2 months medicine but no improvement

[alireza07]

my wife is nearly 2 months on 5 different medication ,for her psychosis they change her medication twice but i cant c any improvement she still got the false believe and thought ..

my wife use to take only 1 pills twice a day when she admit to hospital but doc put her on 5 or 6 different pills she is so sensitive to medication and always getting a side affect straight away i put it like this medication make her more ill than help her to get better.

is there any other treatment out there for psychosis

first she was on Aripiprazole 4 over 4 weeks and lamictal as a mood stabilizer

and olanzapine 20mg over 2 weeks and lamictal 100mg and semi-sodiuom valproate500mg witch it shouldn't prescribe at all 4 her because of past history witch it make her so ill and she refuse to taking them from this morning she is on promethazine 50 mg and diazepam 20mg and another 2 diffrent pills on top i think this is to much for her she is dosed up with chemical always very drowsy yesterday she bang her head to the wall so hard and got the lump and brooz on her forehead i really dont know what i can do to help her i dont want her to get worse than getting better

i will need some good advice please

many thanks

[Ellie_at_APP Partner]

Hi Alireza

I'm so sorry to hear the really difficult time your wife, and you, are going through. I also know that you have two other children, I can't imagine how you're coping.

It does sound like she's on a lot of drugs, but I am obviously no professional in terms of diagnosing what medicine your wife needs. I'm so sorry to hear she's been ill for 2 months and still no better.

Others can maybe say more and help you (APP volunteers etc). My thoughts were have you heard anymore about the mother and baby unit, and if and when she will be admitted? They are obviously really experienced in this kind of illness, and are probably a lot more experienced with the medicines and what helps etc. and it will be a better environment for your wife as well which is obviously conducive to her feeling better and recovering. She would have midwives / nursery nurses with her has well as mental health nurses etc. and obviously the baby will be with her also which I am sure would help. I also wonder if the psychiatrist she is seeing is a perinatal psychiatrist who knows particularly about PP? I would really encourage you to fight and advocate for your wife to be admitted to the MBU. Do you have other people (your wife's family members?) who may be able to help you advocate for this also? I also wonder if you could maybe direct the professionals supporting your wife to the second opinion psychiatry service? See app-network.org/what-is-pp/...

I don't know if they feel it would be helpful for them and your wife but it may be worth just giving them the information and asking if it's possible to refer her?

These are just few thoughts, I hope that others may be able to offer you more advice.

Take care, I am thinking of you a lot

[Naomi_at_app Volunteer]

Hi alireza07

I'm so sorry to hear that you are feeling your wife is not improving yet. It must be very upsetting, confusing and frustrating for you.

It can be tricky to find the right balance of medications for Postpartum Psychosis, and sometimes the process takes longer than we would like. For each individual woman, different medications will work in different ways so it can feel like a bit of a process of 'trial and error'.

One thing that might help is to talk through your concerns - it might help you to write down each medication and the side-effects you and your wife are noticing. The main hospital should have a specialist pharmacist (you can ask at the hospital pharmacy desk or ask your wife's nurses to give you the number) and you can ask for a joint meeting with the specialist pharmacist and your wife's psychiatrist to talk through the medications, the concerns you have, and the ways the drugs might interact with each other.

Once things are more stable with your wife's condition, it is likely that the number of medications per day will be reduced. Diazepam is usually just used in the short term to help people when they are very agitated or anxious. I know it must be hard to see her very sleepy and sedated, but usually this rest and sleep is what the brain needs to recover, and as the symptoms begin to reduce, the sedating medication will also be reduced so you will see her energy levels begin to return to normal.

Thinking of you lots - are you able to get some time away from the hospital too to recharge your batteries?

Warm wishes

Naomi

[andrea_at_app Volunteer]

Hi alireza07,

Just to echo what the others have said, some people have have much longer psychoses & recovery is more gradual, it's different for each of us. This must feel like she's not getting better & like she's taking 1 step forward & 2 steps back. Be reassured though that she is actually improving gradually & each day will be 1 step closer to her getting better. sometimes the improvements are so small, they are there though, they're just really hard to spot.

Talk to her carers calmly & let them know that you feel she's not getting better - they'll be able answer your questions & explain more about your wife's treatment - I think you'll find it really reassuring.

You could ask her Psychiatrists if they'd think about getting medication advice from a Specialist Perinatal Psychiatrist? Can they ask for help on her medications? I know they do that sometimes & it can be very helpful. Obviously we're not Doctors or Psychiatrists here & can't advise on treatments or medication, we just have personal experience which will hopefully help a little.

It's really important your wife feels reassured, cared for & that people are trying to help her - you could play a big part in reassuring her (even if you're not 100% sure yourself). Try to stay calm, positive & give her lots of hope that she will get better. Encourage her to do things that make her calm & think about ways to help her relax. Keep telling her that she will get better & everything will be OK, because it will.

Also, don't forget yourself too, you've got a lot on your plate! Think of ways you can relax & ask for help from family as much as you can. How are your little ones doing, are they staying with family or home with you? I hope things go much smoother for you today.

[Mims2014]

I'm really saddened to read your story and will pray for your wife. Aripriprizole worked for me therefore I'm sorry to say that i cant help at all.

[Naomi_at_app Volunteer]

Hi alireza07

Just wondering how things are this week for you and your wife? I hope that you are feeling you have had the chance to talk to her psychiatrist about your worries about meds and that you are beginning to see glimpses of recovery. No pressure to reply - just to let you know we are here as and when you need us.

Naomi

[Mims2014]

How are you and your family?