My husband for the past 6+ months has been having some pretty verbally violent outbursts. I new something didn’t fit so I went searched for the paperwork the psychiatrist had given him a couple of years ago. His diagnosis is paranoid schitzotypal WITH BPD. Which means his treatment has not been tailored to what it should be. Isn’t that their job with something so sensitive as changing the chemicals like dopamine levels kind of a big enough deal they would do more than take the word of the patient as to their diagnosis? I don’t know that i/we would being in any better position but what if it would have taken a fraction of the misery away? Frustrated.
I wrote a whole post, but I realized it’s probably all things you already know.
I do want to commiserate with you about finding out you might have had an incomplete diagnosis.
My son spent a few years running around hypomanic (I think) because he was taking an ADHD stimulant and sometimes an anti-depressant. Now I’m so grateful to his psychiatrist who realized what was going on and got him on a better combination. It’s enough of a struggle without him taking something that got him activated.
I hope your husband can get some good help and both of you get a break! I will be thinking of you.
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Please. When replying to me don’t ever filter ot assume I know anything. I may have had to live with this disease but there is so much I don’t know and so much I have to learn. Thank you for the insight. Hr ran out of his rispiridone over a week ago. He is just as paranoid and reactive but less violent. I am hoping there is something out there is I can get the VA to listen to help him. Right now it’s just a mess. If you don’t mind me asking, how did the ADD med change the behavior?
Hi George,
For what it’s worth, Risperidone did not work for my son. I could never figure out whether it just did nothing, so that was his baseline, or actually made him worse. I’m inclined to think the latter.
He was more agitated and belligerent when on it. Same with Invega which he was put on a few years later. I understand both are chemically similar. With the Invega; I recognized right away that he was more agitated right from the first (and last) injection. I know both work wonders for some, but not in our case.
Both Olanzapine and now Clozaril improved both his paranoia and delusions while also improving his peace of mind.
Once he got on a med that worked, he was willing to stay on it. I hope your husband’s doctor tries a new class of med for him. Don’t give up! No one believed me when I said Risperidone was making my son worse so we switched doctors.
Your life sounds very challenging right now.
Hoping and praying that life gets a bit more manageable,
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