[earle58]

my 16 yo dd has bipolar w/schizo-affective disorder. bipolar is her primary dx. i've been researching several bipolar websites to learn as much as possible. she is currently at a psyche hospital and it's her 6th hospitalization since april/05.

what i've been reading are dozens and dozens of testimonials from people with bipolar and they all state that smoking a bit of marijuana regulates them and they feel normal; and that it works better than any med(s) they've ever been on. i've also read testimonials from spouses and children of the one afflicted w/bipolar.

the medical community basically states that marijuana induces bipolar and schizophrenic states. yet those affected, ALL swear that it's the best thing that happened to them, even if it is illegal. my dd has been on many meds yet she remains resistant. i am desperate but also curious to hear if anyone else has heard about the benefits of smoking marijuana for those w/bipolar.

many thanks,

leslie

[RENAISSANCE RN]

Yeah I think Bobby Brown ( whitney houstons husband) does that.. We all know how wonderful he is.. LOL.


Sounds like an awful idea. Pot can bring on psychosis.

imho.

[wincha]

Originally Posted by earle58

my 16 yo dd has bipolar w/schizo-affective disorder. bipolar is her primary dx. i've been researching several bipolar websites to learn as much as possible. she is currently at a psyche hospital and it's her 6th hospitalization since april/05.

what i've been reading are dozens and dozens of testimonials from people with bipolar and they all state that smoking a bit of marijuana regulates them and they feel normal; and that it works better than any med(s) they've ever been on. i've also read testimonials from spouses and children of the one afflicted w/bipolar.

the medical community basically states that marijuana induces bipolar and schizophrenic states. yet those affected, ALL swear that it's the best thing that happened to them, even if it is illegal. my dd has been on many meds yet she remains resistant. i am desperate but also curious to hear if anyone else has heard about the benefits of smoking marijuana for those w/bipolar.

many thanks,

leslie

my advice DONT smoke pot for bipolar. over a period of time made my son psychotic. the best med for bipolar if tolerated( my son had no problems with it either did his uncle ) is lithium. if not this then another ms such as lamictal, depokate, trileptal

[SFCardiacRN]

16 is too young to be smoking anything. Forget testimonials, for God's sake, they are from pot heads. Though marijuana may have some medical benefits, nothing is proven yet. My state has pot clubs and I think they benefit HIV and cancer patients and maybe chronic pain. Bipolar?...ask your doctor.

[steelcityrn]

So very sorry to hear about your daughter and the relapses she has had. I have never known any cases where marijuana has benefited anyone with psych disorders but have seen many who have done well on the newer medication and nutritional with behavior treatments.

[mitchsmom]

My psych instructor (a psych nurse practitioner) said that a lot of her patients did it as a mood stabilizer. I don't know if she would ever actually suggest it to someone to do, or if she meant to say that it in fact worked as a mood stabilizer so much as her patients did it just thinking it did... ??? Now I want to ask her about it.
My BIL is a psychiatrist, I'll have to ask him if I think of it too.

Here's a bunch on a google search:
http://www.google.com/search?sourcei...ood+stabilizer

[wincha]

Originally Posted by earle58

my 16 yo dd has bipolar w/schizo-affective disorder. bipolar is her primary dx. i've been researching several bipolar websites to learn as much as possible. she is currently at a psyche hospital and it's her 6th hospitalization since april/05.

many thanks,

leslie

i responded about the pot. feel freely to email me. my son is now 18 1/2 and we have been through this since he was 14 and prior he was misdiagnosed at around 9-10 as adhd put on stimulants that made him worse then in junior high antidepressants that made him suicidal,. 6 months of in and out of the hospital for suicide attempts due to insurance reasons. finally we refused to take him home, fought with the medical director of the insurance company to get him admitted in rtc(helpful to be a rn and dad an attorney) if you email me i will tell you exactly what we did and what to say. then after 30 days of rtc applied for medicaid under his disability because they will not consider your income. the first rtc wasnt' a good placement. we are limited here in the mw. the next placement was a state facility and it was very good. we also through the iep system got our son placed in a college prep therapeutic high school. there have been bumps down the road. changes in meds. negligent docs. we went through i think 5-6 before we got one that had a clue. i also live in city with teaching hospital, 2 childrens hospitals, major university and still clueless psychiatrists. my son is finishing high school, working part time, is on lithium, thyroid(also has a thryoid condition) and remeron for sleep. please feel free to email me as i will help you through this process.

but pot is bad and will make your child psychotic. i think lithium is a lifesaver

[earle58]

Originally Posted by wincha

my advice DONT smoke pot for bipolar. over a period of time made my son psychotic. the best med for bipolar if tolerated( my son had no problems with it either did his uncle ) is lithium. if not this then another ms such as lamictal, depokate, trileptal

my dd is already on 1200 mg of lithium qd.
she's been on lamictal and developed a rash so it was dc'd.
she's also been on depakote, abilify, seroquel and now zyprexa.
she seems to be getting worse rather than better, esp in terms of her impulses and judgement- frighteningly poor. also a few suicide attempts.
i'm just at my wit's end. and the attending doctor insists she's ready for discharge on the zyprexa. she's not. her social worker states dd is unreceptive to her treaters but she's certainly open w/me and that's how i know she remains a danger to herself. soooooo frustrating.

leslie

[lovinghands]

It's very common to see pts with mood disorders abuse mood altering chemicals as a form of self-medication. Problems arise though when these pts develop dual diagnoses and require tx for mental illness as well as chemical dependency. I would not pursue marijuana use as a rx for a mood disorder. Today's pot is much different than the pot of the 60's-70's - it's not clean and yes can induce psychosis. I think unprescribed chemical abuse will only complicate your daughter's dx.

I hear your frustration re: your daughter's hospitalizations and prescribed txs. Have you connected with support groups in your area? There are great psychiatrists out there, sometimes it takes awhile to find them - maybe by connecting with people in your community you will be able to find some guidance. Do you know any psych nurses in your community? By working in psych I know who I would recommend to family and friends and who I would definitely avoid.

If the tx team pursues discharging your dd, I would insist on a thorough discharge plan including crisis management. I am sorry there are no simple answers to your situation. Your daughter appears to be slipping through the cracks and you are fighting for both her safety and quality of life. Please keep posting, we are here to support you.

God Bless.

[Thunderwolf]

Don't recommend the pot, like other posters. Bipolars are impulsive anyway, so what feels good often gets the impulse...pot would fit here. Pot also has a great tendency to spur on paranoia....a normal side effect of that drug. Although not discussed, and maybe purposely...if she is nonresistant to much of today's current meds and if you have been through them all....has ECT been discussed? This is also an option. Sorry to hear the continued difficulty. You have my hugs.