Psychiatry is a joke and so are the meds

[lynnkay]

I am a firm believer in mental health issues. Why because I have had mental issues for most of my life and now I watch my 31 yr. old son struggle with it. Currently, I am in the middle of a nightmare. My son has been so mentally ill. This has been going on for a year next month. And is my son any better? No, he is not. It all just keeps compounding on top of another problem, another problem, etc.

Been hospitalized 4 times this year. Done the shrink and counselor over and over again as well. Running in circles is all that is happening. Now, my son has some serioius health issues. Didn't have the health issues until all the meds. My son has been on so many different meds over this past year. Or else this has been upped or that has been upped. Was put on Depakote. Gained almost 100 lbs. Now, has high cholesterol and blood pressure. And he is trying to lose the weight. He takes more pills than a 70 or 80 yr. old man. I got health issues as well as mental issues. I am on a small amount of meds daily. And I am 53. I though learned a very hard lesson many years ago. I was given multiple meds like my son is now on. Spent 3 years of my life struggling on those meds. I finally improved when I insisted to be weaned. And I never allowed another doctor to overmedicate me again. I am bipolar I with extreme anxiety.

My son is now at wits end. Wanting to take himself off the meds. I know that cannot be done. Has to be gradually weaned. I am the one keeping him from tossing the pills. He calls his meds dummy dope. And I have to say I agree with him. This young man has always had some mental problems sure. But, the meds have taken away his personality, his sense of humor, his intelligence and his will to get out in the world. I know as I watch it everyday myself in him. Now, he is still on another bad drug...Seroquel. People can say what they want about some of these drugs. I would not give some of them to a lab rat. I have been on Seroquel myself. Horrible stuff. Done the Depakote as well. Once again horrible. Just my opinions.

I have walked every step of the way during this with my son. Talked to the shrink every visit. My son cannot express himself very well due to being like he now is. I have to be his voice and witness, when he cannot speak for himself. And I do try to allow my son to have a strong voice and opinion in this. Keeps upping this or that. He though did take him off the Depakote. I will give him that. And counseling is a joke. He is on his second counselor. The man is highly in post traumatic stress and OCD that they just don't know what to do with. Plus, he is very bipolar and paranoid. I have watched my son talk to things that are not there for a year now.

I tried to have him put in the hospital about 3 weeks or so ago. Of course, I called 911 and the police have to respond as well as the paramedics. It took 2 hours for the police to do an intervention on my son here in my home. The best thing I have experienced with my son's mental illness is the police here in our town. They are truly awesome. They have been trained in intervention with the mentally ill and it well shows when they are called to my home. The ambulance and my husband and me had to stay outside of our home while they did the intervention. And 7 hours later the hospital is telling me to come get my son. I had talked to a social worker before releasing him, about everything that had been going on. I have even called NAMI. Was not impressed with their attitude.

I myself am at wits end. I love my son most dearly. But, I have been his caregiver for the past year. And all we have been through is greatly effecting my mental issues as well now. I have lost 15 lbs. since this all began. I have lung disease and don't have the weight to lose, in case I become ill with a lung infection etc. Sometimes, I feel like I am losing my mind anymore. This is effecting the entire household and my marriage. I know there is long term care, but I want to give my son the chance, to try and pull out of this.

Anyone with any answers, I will gladly listen to. I have battled the mental health field for a year now. I have little faith at this point. Just venting too on here as well. I could tell much more about the last year, but this is the jest of it in a nutshell.

[1998sh]

I'm sorry about what you're going through.  Some people do not respond well to psychiatric drugs, especially multi-drug cocktails.

The drugs that make your son feel like a zombie are likely the antipsychotics, also known as, neuroleptics.  Wikipedia or drugs.com should both have a list of the drug names in this class of meds.

And do go to the drug interaction checker on the drugs.com website, and put all your son's meds into the drug interaction checker to make sure there are no major or moderate drug interaction concerns.  If there are, then print a copy of that out for your son's doctor.  And it may be best to switch doctors, if this case as well.

Back to the neuroleptics, they are known to cause psychosis in some people, which may be why your son is talking to people who don't exist, and a couple new studies have come in showing that this class of meds causes long run damage as well.

http://m.psychologytoday.com/blog/mad-in-america/201102/andreasen-drops-bombshell-antipsychotics-shrink-the-brain


http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/772/9/

So I do recommend you find a doctor who will help get your son weaned off these.  I do recommend weaning him off very slowly (perhaps as long as two years), and a mood stabilizer like lithium, as he is being weaned off the drugs would likely help.

My prayers go out to you.  And you are correct, psychiatry is beginning to be seen as a very bad joke, and not at all a funny one.  I'm so sorry for what you've gone through.

[weezer555]

It takes time and good communication and compliance with prescribed meds to find what works. How can this succeed when youre so angry? Why on earh do you call the police? For transport to a psych unit I hope.  Something just does not add up when reading your post.
Bipolars do not talk to things that dont excist unless in a delusional state.
Is it possible your son is schizophrenic?   Have you told his Doctor about this behavior going on for a year?    Please open your mind and let the professionals diagnose and treat your son with your input  regarding his behavior. You seem so incredibly pissed in general.

[freddie8605]

Hey I just read your story and Wow, it reminds me of my mom went through with me. she has to give up work as she wasn't coping and i was put into a care house for adolescence with mental illness. our journey took 2 years before i moved town to get better treatment. i have got post traumatic stress disorder from the way i was treated by the mental health staff and clinics. I will let you know i turned out OK though am still battling bipolar disorder and everything that goes with it, but the city i moved to has more places to get help so when you get a bad doctor you can change.  it does get better and i am living independently and am studying at university.  There is hope.
I would love to know who you are both getting on.

[run4you]

Hey there - I am so sorry you're dealing with so much.

Have you seen another psychiatrist, or just one?

If it were me, I would be very straightforward with the doctor. You have every right to know the answers to the questions you have, and for the doctor to work with you on a treatment plan (WITH being the key word).
For instance... WHY is my son on all these medications (ask for details on each medicine he is prescribed)? Is there one med that can do the job that several are doing for him? We want to minimize the number of medications he's on, we need your help to do this. One of these pills is making my son feel like a zombie, can we figure out which one and switch it? We need to find an alternative for this medicine, it's side effects (weight gain in particular) is not acceptable when there are plenty of other medications for him to try.

I gained over 50 pounds on Depakote. My dr will not put me back on it because of that.

It may take some time for adjustment, but you and your son at least deserve the hope that these medications can stabilize him and not interfere with his day to day living in such an extreme way.

The other thing I would suggest is just exercising. Just go out and walk. It helps you balance your chemicals in your brain and it will at least help a little with the weight gain.

I really hope you can either get your son's psychiatrist to work with you, or find another that is willing and capable of helping. Good luck :)

[meniere135]

Here is a site for you to look at:

http://www.glutenfreedietbook.com/articles/index.php?article=21

If you choose to try this diet, you have to be 100% gluten free (no trace of wheat, barley, rye or oats).  Give it at least 3 months, maybe 6 months to see how it helps.
He will need to take a multivitamin (NatureMade is gluten free) to make up for nutrients missing in the diet.  You will have to read up and learn what he can and cannot eat (hopefully you will do the diet with him since you suffer also).  I've been on it for so long for different reasons, so it is easy for me.  But looking back I remember hating trying to figure out what I could and couldn't eat.  Gluten is in a lot of foods.  If you are going to give it a try, just leave me a message for diet ideas.  Hope this helps....I really do!