Bipolar Treatment/ Condition Worsened

[dixie53]

Hi, I have a family member diagnosed with bipolar disorder whose not responding well to the medication she's been given. She's young (20), and she's currently taking Valium, Lithium, Klonopin, and Abilifi. She was given this much medication to start off, and she's feeling worse. She's been on it for over a month now.  Her depression, anxiety, and anger have risen as well. Is this MEDICATION COMBO normal ??? She said that blood test showed bipolar? Is there a test that can actually show this disorder in the blood? It was my understanding that there were only tests to rule out any other illnesses that could be causing symptoms of, but not to actually show up in blood? She feels/says there are no hidden reasons for her symptoms. She is around some negative atmosphere which she claims does not affect her. Her family loves her and is very much there for her. I just would like to know if theres anything I can say or do to point her in the right direction. I've tried to at least tell her that its always a good idea to get a second, third, or fourth opinion as it took me 6 tries to finally get a diagnosis for my somewhat rare neurological disorder. She's pretty closed off and she's not that willig to hear others advice. She gets defensive with family who try to give any advice that is good for her. She thinks she's being attacked or undermined, which is obviously and entirely the opposite. Her parents are very concerned and scared for her well being, but they don't know what to do anymore. I have a hard time understanding why she's be given that much medicine all at one time like that? From my experience, doctors have always said that they'll start off slow with a small dose and work up from there. We're all very concerned and any help or light that could be shed will be greatly appreciated! Thank you for your time.

[kathy434]

First off.  If she is totally closed off to anybody's advice, then just let her be.  I understand you want to help but as the old saying goes:  "You can lead a horse to water but you can't make it drink."  You only have control over yourself, not other people, including this ill individual.  Know that there is no TEST to identify Bipolar disorder.  The Psychiatrist determines this through history and observation and conversations.  Then it can become a juggling act to get just the right meds as no two patients are alike.  It may take some time to find the right formula.
Bipolar disorder is inherited mainly, meaning that a person has a "predisposition" for it in her genes.  But mix that with stress in her environment, it may be all that's necessary to launch the disorder.  She may or may not know of hidden reasons for her illness, only she knows that.  Or maybe she doesn't.  Another symptom of Bipolar is paranoia.  She thinks you and others are conspiring against her, or talking behind her back etc.  For sure, negative atmosphere does affect a person with bipolar.  They don't need undue stress, and each person must determine just what are her triggers that make her illness worse and then avoid them or neutralize them as best as possible.

[Aleksia]

No! There is no blood test that can show mental disorders in people at all. I don't know where she's getting it or why she would say that. However, a simple blood test may show that her bipolar is only a symptom of something else, which most doctors never recognize, because most doctors don't know. It is uncommon and something that most of the time a doctor has to specialize in to recognize. Like for me.

I don't want to give you false hope, but I was diagnosed with bipolar and medicated from an early age on. For years I also had other physical symptoms that we had no idea were related. Nor did any of the doctors I ever saw. The medications did make me worse. Supposedly if you put a bipolar person on anti-depressants, it can make them worse because it will cause them to become a rapid-cycler. Meaning their mood changes happen more frequently. Even within minutes of each other sometimes. Apparently being on anti-psychotics is best for that. I don't think she should be on that many at once. Even if one of them is helping, another may be counteracting with it, and causing the symptoms that she is having. If you or she can get copies of any blood tests she has had, check out her calcium level. Though even if it is not too high, it may be wise to have her "ionized" calcium level in the blood checked, as well as her PTH (parathyroid hormone) checked. If either comes out too high, if you decide to do this, check out parathyroid.com.

I happened to have an uncommon disease called Hyperparathyroidism. Of which one of the symptoms is mental, bipolar. I went many years on meds when I could have had a simple surgery to cure everything. It changes your life. Most doctors don't know that high calcium in the blood is almost NEVER normal. Yet they will actually tell you it is, or not even mention to you that it's high.

Anyway, if that turns out not being the case, good luck in helping her. Hopefully she finds something that works.

[dixie53]

Thanks for your reply. I'll look further into the med's interactions. Hopefully, she'll eventually be put on the right combo for her. She's only been recently diagnosed, and I know these things take time. Thanks for the info :)

[dixie53]

Thanks for your reply. I was worried about the "cocktail" at such a fast pace, but I see now that it is a normal approach. I will continue to support her and stress importance of reporting any side effects and such to the dr. for sure.

[opus88]

sorry to bud in here...IL what do you mean by 'welcome page'?
and follow the links for clinically accurate info....where is this page and the link at??
thx...and good luck dixie

[ILADVOCATE]

Lithium is generally an effective mood stabilizer. Abilify can sometimes be activating and cause irritability. There are other choices as regards antipsychotics as well. I take Klonopin and tolerate it well but as it is a benzodiazepene which is a class of anti-anxiety medication that a person can build up a tolerance to one is generally enough. Taking it with valium can create some interactions. This is just from my experience. Speak to her psychiatrist about this. If you want clinically accurate but consumer friendly information go to the "welcome" page and follow the links there. That would give you more information to discuss with her psychiatrist.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

And I wrote "there's no test available really to determine which mental illness a person has" but I must of erased the word test or just imagined writing it.

[paranoid_cataclysm]

Well I don't know much about the specific medications except the ones I took but I know it's normal for a person with bipolar disorder to be on a cocktail of psych medications due to the cycling nature of the disease.  I think your family member meant that they didn't find any other things in her blood work causing her symptoms and just used bad wording because as far as I know there's no available really to determine which mental illness a person has.  Just have her tell her psychiatrist every way the medication is effecting her and maybe eventually they'll try a different combo.  It's kinda like uh... I guess Guitar Hero where you have to do specific combinations to progress or else you do bad.  They have to do a cocktail of drugs because for example if a person has bipolar disorder and is only given an antidepressant they more often than not become manic.