[MD1032]

Quote:

Originally Posted by olblueyez /img/forum/go_quote.gif Drinking with those medications will triple the effect of the pills and she will end up dead at some point. If she fights you too much, take her to a hospital and check her in.

Heck, that depends on medication. Ethanol has different effects on every drug. With some drugs, although obviously not this one, it can cause extremely toxic reactants to form. In others, it simply cancels the effect of the drug. At any rate, absolutely NOTHING good can come from taking that drug and combining it with ethanol. You never know, she might get too drunk some night and hit the point at which the ethanol reacts with the drug. I believe some drugs like tylenol react with ethanol in any amount.

At any rate, I'm studying to become a Chemist in school and have a job in the pharmaceutical industry doing analytical QC on thousands of compounds and trust me, drugs are not to be messed with.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by FallenAngel /img/forum/go_quote.gif She sounds like a real piece of work and I really don't think the medication will help much, just mellow her out and mess her up more. As nobody gets a headache from an absence of Tylenol, people don't act like that from an absence of medication, likely from other reasons. It's just the philosophy of doctors to automatically prescribe things. Some real kick-in-the-ass therapy would work wonders, sessions with a physiologist would help. Medication as last resort.

That's SO wrong. Being bipolar isn't like having a bad back, where you have the option of taking pills. There is zero chance of you having a normal life without medication. The sad thing is that many people suffer (and make others suffer) because of this attitude.

That being said, I agree with you about doctors generally automatically prescribing drugs... however, in this case it's not true.

 

[Dzjudz]

I love these threads. They are so full of informed opinions from certified doctors who have had the priviledge of actually meeting the person they are diagnosing.

Useless thread. Why even bother posting?

 

[craiglester]

Lamicatal is an alternative to lithium and works quite well, by all accounts. Maybe worth looking into

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dzjudz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love these threads. They are so full of informed opinions from certified doctors who have had the priviledge of actually meeting the person they are diagnosing. Useless thread. Why even bother posting?

Well, I'm not a doctor, but I graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a degree in psychology, and I can say with 100% certainty that if this person has been diagnosed as being bi-polar, there is no wiggle room on medication. You might as well tell an AIDS patient to not take their meds, it would be about as successful.

 

[earwicker7]

Quote:

Originally Posted by craiglester /img/forum/go_quote.gif Lamicatal is an alternative to lithium and works quite well, by all accounts. Maybe worth looking into

Lamictal is a much better drug than lithium. I'm surprised that doctors even prescribe lithium anymore.

 

[ricksome]

I suffer from depression. In Maryland there is a law that if a Doctor thinks that you are a danger to yourself or someone else, you can be admitted to a mental institution against your will.That happened to me in 2000 for 4 days and nights. If your state has that law you might want to use it against your sister.

My medication is a double edge sword. When I take it I feel fine. When I don't take it, I lose weight. I go on and off to keep my weight in line.

Good luck with your situation.

 

[aaron313]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dzjudz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love these threads. They are so full of informed opinions from certified doctors who have had the priviledge of actually meeting the person they are diagnosing. Useless thread. Why even bother posting?

Yea, and what do bipolar sufferers know about the disease anyway? How could we possibly know the effects of drugs? We only take the drugs and experience the effects. Psychologists and psychiatrists often tell suffers of mental illness to shelter themselves and not talk to others in similar situations. And hearing first-hand stories of suffering is not a very effective way to find out whether to force a family member into necessary treatment.

This thread is far from useless, my friend. It's not like he's going to take our word as gospel, but it's useful to hear opinions on the subject. How else to judge the gravity of the situation for free. And it's not as though any of us can prescribe medicine as it is.

 

[olblueyez]

Quote:

Originally Posted by ricksome /img/forum/go_quote.gif I suffer from depression. In Maryland there is a law that if a Doctor thinks that you are a danger to yourself or someone else, you can be admitted to a mental institution against your will.That happened to me in 2000 for 4 days and nights. If your state has that law you might want to use it against your sister. My medication is a double edge sword. When I take it I feel fine. When I don't take it, I lose weight. I go on and off to keep my weight in line. Good luck with your situation.

Please stay on your medication, I dont know you but my wife would end up in a hospital in about half a day without her pills.

 

[AudioPhewl]

Cor, I wasn't expecting so many people to have something to say

. Thanks, everyone. I've not had a chance to read through properly(I was only popping on for a couple of minutes), but I'll have a proper read-through later this evening.

olblueeyes - I can't comment on whether she takes her medication properly. I know she's ignored the doctors advice and not taken the anti-psychotics for periods in the past. She's 25, I'm 29 next week. I'm a bit old to be taking her to the hospital each time... she's a grown adult and will do precisely as she chooses.

FallenAngel - she can be a very nice person, at times. She can be happy and generous, full of life and a pleasure to know. But that's less than 10% of the time. The other 90%+ she is "a real piece of work".

I'll have a proper read-up tonight, and try and answer any questions or points raised.

Thanks,

~Phewl.

 

[AudioPhewl]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dzjudz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love these threads. They are so full of informed opinions from certified doctors who have had the priviledge of actually meeting the person they are diagnosing.

Cheers for that. By far the most useful posting made.

Quote:

Useless thread. Why even bother posting?

Mainly because I wanted to rant. I also guess I was looking for a little guidance, someone else's insight. Yours has been utterly invaluable. Thanks a lot.

~Phewl.

 

[philodox]

Disclaimer: I already replied to this and my IE crashed, so this is going to be more brief and to the point. Sorry if I come off as a prick; it's really not meant that way.

To the OP:

There are so many things wrong with this thread...

1. Why are you posting personal details about your sisters illness on here?

2. Manic depression is an old term no longer used, Bipolar Disorder is more proper.

3. You are making assumptions based on every person with this mental illness based on your sisters actions. From the sounds of things she is using Bipolar Disorder as an excuse for her poor behaviour.

4. Try to have more empathy for your sister. You really have no idea what she is going through. [This is by no means me justifying her actions.]

5. Cry me a river... the title and blurb at the beginning is laughable. Be happy that you are healthy.

Now to read the rest of the posts...

 

[philodox]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Suntory Times Well yes, it's a very intrusive experience having someone tell you what is wrong with you. Especially when it's about you're state of mind. I had family and friends telling me something was wrong with me and saying I have OCD, I disagreed strongly however now I suffer from OCHD (which the main difference is I can't see the 'craziness' of my own actions most of the time). That bieng said, drugs aren't the ony answer. However, to me, it sounds like you're sister is just stuck in a very tennager style of mentality where everything is about her and she doesn't really give a flying 'd'uck about anyone else.

Exactly. She needs to grow up and gain understanding about herself and her illness. Drugs might help her get to a state where this is possible, but are not the cure all that doctors make them out to be. I know a lot of people who were dicks when they were younger [myself included], and sometimes it takes a serious wakeup call to get things to change.

FallenAngel - Your headache analogy is completely idiotic.

olblueyes - I have to disagree with pretty much everything you've said in your first post based on personal experience though I'm sure you will justify this as denial or 'alchoholic behaviour'. I do agree that mixing medication with alcohol is a recipe for disaster though.

EDIT: Sorry if I'm coming across a little harsh, but I'm in a bit of a bad mood today and threads like this tend to get me worked up.

 

[marvin]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dzjudz /img/forum/go_quote.gif I love these threads. They are so full of informed opinions from certified doctors who have had the priviledge of actually meeting the person they are diagnosing. Useless thread. Why even bother posting?

I really dislike this attitude.

Doctors, as shocking as it may be, may make minor mistakes here and there. It's quite possible that they'll recommend the wrong treatment, prescribe older and less effective drugs, prescribe ridiculously expensive drugs when equally effective generics are available, prescribe generics that aren't quite the equivalent of the original, and a whole host of other issues that can make a huge difference in treatment efficacy and/or affordability.

Pinging others that have had some experience, even if they have no medical training, can provide valuable feedback and generate a set of issues to raise with the doctor on the next visit. Rather difficult to know what issues to raise if you don't know the issues.

 

[Dzjudz]

Which might actually have some truth in it. However, I would suggest a bipolar disorder website/forum, or at least a medical resource website. I'm guessing most people who posted here don't have the slightest clue of what they're talking about (guessing), and most certainly make graver mistakes in their advice than trained physicians/psychiatrists. I wasn't aware of doctors prescribing ridiculously expensive drugs when there are cheap alternatives which work just as well, but then again, that is probably limited to the US. In any case, I'd like to refer all the medical threads in the lounge to a medical website or (I'm going out on a limb here) a doctor.