bpsucks, welcome. I am one of the mom's Olivia mentioned. My son is 14, and was dx at 8 due to suicidal verbiage that was alarming to us and started us on this road. He IS regulated on meds and is a wonderful and terrific kid. His does not manifest with huge highs or lows, his is a moderate BPII. I always say he is more the implode style of guy vs. the explode version. We have worked long and hard on manual self regulation, understanding feelings, being responsible about
medication, etc. He sees a pdoc, therapist, has worked for many years in social skill groups, etc. We have trained him that like a diabetic, he needs to be a critical component in his wellness. That for now, mom and dad may lead the show, he is in training for the day that HE will have to lead his team and we will move into a more support position. He amazes me EVERY DAY and I couldn't be more proud. He is also ADHD. His meds are Trileptal, Zoloft, Strattera, Tenex. They are taken morning and night.
It does take time to get a handle on things, and with kids you want to work VERY closely with your pdoc and move slow and methodical with meds so you can get just the right blends and doses for HIS body. We went one drug at a time step by step until he would level, then rebalance, and then if there were more issues to address, kept building until we had the right cocktail for him. At the beginning he saw the pdoc weekly and bi/weekly (max. a month) between appointments. Today, he still goes for VERY regular appointments (usually 1-3 month intervals). But, we have total access to the dr. between appointments for ANY REASON or QUESTION. It took about
10 months initially to get completely balanced. It was HARD. Because as one issue was addressed, it was like an onion so when you stripped another layer of the picture back, the next symptom would suddenly be stronger because it had fewer filters containing it. Does that make sense to you?
You need to educate yourself fully about
this condition and recognize that your son NEEDS you to be strong enough to create the boundries around him right now that will create a healthy structure for him to learn to manage this condition vs. the condition running the show. He needs to commit to mastering and recognizing his moods, stages, and techniques that work to override what it may feel like inside to STILL do the right things, in the right levels, in spite of how it may feel inside to him. It is NOT an easy process, but is can be done. This is a lifelong thing for him. How committed he is and how much he puts into it will determine in many ways how successful and happy his life will turn out. I do believe that, and it is what I am instilling in my son.
Do you know why he is so angry? Does he? Is it that he is mad that he has this? What is the trigger? It really helps my son to think of this as no different than being diabetic...instead of needing insulin, he need these meds. In his eyes now, that is the only difference. It will be a pleasure when the rest of the world of course can catch up on that perception! But that is another subject all together. Given that he is 17, and is taking the drugs, is he clear there can be NO drinking or recreational drugs "experimenting" to mix in...IT IS CRITICAL he gets this. Otherwise he will never have a HOPE of staying level and in control of this condition. It is treatable, but all parties involved must be vigilant.
I hope this helps you to know that your son has a bright future if he puts in the work on being the master of all this, and not the servant to it. THAT choice is his (although with him still young, you have the benefit of still being somewhat in control here...my suggestion...BE IN CONTROL HERE AS LONG AS YOU CAN TO GIVE HIM A HEAD START AT MASTERING IT.) Also, support groups and coming here to HW are great helps. In our house we take a very
open and straight up honest approach about
talking about
stuff and analyzing what is working and not. We don't hide from it with our son.
Lastly, you said he is taking the meds at night and not going to sleep until 1am. What time is he taking them? We had to move ours up and now my son takes them between 8 & 9, so he can fall asleep by 10. Figure out how many hours it takes them to kick in for him and then move them up to accommodate going to sleep by a reasonable hour. Good luck to you and your family. BREATHE...it takes time, but there is a bright future here with a lot of hard work and PATIENCE! LFW
Post Edited (loving frustrated wife) : 10/4/2007 8:30:57 PM (GMT-6)