Being accused all the time..

[omg25]

I stoped my lithium medication about two weeks ago and everytime i do something or say something i am accused of being manic. Its like anything I say or feel is not valet any more. I stoped taking medication because we are going to try to have a baby but now because I did one thing "he is rethinking things". All I did was call him on cell no answer, so 30min on house phone and still no answer, so then i called babysitter and asked if he was home. I just wanted to ask her to have him call me back but she offered to give him phone..so when he gets on phone he started telling me that why and what was i thinking to call him on her phone and what did i want?? He caught me off guard..so i forgot everything I had to tell him so I looked even more guilty..but I wasnt going into paranoid mode.

[mags22]

I get annoyed sometimes with my husband or family if they comment on my moods or double check if I'm taking my meds etc., insinuating that my current mood, whatever it is, is a sign I'm getting ill.  It feels like a bit of infringement and like they are more paranoid than me.

In reality though, I think it is just their way of trying to be supportive, because I know that when I do have major episodes, especially needing hospitalization for several weeks, it really has major effects on their lives too.  So I do try to put up with them being overly involved sometimes though, when I just don't want to be questioned or interrogated:)

[ILADVOCATE]

He shouldn't comment on your mental health life but although you had a very valid reason to stop lithium, regardless if you stop a mood stabilizer, manic episodes will come back. As I remember when I went off lithium (for the wrong reason) years ago before my current recovery I did become extremely manic within two weeks so that may be the amount of time it takes to get out of the blood stream. Keep a mood tracker and keep in touch with your psychiatrist and find a friend or other person you trust who you can let you know if things are of concern. If you need to be off medication entirely for 9 months then what they were treating will re-emerge and you do need to monitor things and work with your psychiatrist but you could explain that to your husband and ask that he not be the one to monitor your life as it seems controlling.

[Weney3777]

You are not alone. Even while I'm ON my meds, my husband tells me I'm manic everytime I'm feeling good or in a good mood. I don't even know myself anymore, sometimes. It's hard being BP, for us, and for everone close to us. Just sit down, relax, and have a talk with your husband. Tell him how you feel and how the things he says and does affect you. Let him know that you are the one going through this, right along with him, and that you understand it's hard for you both.

My husband read this and says that sometimes he has to remind himself that being BP and manic is not my fault. It's something we have to work on together to grow and overcome.