Expert: Libby Bonner - 10/14/2007

Question
My son was diagnosed with bipolar in August 2007 after having two manic episodes.  One in June and one in early August.  He's taking depakote and I've noticed that he has severe problems with memory loss, mostly short term loss.  It's starting to affect his life.  He's 18 and has up til now been extremely smart, now he's extremely forgetful and it's starting to scare me.  He takes depakote twice a day, 1000 mg. at a time and sometimes takes trasedone to sleep, though infrequently.  He no longer drinks and did smoke pot, but no longer.  I think he may need a different medication and don't know what to do.  We have only state insurance through the local health department.  Any help is appreciated.  This is breaking my heart seeing my sons memory get worse all the time.  Sincerely, SOndra

Answer
I wonder if you could direct this question to Ivan Goldberg, MD, a real expert.  Pls tell him you had first written to me.

Here is the help I would like to give you.  You and you son are starting a new path in life and both of you need as much info as you can get on bipolar, and you each need contacts w/ other mothers/sons.  Pls see www.nami.org.  I hope there will be a good NAMI affiliate near you, one that may also offer special support meetings for family members and for patients [consumers, in NAMIspeak.]

It would also be terribly useful for you to take the free 12-week NAMI class, Family to Family.

If it's possible for you to go w/ you son to his doc appts, it would be OK to go, and a good thing to do.  Plan to be mainly a spectator, but do speak up about anything you think the doc or your son has missed talking about.

Other general info.  Your son is still in very very early recovery from quite a severe 'brain' attack.  How he is right now may not be how he will be in a few more weeks; things may improve on their own.  Time does some healing, in addition to what the Rx does.

It's rather usual for new patients to take awhile adusting to meds, and for patients and their docs to need time finding the right med or meds and the right doses.  He may need a change or two.  While these are being made, it's extremely desirable if a pt can be seen more often then monthly, as is so often the schedule at public clinics, or, at the very least, that the patient has a way to contact the doc w/ questions between appts.  

Pls also note that, at 18, your son is legally an adult.  Many or most docs will not speak w/ family members of adult patients UNLESS they have the patient's permission to do so.  If your relationship w/ your son is good right now, make it a priority to get him to sing a Release of Information to you, so that you and the doc can talk to each other.

Good luck.  Write again if you need to.