Overly medicated?

[Carriefred77]

My 38 year old daughter is bipolar. She takes a couple different meds like Lithium and cybalta. Tax adobe at night to sleep.  My question is: She seems like a zombie to me, she shows no emotion, she just sits and stares and asks when she can eat again. This girl eats just to eat. I recently found her living in a homeless camp outside of town. She gets $900.00 a month disability, and seals finds some crusty old man that tells her he loves her so they can live off her. I just brought her home again and in the past was in control of her money and meds. I feel like her meds are making her a zombie and she is going to wind up dead. I know I have no day in her treatment, but she can't function.  I'm getting her an apartment again, but I know she is gullible and will be taken advantage of if this med keeps her this way. HELP PLEASE

[stormy_days]

Actually you need more than just another family member, you have to have someone outside the family who can be a witness. They will send out a Psychiatrist to evaluate her, talk with you, family and an outside member.  They will then deem if she qualifies under their protocol and if she is not willing to be admitted on her own, they will then send the Police to pick her up and take her to a hospital.  You will then go before the judge and give your testimony of the condition she is in.  After 30 days you will go back and if she has not made any improvement the Judge will order for her to stay another 30-60 days and if still not better will order her to be put into an institution.

I had to have my mother committed back in 2003 when she went off her medication, refused to go back to her doctor, not to mention tried kill me, my husband, kids, and my brothers. They couldn't just take our word for it.  I was so thankful when my Pastor came forward and spoke with the Psychiatrist and immediately he setup for us to meet with the judge and they had to send the Sheriff's out to pick her up.

She was taking Lithium and abused her Ativans and had built up a toxicity to it.  Her doctor wouldn't listen to me, so I was able to get her to sign me as her Power of Attorney which was only for finances, not medical related but her doctor didn't know that. Got her off the Lithium stopped her primary from calling in the benzo's every time she abused them. She is now on Seroquel which has been a little better.  I have someone who stays with her, she is physically disabled as well and has Dementia now.  All her medications has to be kept locked up with only myself, elder brother, and care taker has access to give medicine to her.  If it wasn't for caregiver living with her she would already been sent back to an institution or a nursing home.

My brother is on Effexor and Depakot which works great.  The problem with him he want's to be on Thorazine 100 mg daytime and 200 mg at night along with Trazodone.  He also has an addiction to opiates and benzo's really anything he can get his hands on. He has lived with me off and on but there comes a time like I've had to do with him and that is just let them go.  SSI wouldn't even give him his check without someone being over it and I've been managing his money for the past several years.  I found him a an apartment with utilities included, got him set up on food stamps and made sure he had access to the stores and pharmacy within a 2 block radius.  I couldn't even allow him to have a vehicle or get his license re-instated because he would be in jail within a week driving under the influence not to mention putting himself and everyone else at risk.  I setup transportation for taking him back and forth to the doctors as well. When he was with us, he done good but if I let him go somewhere with someone he would get pilled up and drunk.  He has no self control and likes being in orbit.  He knows how to really pick them too, along with so called friends.  I told him several months ago I was done and if he get's evicted for acting stupid and having people over causing problems he wasn't coming back here.  I can't allow him back in my home.  Since putting my foot down because he has nobody else that will help him anymore he has started to do a little better but not much.

I know it's hard but it will run you crazy trying to help somebody you love and care for but their not willing to lift a finger to help themselves.  The truth is we enable them to continue keep doing what their doing when they know you will pick up the pieces.  My advise is go with her to the doctor and let them know the meds are not working and if you have to you can file a petition with the court to be her legal guarding which will give you Power of Attorney over her medical and finances.  You then can have a say with her Doctors with what is working what is not. Each state also varies, you will need to check, contact a lawyer if needed.

Best of Luck!
Stormy

[AbbyKat98]

If you can get another family member to agree, you can have her admitted into a psychiatric hospital and they can help ou to figure out what is wrong with her or her medication.