Psychosis

[hayleyB79]

Hi I'm new to mumsnet and am posting my for the first time. I am currently experiencing my second episode of psychosis, even tho I don't believe I'm I'll at the moment but that's the thing u wouldn't if your I'll. Just wondering if anyone else has had experience of this and if its something I can expect to live with for thee rest of my life or whether it is possible to experience it a couple of times then never again?

Sorry you're suffering with this but sounds like you have a good mh team and you are listening to them (that is so very important). I agree that you need to let your DH have his time to keep his own mental health good.

My ex has suffered from two episodes of psychosis bad enough to require forced hospitalisation and has suffered from several more at least that he didn't get treatment for. He's experiencing another episode now but sadly won't listen to anyone who tells him that he is ill so he's getting no treatment right now, that's why its so important to listen to your team, take medication as prescribed (he stopped his meds as he thought he was better) and keep regular contact with your team.

Hayley my DH has been on ariprizole (sp) two year with no ill affects. He has paranoid schizophrenia so he's probably on them for life.

No real personal experience (I have bi-polar) with psychosis but by all accounts it's really hard going.

I disagree about your partner. It obviously depends on how long these episodes last but I wouldn't of left my partner in that state till 3 in the morning.

I've had bad periods (mania opposed to psychosis) where he has looked after me.

I've worked in MH (still partly do) so I accept my view on the risks/outcomes might be skewed.

I hope this episode passes quickly for you.

Thanks for your replies. My episode of psychosis has been going on for a few weeks now but my mh team says its because they're weaning me off the risperodone so I'm only on half of what works well for me and only on 5mg of aripiprazole at the moment which they're slowly increasing. I'm listening and doing everything they tell me because I don't want it to get to the point where I'm hospitalised and if everyone is telling me I'm Ill then I must be right.

MH teams normally know, I don't know when I'm manic either although I can recognise it in other people.

Aripiprizole has quite a good success rate. DH is on 25mg but he's probably a lot bigger then you. I have been on antipsychotics in the past and swapping over is tough.

Have you had any nasty side effects? If you've been on the risperidone a while is it possible your having some withdrawals?

I don't want to hijack the thread but if anyone could offer some insight I would be so grateful. It sounds like there is a wealth of experience on here.

My close relative has bipolar disorder. She has had psychotic episodes since late teens and is currently under section. She has a real aversion to the concept of lithium and won't entertain a discussion about it, but I wondered what people's experience of it has been.

For background she has in the past had ariprizole as a depo which made her very ill, she didn't get in with olanzipine, quetiapine and qXL have some result in terms of insight returning but they make her so exhausted and put on so much weight that as soon as she gets out if hospital she comes off them. They are giving her clonazepam as well which she is becoming reliant on.

They have told her repeatedly that she should steer well clear of non prescription drugs and alcohol and stay on her meds, or this will keep on happening. She is like a different person and just carries on smoking weed and drinking whisky like she knows best. I should also mention that she has four children between 3 and 16. When she is well she is the best mother in the world, she really is, but she does not seem willing or able to give up the triggers. Currently her partner is looking after them but he won't engage with her while she is in hospital as he has had enough and blames her for being reckless

I'm so sorry to have gone on OP. It sounds like you have a great team around you and you are prepared to act on their advice. Believe me, that is a very positive sign. I wish you all the very best.

Unbornmortificado I had side effects to the risperodone, I put on weight, it stopped my menstrual cycle and made me lactate. I also had lack of emotion on them. Thats why they took me off them in October and hoped I wouldn't relapse. At the start of my current episode they put me on risperodone 4mg as its supposed to take effect quicker but now they've took it down to 3 mg and during my last episdode I was on 6mgTheyre going to increase my aripiprazole to 10mg next week so hopefully see some improvement but hopefully no side effects.kavvlar sorry to hear about your close relative, sounds a bit like they're trying to self medicate with the alcohol and weed. I'm afraid I don't have any advice or if I did I'd be fine myself but I'm sure other people will post and offer advice.

When we are poorly its all consuming and its hard to take other peoples needs into account so don't feel bad about it. When you are feeling better that might be the time to sit down with DP and discuss his needs too your MH team might be able to facilitate this. I don't know what I would have done without the support DHs team have given me.

kavlar it sounds like your relative is fighting her diagnosis and not engaging with MH teams in the community. She really needs to take responsibility for managing her condition or these episodes will continue and her kids will suffer. I'm not surprised her partner is at his wits end with her. No one can force her to accept treatment when she is well and not under section, although if she is needing regular sectioning they might consider a community treatment order where she is forced to comply with treatment. I'm not sure what the criteria for this is.

hayley the lactating happened to DH and he grew a chest. I shouldn't laugh but if you don't you cry. For what it's worth the only side effect he has found to ariprizole is his emotions are slightly subdued although he found not as bad as the risperidone.

Everyone reacts differently but hopefully you will see an improvement at 10 mg.

Kav I'm sorry about your relative. I did the same and self medicated with diazepam, I put myself in a coma for 5 days. That was my turning point, I know a lot of people with MH disorders medicate with weed, I really don't like the stuff. They have never found a link with MH problems and cannabis but most MH workers disagree.

When I was in hospital a lot of patients were users or previous users. My DH blames his schizophrenia on his teenage usage. I've been on lithium 8 years excluding pregnancies. I've always been stable on it and never suffered any serious side effects unlike when I was put on quetiapine and lost an entire week.

I think her best bet is giving the lithium a go and steering clear of drink and drugs. Hospital might seem extreme but at least (hopefully) she won't be able to numb herself with drink and drugs.

I'm guessing the clonazapam is to sleep? If it is it's worth keeping an eye on, some hospitals seem keep to hand the sleeping pills out but offer no help when you get released without them.

That was an essay and a half.

Thank you all so very much. It's been 18 years since her first episode and the pattern continues to repeat. She had a spell of about five years completely clear of symptoms and medication whilst expecting and having her younger three children, and I think that may have given her a false sense of her ability to control or manage the condition without medication.

I am weary. There is no support for the family. And I can't force her to engage and to see sense, she knows what to say and is very convincing. The hospital gave her extended leave the last couple of weeks with the home team visiting daily. Despite these precautions, she would disappear overnight, go off walking for hours in the dark leaving her children in the house with her partner but not saying that she was going, she was writing down her meds but throwing them away, and drinking and smoking weed again. What can anyone do with that? She was so angry with me because I told the home team, but I said I'd rather she was angry and alive, than that she turn up dead in an alley somewhere.

I know all of us present differently though and I applaud everyone who has managed to engage with the teams and had success. We are just at a very low point.

Kav a lot of people need a rock bottom with MH (that's just my personal opinion) are SS involved or are they not interested as her DP is ok to look after the DC?

The turning point for me was upsetting my oldest DD. 2 years on I'm still incredibly ashamed of that.

I think if anything it might be the threat of losing her children that could be the turning point. I'm sorry it sounds incredibly hard for both her and your family.

Weed is definitely a trigger for my ex's psychosis - his second hospitalisation happened after he had been prescribed cannabis for back pain so was taking large amounts daily and then disappeared for two weeks into a forest and then went on some sort of crime spree (burglary - I saw his police record when we went to court over DD afterwards). The doctors in the hospital told him in no uncertain terms to never use cannabis again as it contributes to his episodes (he also self-medicated with it for years). When he wasn't using it for a few months after he got out of the hospital he was like a completely different person.

Unbornmortificado your poor DH, I thought I had it bad being female and it happening to me. That's reassuring there's been less side effects on the aripiprazole, hopefully will be the same for me.

hayley I'm so rude I'm sorry, I came on the thread with the intention of responding to your OP and instead started asking questions of my own. Hopefully this is closer to a response for what you originally asked.

My experience of psychosis is not personal but as I said viewed through the eyes of a close relative. She has had roughly ten psychotic episodes across eighteen years I would say. They have tended to be triggered by something external. Usually for her it is drugs - I know we have mentioned weed but amphetamines seem to be a dreadful trigger also, as does extreme stress. Do you know if you have any triggers?

Prior to the psychosis she usually takes a recognisable noticeable downward spiral. Makes less sense, pulls away from those trying to help her, makes contact with and spends time with people she wouldn't normally, loses inhibitions, gets into arguments because of very plain speaking, makes questionable decisions. This can take a few weeks or months to lead to a psychotic episode. The last one was much quicker than usual with fewer warning signs though. However if she was prepared to modify her behaviour or engage with the teams once this was highlighted to her these would actually be useful signs and provide a way of managing the situation.

I can't say if you will recognize any of this as I don't know if it's the bipolar or if it's her behaviour that then aggravates the bipolar and brings on the psychosis.

She had a spell of many happy years free of psychotic episodes so it does seem possible. It sounds like you are much more engaged with those trying to offer support, you believe them rather than pushing them away, you aren't doing anything that will specifically aggravate the situation. A few assumptions there but I think your situation does sound very hopeful in my narrow experience, you are certainly doing all you can. Thanks OP and others for your thoughtful responses to my hijack.

Hayley he's been stable 2 years and he is able to laugh about the whole growing breasts carry on now. I really hope you get on well with the aripiprizole, I work partly in MH (I'm a carer not a prescriber) and as a whole I have noticed Aripriprazole prescribed more often with less issues.

Psychosis and disorders that are related seem to carry more stigma in women then men which I don't think is fair. There is still progress to be made in regards to understanding MH. A lot of people have difficulty acknowledging and getting help for MH problems even now.

Hi kavvlar. I don't mind sharing this thread with you or anyone else, were all involved with this awful illness someway or another. Thanks for your kind words. Unbornmortificado I'm glad your DH is now doing well and is able to laugh about the situation. A lot more people seem to think aripiprazole works well with less side effects, just need to wait for them to higher the dose and hopefully see the benefits.

25mg is quite a high dose the average is more 15-20mg. DH was asked if he wanted lowering back to 20mg but didn't want to risk a relapse so declined.

He does have to have regular blood tests for liver function but I don't know if that's because he's on such a high dose and previously od'd.

You will get through it, I know how bad mania is and I can't imagine how terrifying psychosis is. I'm pregnant and postpartum psychosis terrifies me.

I have to admit I don't know much about mania so am going to read up about it but I'm sure its just as awful for you as psychosis is for me and you have to deal with that whilst having the added stress of your DH's illness too. I think it takes someone special to be able to do that and I'm sure you'll cope amazingly when baby comes along. Congratulations.

DH has been stable our entire relationship. I actually met him when we both inpatients in a psychiatric unit.

(It sounds like a bad soap plot but all true)

Its rare to hear of anything good coming from a mental health illness but had it not been for you both being I'll you'd never of met each other. You must be a great support to each other having both experienced similar problems in the past you can better understand how the other person is feeling.

You will get through it, it might not feel like it at the time but attacks never last forever. When are they next upping the ariprizole for you? Hopefully it starts working sharpish for you and you get some relief.

I'm hoping tomorrow they'll up the dose as I have doctor coming to see me and she usually only comes out when she's changing my meds. I was supposed to stay on 5mg for a month but I broke down in front of care coordinator last Thursday saying I don't know how much longer I can hold it all together and pretend everything's fine in front of the kids so she said shed talk to doctor about giving me a higher dose quicker than planned.

For the posted who described a person as a 'total psycho' being a psychopath is in no way the same as suffering from psychosis!

Hayley- I too have had psychosis and am diagnosed with recurrent depression with psychotic features. Like you it is triggered with things like stress or lack of sleep, so I do what i can to try and keep stress free and have sleep and exercise. they have also put me on a low dose of olanzapine long term together with an antidepressant.

I have a gym pass which helps as you can just swipe and go in and don't have to talk to people and maybe sometimes someone can come with you to start with, or something lie yoga at home can help. Mindfulness also helps me and I take omega 3 supplements and vitamins. HTH

Hope your appointment is going well or will be soon. Missed the psycho comment hope you (or anyone else) takes it to heart.

Thanks lovelybath. Sorry to hear you've suffered with psychosis too. I'm trying to make little changes to try and improve my wellbeing, I started zumba last week for the first time since I became I'll and felt so much better after. I've also stopped drinking tea with caffeine and switched to fruit teas as can have up to 6 cups a day and was told caffeine can make anxiety worse. Unbornmortificado the doctor came out and has now put me on 10mg of aripiprizole so will hopefully improve soon. She also prescribed some sleeping tablets in case I need them as don't always sleep great and she said sometimes the aripiprizole can cause you not to sleep well to begin with.

Some uninterrupted sleep will do you the world of good. Really pleased to hear about the Zumba it all sounds really positive.