Expert: Ivan Goldberg, M.D. - 7/13/2007

Question
Hi Dr. Goldberg,
I am very concerned for my mother's situation right now. She has had bipolar disorder her entire life and has always taken medication, but in the past 5-10 years she has been taking several different medications and tends to go on and off medications at will. Her mental clarity and ability has been rapidly diminishing along with her erratic medication changes. She has been anxious/depressed/confused for as long as I can remember now and just seems to be getting worse. She sees a psychiatrist (or his helper rather) every few months and I find it hard to believe all the medications they have her on presently: 300 mg/day Seroquel, 300mg/3xday Neurontin, 200mg/day Lamectol, 1 mg/day Calanopin, 100mg/day Trazedone, and for pain 5/500mg/day Hydrocodone. She has admitted to not taking the prescribed dose of lamectol for the past year (she has been going on and off and/or reducing the dosage), she has just been calling in the prescription so her doctor doesn't find out. She claims that it makes her anxious. In addition to all of these medications, she takes estradiol for menopause, but has been going on and off of this too (she goes off b/c she wants to stop it completely so she won't have to get mammograms; she goes back on b/c it makes her feel better). Can you give me any advice as to what I can do to help the situation. She is literally a mess. I have taken complete control over her finances b/c she can't handle them herself, but I don't have the time to watch her 24/7. I just don't know what to do or how to help.

Answer
of herIt sounds as of your mother should have a reevaluation by a new psychiatrist and general physician and that something should be done to prevent her from callin in prescriptions.

Without such a reevaluation it is impossible lt tell which of her symptoms are from her medical/psychiatric disorders and which from the way in which she is, or is not, taking her medications

Best regards . . .
Ivan
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