((((((((Big hugs Ashton))))))))

I know exactly where you are coming from!  I recently wrote this on my fb page - "Hate is a strong word I know, and right now I hate this beast called bipolar disorder."  My ds also suffers from a lot of psychosis and it kills me to see what the mind can do to someone and watch them suffer so much.  It makes me feel so helpless because I can't make this go away for him.  It's a gut wrenching, heart breaking decision to hospitalize ones child.  I think I cried for a week straight when we went through our first hospitalization.

I've always reassured my ds, who has now had 15 hospitalizations, that everyone is trying and wants to help him feel better.

I put together some family pictures on poster board of us all having a fun time and wrote meaningful and inpirational sayings under each picture so that it could be hung up in ds hospital room.  Also, when my son was younger I would do the "kissing hand," just like the book.  That always made him feel more secure and less anxious.

Use this time to re-charge your batteries and get some much needed respite!  I'm sending you positive thoughts that the Saphris will work quickly and put a stop to this episode and that this hospitalization will have a postive outcome.

We are here for you - vent all you need to!  I'm thinking of you and your family.

More hugs,

--

Jackie aka mom2one
Forums moderator, FRT
Mom to Mr. 17 (dx'd at age 4), Bipolar, Psychotic Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, PDD, Cognitive Disorder
Meds: Seroquel 900 mg., Risperdal 4.5 mg., Fanapt 12 mg., Lamictal 600 mg., Lithium 1250 mg., DDAVP, and Synthroid .150 mcg
Fish Oil and Vitamin D
IEP, Therapeutic School
Married to my best friend and rock for 21 years!

If CABF has helped you, please consider a donation! https://www.bpkids.org/donate?campaign=forums2010

 Thinking of you!  How did today go?

--

Jackie aka mom2one
Forums moderator, FRT
Mom to Mr. 17 (dx'd at age 4), Bipolar, Psychotic Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, PDD, Cognitive Disorder
Meds: Seroquel 900 mg., Risperdal 4.5 mg., Fanapt 12 mg., Lamictal 600 mg., Lithium 1250 mg., DDAVP, and Synthroid .150 mcg
Fish Oil and Vitamin D
IEP, Therapeutic School
Married to my best friend and rock for 21 years!

If CABF has helped you, please consider a donation! https://www.bpkids.org/donate?campaign=forums2010

Ashton, 

Sending you (((((hugs))))   Wishing you time to breath,  strength to carry on the great job you are already doing,  And more (((((hugs)))))

--

Karen 65 arthritis; Fosamax, prednisone, plaquenil, mom to 5 adult children plus

DD 15 BP, ADHD, ARND,NVLD, Breathing & sleeping disorders Lithium, risperidone, clonazapam, concerta, stattera, clonidine
DS 14 MD nos, ADHD, ARND, Anxiety, Strattera, risperidone, clonidine

Married 20+ years toDH #2, 67, COPD, Many rx plus oxygen

Thanks Karen and Jackie!

How did it go? The process of admitting went good because of the pdoc we have.

The Doctor's plan is to discontinue the Seroquel gradually, observe him off of it for a couple days, and then start to introduce the Saphris. He's currently on 800-1000/day of Seroquel. We had already given him his first 400XR, so the doctor told us they weren't going to give him anymore that day, OH MY. It's not working like before, but I believe it is buffering a lot of his symptoms still. Today they are cutting him down to 300 mgs/day of Seroquel.

Of course it was tough. Grant cried and cried and begged me not to leave him.  Same thing when he called on the phone in the evening. It took all might not to jump in the car and go get him.

I'm heading out to buy him some shorts and pj's without strings and drop them off at the hospital. The next visiting hours aren't until Saturday :(

Ashton

 Hi Ashton,

Thanks for updating us! 

Glad the admission process went well.  It always helps when you have a doctor who has some clout.

Sometimes we don't see the total benefit of a medication until it is stopped.  While we were doing a med wash in the hospital I saw my ds in his worst state ever.  I don't know what all your ds medicine background is, but if he has been trialed and failed numerous antipsychotics and mood stabilizers, in different combos, without little response, and if the Saphris doesn't help, you might want to consider Clozaril.  Clozaril is a very powerful atypical antipsychotic that is normally reserved for treatment resistent bipolar and schizophrenia.  Let me know if you'd like more information on Clozaril and I'll post it. 

Hugs,

--

Jackie aka mom2one
Forums moderator, FRT
Mom to Mr. 17 (dx'd at age 4), Bipolar, Psychotic Disorder, Anxiety Disorder, PDD, Cognitive Disorder
Meds: Seroquel 900 mg., Risperdal 4.5 mg., Fanapt 12 mg., Lamictal 600 mg., Lithium 1250 mg., DDAVP, and Synthroid .150 mcg
Fish Oil and Vitamin D
IEP, Therapeutic School
Married to my best friend and rock for 21 years!

If CABF has helped you, please consider a donation! https://www.bpkids.org/donate?campaign=forums2010

Looking for continued support.

As of tomorrow Grant will have been in the hospital for an entire week. I've been going to bed at my regular time, and sleeping, but wake up tired in the morning since he's been admitted. I don't think I'll sleep soundly or peacefully until he's home. Tonight staying up a bit later and hoping I'll sleep more soundly. It's so hard especially after the phone calls from the phosp with Grant crying the whole time. Without the Seroquel and the effects of the Vistaril he's extremely anxious and overfocused, on coming home, understatment!. No words during phone calls or during visiting hours can comfort him. I'm hoping Saphris will be able to control these symptoms as successfully as Seroquel did, but without the unhealthy weight gain.

Recap: The main purpose of hospitalization was to switch him from Seroquel to Saphris, his other medications weren't a concern.

The hospital pdoc took him off the Seroquel and then decided that instead of Saphris to try Vistaril (sp?) first? This ramped up his OCD and anxiety up to a level that the doctor said he'd never seen. Then he took him off of Vistaril and put him Saphris. Thyroid was low so they increased Synthroid. He suggested an AD for his anxiety and I told him we had BTDT and I wasn't comfortable with it. AD's in the past have really done a number on Grant. The pdoc was agreeable.

Can't wait to get him home! Hoping for tomorrow or Thursday, but I have a feeling he won't be discharged until Saturday. I hope I'm wrong.

Ashton

I'm sorry you and he are so stressed out.  It does sound like the communication between you and the pdoc is pretty good.  I'm glad he's willing to listen about the AD's.  Sometimes they just don't believe you.  Good luck with the Saphris, and remember to take something for your anxiety if you need it.

--

Brenda,50, CABF Parent to Parent Volunteer
Mom to A, 16, BP, Tourette's, OCD, ADHD: Eskalith CR, Trilafon, Lamictal, Seroquel, Cytomel
E, 14, BP,AS, hypothyroidism: Seroquel, Eskalith CR, levothyroxin, inositol
B, 13 & H, 10
Married 17 years to DH, 49

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