Bi Polar Depression

Muradiye

Hi, My wife just wants to be left alone, in her bed, in a darkened room. She has lost her appetite, has been on Lexapro for 9 days now.
Any suggestions on what I can do to help. Physicatrist says it will take 6 to 8 weeks. for Lexapro to work.
I want to be proactive but don't want to make a bad situation worse. Do we have to just sit it out?

MyKeyG

Muradiye wrote: »

Hi, My wife just wants to be left alone, in her bed, in a darkened room. She has lost her appetite, has been on Lexapro for 9 days now.
Any suggestions on what I can do to help. Physicatrist says it will take 6 to 8 weeks. for Lexapro to work.
I want to be proactive but don't want to make a bad situation worse. Do we have to just sit it out?

In my opinion yes. The best thing you can do is be there for her on her terms. Not only does it take 6 weeks to start working but the first 2-3 weeks can bring with it some uncomfortable side effects, including nausea, which explains her loss of appetite. Wanting to be on her own is a natural side effect. I didn't want to listen to anyone who I knew couldn't understand what exactly I was going through.

I know you want to be proactive but she's taken a very big step already and as hard as it may be it needs to be allowed follow a natural progression.

Feel free to pm me if you have any specific questions. I can only tell you what I experienced when on Lexapro for depression.

Saaron

Lexapro made my anxiety worse for the first 2/3 weeks and also caused bad nausea. After I got used to it the bad side effects started to wear off.

nesf

With new drugs it's often an uncomfortable task of sitting and waiting. It's very hard on everyone involved.

Muradiye

Grateful for replies to date. unbelievable relief for me, which has freed my thinking and I now realize there are a number of accessible resources for relatives available. thank you

Liberal Irishman

It might take a while to get used to but when having a conversation learn to LISTEN!!!

tbh

Liberal Irishman wrote: »

It might take a while to get used to but when having a conversation learn to LISTEN!!!

I'm going to assume you posted this in the wrong thread, because for this thread its irrelevant and off-topic, not to say a little rude. So yeah, you must have meant it to post it in another thread where it would have been none of those things.

Liberal Irishman

tbh wrote: »

I'm going to assume you posted this in the wrong thread, because for this thread its irrelevant and off-topic, not to say a little rude. So yeah, you must have meant it to post it in another thread where it would have been none of those things.

No it's in the correct thread alright. I don't see what you find to be so rude of off topic. In any mental illness probably one of the most important things that you can do for a patient is simply to listen! And I speak from personal experience!
I don't know this man. He might be a great listener already for all I know. We are not 'poor delicate little things' who have to be wrapped in cotton wool. The man asked a question and I all I did was to give a direct, honest and practical reply.

dar_me

I've been diagnosed with bipolar disorder this year also, its going to be tough, especially the beginning, but things will get better when the medication starts to kick in. That's not to say that it's going to be a smooth journey, 'cos it's not. Just be there for your wife, its impossible to explain to somebody how it feels when you're down, and it has taken my partner some time to adjust to understanding how I am, but simply being there for her is enough.
This is going to be really tough and difficult on you too, but hang in there.

thrilledskinny

Hi ;-) having been there I would say leave her in peace...maybe check in with her...let her know your there and you care...dont make her feel bad or guilty for wanting to stay in bed....telll her your there for her...and when she gets up go easy on her....maybe even bring her a cup of tea in bed...and sit with her for a bit...hope she feels better by now....starting new meds can be really really tough...you can feel worse before you feel better...

SATSUMA

Hi, hows your wife now? Just noting that if she is bi polar then she needs more medication than lexapro like a mood stabiliser. Of course her doctor knows best just wondering is it bi polar she has?

Muradiye

Thanks Satsuma,My wife is much better,happy to get up for lengthy periods, came shopping today and had lunch out.Looking forward with hope. It is over 25 years since she got diagnosis and has lived a full and productive life with Lithium and Tegretol. She came off Lithium early 2011 and is in an adjustment period. She has been prescribed Zyprexa, Epilim and Xanax together with Lexapro. Thanks to all who posted

blue5000

Best of luck to both of you OP, takes a while for med changes to kick in, just be there for her.

nesf

Muradiye wrote: »

Thanks Satsuma,My wife is much better,happy to get up for lengthy periods, came shopping today and had lunch out.Looking forward with hope. It is over 25 years since she got diagnosis and has lived a full and productive life with Lithium and Tegretol. She came off Lithium early 2011 and is in an adjustment period. She has been prescribed Zyprexa, Epilim and Xanax together with Lexapro. Thanks to all who posted

Best of luck with it, finding a mood stabiliser that works with you can be a major step forward in this. They're still debating over whether I've some form of bipolar or not (really complicated) but I can say since I've been on Trileptal (a close relative to Tegretol) that I've been a lot more stable most of the time.

One thing I'd say is to encourage her to talk about it and post on here. It can be a real weight off to chat with other people who've gone through similar ****.