Comments on: Hazel (Waving Wendy / Drowning Doris) http://www.finkshrink.com/blog Information and support Sat, 04 Feb 2012 20:07:58 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3 By: lisa http://www.finkshrink.com/blog/bipolar-stories-and-insights/hazel-waving-wendy-drowning-doris/comment-page-1#comment-2132 lisa Mon, 24 Jan 2011 02:30:18 +0000 http://www.finkshrink.com/blog/?page_id=438#comment-2132 stay on the boring medicine--if not you might do somethin to hurt yourself and all those who love you stay on the boring medicine–if not you might do somethin to hurt yourself and all those who love you

]]> By: Diana http://www.finkshrink.com/blog/bipolar-stories-and-insights/hazel-waving-wendy-drowning-doris/comment-page-1#comment-2099 Diana Wed, 08 Dec 2010 03:23:34 +0000 http://www.finkshrink.com/blog/?page_id=438#comment-2099 Dear Hazel, As regards the use of medication, my husband who is a manic depressive has been on lithium since 1973 regularly. In 1998 his Doctor added Depakote. He also takes some Wellbutrin for depression. The medicine has helped him to live a normal life. When he had his first episode, he was wrongly diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic (1966) and again (1968) He was treated with several shock treatments and then when he was released from the hospital they gave him one pill to go to sleep and another to help him get going in the morning. It was pure agony. That doctor had a heart attack and died. Then it was we found another doctor who correctly diagnosed him as a manic depressive. Lithium was just coming out at that time in this country USA. That was 1971. My husband didn't like taking any medicine for this sickness and either took it spasmodically or not at all and finally quit all together. The result was he had 5 episodes within 7 years. These were all hospitalizations for the mania which caused severe psychotic behavior of about 2 months each time and then a lengthy depression afterwards, lasting from a few months to a year. Finally in 1973, his 5th hospitalization, he began to take lithium regularly. And then went for almost 20 years with no episodes. It allowed him to hold down a very responsible job as a computer programming analyst and programming manager. I'm sure if he had not decided to take the medicine, his work career would have been really messed up. For my husband each mania episode was triggered by a very good event with the exception of one time. He has been able to live a normal life with the help of this medication. We feel it is a gift from God. He has helped both of us throughout all this. There is a medicine right for you, so keep searching. But in the meantime do not go off your medicine. It will just play havoc with your life. My husband once started a manic depressive support group in our city and in that group every one who went off their medicine always had another episode sooner or later. This disease is almost totally controllable with medication. So you can have a normal life. Dear Hazel, As regards the use of medication, my husband who is a manic depressive has been on lithium since 1973 regularly. In 1998 his Doctor added Depakote. He also takes some Wellbutrin for depression. The medicine has helped him to live a normal life. When he had his first episode, he was wrongly diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic (1966) and again (1968) He was treated with several shock treatments and then when he was released from the hospital they gave him one pill to go to sleep and another to help him get going in the morning. It was pure agony. That doctor had a heart attack and died. Then it was we found another doctor who correctly diagnosed him as a manic depressive. Lithium was just coming out at that time in this country USA. That was 1971. My husband didn’t like taking any medicine for this sickness and either took it spasmodically or not at all and finally quit all together. The result was he had 5 episodes within 7 years. These were all hospitalizations for the mania which caused severe psychotic behavior of about 2 months each time and then a lengthy depression afterwards, lasting from a few months to a year. Finally in 1973, his 5th hospitalization, he began to take lithium regularly. And then went for almost 20 years with no episodes. It allowed him to hold down a very responsible job as a computer programming analyst and programming manager. I’m sure if he had not decided to take the medicine, his work career would have been really messed up.

For my husband each mania episode was triggered by a very good event with the exception of one time. He has been able to live a normal life with the help of this medication. We feel it is a gift from God. He has helped both of us throughout all this.

There is a medicine right for you, so keep searching. But in the meantime do not go off your medicine. It will just play havoc with your life. My husband once started a manic depressive support group in our city and in that group every one who went off their medicine always had another episode sooner or later.

This disease is almost totally controllable with medication. So you can have a normal life.

]]>