So my son has been doing good for about a year now. He got a job about 3 and a half months ago, he was a dishwasher. Even though he was working about 35 hours a week, it was the same schedule every week. That helped quite a bit, but when they closed the doors I could see he was becoming quite anxious He was recommended for another job, and got it! He is still a dishwasher, but in a much busier place. He must be doing good there, they are constantly calling him to cover for no shows, etc. But the lack of a routine schedule and pressures to keep up take it’s toll on him, I can see it. He’s having a hard time getting to sleep. On his days off he sleeps for up to 15 hours, but getting to sleep on the nights he works is a huge problem for him. He had gotten into the habit of drinking 6-12 beers to get him there, but has quit that for the most part. Good, but he’s smoking dope again, a vicious cycle that needs to end.
Well today he had an appt. with his psychiatrist. She doesn’t seem to want to interact with me at all, she definitely has an attitude with me. And my son doesn’t want to be in the room if she wants to talk to me, so she never wants to talk to me. Ugh. Anyway, when he came out he said she put him on trazodone to help him sleep, he’s also on Olanzapine. He wanted her to give him valium or ambien, but she says they are habit forming, and he is prone to addiction and has overdosed quite a few times before. So yeah, I can understand where she is coming from. He cannot, and is angry. Says he is done with the University doctors, didn’t make a new appt. and that his schizophrenia is gone. That he was never schizophrenic. Then he said he knows he’s not anymore because he feels it leaking out of his head.
All I can think is oh no, here we go. I tried not to say too much, when he is like this he is not receptive at all. So I guess I’ll have to call his psychiatrist and let her know since I don’t even know if he told her this. I also need to remind her that K has kidney disease, and I see trazodone isn’t the best med for that! I dread talking to her and hearing her tell me there is nothing I can do, it’s out of my control, yada, yada. I do wish he had gone with the mental health service board here for treatment, but it is what it is. He’s and adult, and it’s his decision.
Just needed to vent. There aren’t many people around me that truly understand what I am saying, but I know you guys do. Here’s hoping the new meds help, and there will be a chance for me to talk to him, for him to be receptive. That I say the right things in the right way so he hears me. And that the pdoc listens to me!
Sounds like you are both unhappy with the Dr. I have two questions for you. a) Is your son willing for you to be informed about his medical care and b) Are you in a position to change Drs? If so, you may want to consider getting a second opinion before he gets turned off wanting help completely.
Psychiatry is a specialty where doctors are used to and usually expect that family would reasonably want to be privy to their loved one’s care. I know in my personal situation (I see a dr for depression), as long as I give permission, my husband is allowed to attend consults and be informed about my care.
As with any specialty, you have to have a good relationship with and sense of trust in the care you are receiving. If you’re in a position to change, it can do no harm.
Must be something in the water, my son decompensated last week, after messing with his doses for a couple of weeks. We had made the decision to switch back to an injectable, but it takes a while to get the first dose, and he just stopped taking his anti-psychotic.
I find the psychiatrist pretty open to discussing with me - it would be that much harder to make progress if he wasn’t!
@HC15 You are right, neither one of us is happy with the doc! He’s going through the University, and these guys are post docs, so they change every year. I don’t think it’s ideal, but I can’t convince him to go through our community health services. I really don’t know why he won’t, it is covered by his medicaid.
He says he gave them permission to speak with me, but they always hassle me when I call. However with the first Dr. it was nothing like this, she was absolutely wonderful. Also whenever he’s been hospitalized they are very communicative with me, same University. I just need to wait this out, and then talk to him again. I might get lucky and get his dad to talk to him about switching.
On a more positive note, right after all this he went straight to the pharmacy on his own to pick up the Trazodone. And his Olanzapine scrip should be good for another two months. I know he won’t quit taking it while he still has it.
@Vallpen, my son wanted an injectable at first. We had a rough start with haldol, he had a very, very bad time with it. But since they switched meds he’s been doing good. His first Dr. was an amazing doctor, we all had a good repoire with her. She could talk to my son and really get through to him, this was after his first psychotic break, and then later after a suicide attempt. (I blame the haldol for that one.). She was always good about talking to me about the best way to handle things, I was so new to it all. But where he goes they are post docs on rotation. This second one is a doozy, and I am waiting for her time to be up! Fingers crossed that it is very soon!!