Oh HELL- here we go again...
First, let me thank all of you who gave me your love and support
on my "I need support" thread.
You have no idea how much it helps to know you are there,
and understanding of how frustrating it can be.
Long story short- my daughter has not slept for more that four hours at a time
for several days now.
The doctor decided the Risperidol was not benefitting her as he had hoped.
Turned her into a sleep walking zombie, never actually sleeping, just nodding off for brief
periods of time.
We saw him Friday and he put her on a gradually increasing dose of Abilify and
Anterax for possible agitation from the Abilify.
She is not a good candidate for Lunesta, Ambien or drugs of that type, as she
is prone to self medicating and has a high probability of abuse- thus his decision
to introduce Anterax for anxiety.
Well, we stated out at 2mg of Abilify and are trying 10mg tonight.
In the meantime, I see shades of the aggressive/angry/manic person appearing
God help me, I do not want to go through another manic episode with her!
It is so frightening.
On top of it all- she is drinking... 4 beers tonight.
She is very angry about taking medication at the moment.
I asked her- "If it can give you quality of life again, why would you not want that?"
I've been reading up on Abilify- apparently it can worsen insomnia until
the desired dose is reached.
Her GP and her PD have both told her- we don't really know
if these meds will work for you if you are drinking.
I'm scared.
I'm hoping increasing the Abilify will hit the targeted management goal,
but hell- I too, am tired of the medication merry-go-round she is on.
And I wish she would stop the alcohol.
Thanks for listening-
BHN
= new reply since forum marked as read
This is why we all are here.
Thinking of you both.
BHN
She is twenty five and can walk to the store and buy it with her own money.
If I say, you can't drink here, she will go sit in the park and drink- not safe.
We are talking about it gently, every day-
I have seen her being far more conscious about how much she drinks-
and why she drinks.
I think the anti-anxiety drug her doctor put in the mix with the abilify is
helping reduce her need to drink.
Good news is that she went to 10 mg of the Abilify last night and actually
got some sleep-
We took a long hike, had lunch together on the way home and
spent two hours gardening together.
It was a good day-
I know from experience, the worst thing I can say to her is-
"You have to stop drinking." It will only escalate the drinking.
Instead I talk to about the benefits of stopping- and I know she
listens and is thinking it over.
She has cut way back, so I will continue to tell her how great
she looks and how proud I am to see her trying to be healthy-
She really has come a long way, and I hope the Abilify continues to work well
for her.
In the meantime, your love and support are much appreciated...
BHN
With support from the anti-anxiety meds and some SLEEP, hopefully her choices will continue to get better.
Was with my daughter yesterday, so missed reading this. (My daughter has a few similar symptoms, and I so agree that spending time together, doing things, is SO helpful. We had a good day, too.)
