Bipolar in the family Support Group

She stopped taking her meds and the real Jaqui surfaced for a few hours. We got her back on the pills PDQ and, whoops, she's flying manic high again today.

Did get her to the doctor and he's finally diagnosed bipolar. I sent him an email from the rest of us, told him everything.

He's put her on Risperidone and Epilim Chrono.

Will either bring her down or are they aimed more at a soft landing?

Think I almost prefer her up, in respite she was absolutely wretched, wanted to be locked up away from the world, said it was like there were two people in her head and nobody was safe while she was around.

I just delivered her to her boyfriend. She couldn't drive on the meds, he can't drive after the massive bender he went on last night when she dumped him.

You can't win. "If you don't take me he will pick me up in his car", drunk as a skunk, great. I bet her she would be all over him like a rash and my money is feeling pretty safe.

RobinH, I* hope that for all involved that she will soon be doing better gosh I guess until she does come down you and your wife have no choice but to wait this one out again ,.I am not familiar with the Epilim Chrono

Post edited by: grafxbydiane, at: 06/12/2009 01:54 PM

Hi Diane

I opened the med boxes and found information inside.

The possible side effects of Risperidone sound particularly ghastly, but in a bit of an afterthought it does claim to "control the symptoms of bipolar". Whatever that means.

Epilim chrono turns out to be Sodium Valproate an anti-convulsant, anti-epileptic. (Then for us med-illiterate folk they add, "calms the brain down").

Is he trying to bring her down?

Robin

PS: My wife said, "I wish we could just head for the door and say, 'We're going home'".

RobinH . I did look it up and i got the sam info you did about themn . So yes he does sound like he is trying to intervene with the mania to bring her down

If she comes back tonight I'm going to lie

I'm going to tell her the new meds are for a soft landing when she eventually comes down.

The demon in her brain doesn't want the real person inside to resurface, it's too scary.

Hopefully yesterdays' relapse could mean we are near the end, maybe she just needs a nudge.

Yours in the faith

Robin

RobinH , Yeah I think because the doc knows about what you have said to him/her about the issues he thought it best to take this appraoch instead of waiting for her do it on her own meaning to come down. you know because of the risky behavior she is doing now i suppose he did not want that to prolonged anymore then it was going to

Post edited by: grafxbydiane, at: 06/12/2009 03:24 PM

Good day yesterday, bad day today.

It's that mobile 'phone and the boyfriend who won't be dumped. He just goes on and on and on 'phoning and texting and wearing her down. I had to drag her back from the brink of depression last night and we seemed to be doing well.

After hours of it today he wore her down and she announced she was going over there to spend the night and give him what he wanted. I begged her not to do it, no luck. I told her husband and he finally came up trumps. He confiscated the 'phone, confiscated the car keys, disconnected the house phone, rang the BF and told him that if he didn't stop calling it would be him visiting not his wife.

I think it was almost a relief for her.

Now waiting for the ring on the doorbell

RobinH , Wow it just seems like it never ends there does it? glad her hubby put an end to that

Post edited by: grafxbydiane, at: 06/14/2009 03:54 PM

Hi Diane

A quick upate and it's been quite uneventful compared to the past few weeks thanks to no mobile phone and no going out unchaperoned.

I bought a new Web router with a "Parental filter" and blocked every computer in the house from Facebook and MSN.

There has been some fallout from the morality vacation and she is now banned from a couple of her old haunts.

The boyfriend did come to the house once, threw something revolting at my wife who was in the front garden, then stalked off. I hear he is being a terrible nuisance for everyone they met and making sure he comes out of this with no friends just like when it all started.

Oops! Big row, floods, gotta go...

Robin