.S.). It had a lot of side effects for me, so I take a different antipsychotic, but if you have been taking it for 15 years and it works well for you, I would not change it. I hate the cognitive impairment, including memory issues that are caused by my meds, but my psychiatrist says I need to be on them for life.

It is quite easy to write up a will in the UK, as Prince Leopold did so one evening. Might I suggest your extended family and possibly Prince Edward's school (yes, before he became Edward VI he had a school for those Children that desired to learn). It is a very good option to save for retirement, no matter the outcome of your life, as you may aid others after your demise. Beat the odds and live longer. I hope that you are not one that would jump into the sky from a building because you were on your "high," I sensed a fellow flying by my window and did not know what to think after he was found dead. . ..

Turns out I was getting ill when I posted this, maybe what prompted the idea of coming off my meds. Very glad I didn't as things could have gotten really out of control. Had a nice holiday away from myself (felt like a different person) for a few weeks and I'm feeling myself again now. Only spent £1000 over normal spending which was okay.