Manic husband, on Lithium for less than a week. What to expect?

Hi Worried,

First off, I am sorry to hear about the indiscression. It's hard on BP sufferrers but even harder on those around them when they lose control. In my experience, I only realise the consequences when I cycle back down from a manic mood to a depressed mood and then, it hit's me like a ton of bricks (but with me, when I crash, I crash hard and it often lead to severe depression and deep regret).

The fact that your husband seems "disconnected" is not uncommon for BP sufferers but this can be as a result of either the BP it self or the medication.

Medication can have drastically different outcomes from one patient to the next.

I only started to feel a difference after my third week on Lithium. In my case (and please note carefully, this is me and won't necissarily have the same affect on your husband), I had 6 months of total bliss. I had never felt better in my entire life and even thought I was "Cured". The problem is that like with most meds, the affect faded. At least the lithium seems to retain a stronger positive affect...but still a much lesser affect then the initial one that I experienced.

My point is that if you do see a change, don't pin your hopes (or fears for that matter) on that change to be permanent, at least not untill his doctor has determined wether the medication has stabalised. This is mostly why (especially with Lithium), the patient has to have a re-evaluation after a period of time to check wether the medication affected them positively or negatively and make adjustments to the dosage and/or type.

Even if your husband got "stuck" in a manic state (which I doubt would occur), his dr will most definately change his medication.

One thing that I want to mention, is that medication (not only for BP but any chemical-inbalance condition) is for the most part either a long term or life-long solution. You can't take your meds only when you are depressed or when you are manic as the medication takes time to take affect. (Seasonal affect disorder or S.A.D most probably is a exclusion on this rule).

I hope this helps clarify some

Regards