Hi, I'm looking for info and support
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| Fri, 01-06-2006 - 11:35am |
Hi,
I'm a regular on some parenting boards here at Ivillage, but yesterday my husband was diagnosed with Bipolar I. I've suspected Bipolar, but now that it's "real", I'm a bit scared. I've read alot about it, but I'm interested in some personal experiences, so I hope you don't mind if I hang out here at this board a bit to try to understand what he's experiencing, since he's really not that good at articulating his experience in a way I can understand.
My big question and fear - He is resisting filling his prescription (12 mg of Lamictal to start). I don't think he's afraid so much of side effects - he's looked into the Stevens-Johnson risk and realizes it's probably not enough to deter his taking the small dose he'd start at. But he is starting to say things like "psychiatry is just pseudo-science" and "I'm going to be on meds the rest of my life because of my answers to a questionnaire?" Which is not accurate, because a trusted psychiatrist did a VERY thorough evaluation based on the referral by a therapist he's been seeing and respects for a year and a half.
He is also in 12-step recovery for his addiction issues, but not having the success he'd like, which, if I'm not mistaken, is common if a person has untreated Bipolar disorder.
Are there cases where a person with this illness does not need meds? Obviously, suffering and damage has occurred, which got him to the psych in the first place. Basically, I was ready to throw him out because his behavior was becoming volatile and abusive towards our 4 young children.
Any feedback would be very welcome! Thanks for being here!
Page

Hello and Welcome.
My understanding is bpers need to take medication or risk having thier symptoms get worse. That being said, the first thing I question when I get depressed is why I am bothering taking medication and if I have be diagonosed correctly. It is very common for people with bp to have trouble sticking with thier medicine regimin. It also may take a long time to find the right combinations which makes it even harder. Has his pdoc and tdoc explained what the medicine will do and possible side effects to him? Maybe he should meet with the tdoc, since he trusts him and talk to him about how he feels. As for what you can do, please just encourage him to trust his pdoc, or find one he does trust.
I read the book The Bipolar Disorder Surivival Guide (parts of it) when I was just diagonosed and some of the testimonal parts just applied so much to me, it really put things into perspective. It was like a lightbulb went off and I was able to say "this really is what I have". It is also designed to be read by family members, if you are interested.
Hope this helps. Keep us posted as to what is going on.
Missy
Hi Page and welcome :)
I was diagnosed with BP I in May after eh...11 years of no meds where I know I was cycling and possibly before then. Like Missy said it is very very common to not want to take your meds when you are bp for a million reasons. I didnt take mine for almost a month because my friend's mom was bp and she had kidney problems from her meds and I didnt want to have them so I stopped taking my meds. There are risks with the medications, but is it worth living with the alternative? I have never heard of anyone with bp who could live without meds successfully, usually they end up cycling more often and more severely.
The addiction is extremely common in people who are bp. I should have been in a 12 step program, but was able to stop on my own accord for other reasons after I got on the meds. Before then there was no chance of it and everytime I tried and failed it made me more and more depressed. Lamictal is a very good medication, I am taking 200mg a day and it helps alot.
As far as your DH not being able to express himself well, that is something I can relate to 1000%, my DH rarely understands when I try to explain things to him...but for me its more about that he cares and supports me no matter what, even if he doesnt understand why, and Missy had a great idea about the Bipolar Disorder Survival Guide book for you to read, also there are support groups for families of people with bp you might could attend also. Good luck with everything and if you need anymore help just ask :)
Rebekah
Bipolar is tough on the person who has it as well as the family. Sometimes it is hard to tolorate the person with bp because they can get so aggitated when manic and even with depression. I don't know if your dh suffers from cycling(ups and downs frequently)