my son has bipolar disorder and refuses to take his meds. what can happen if he refuses to take his pills?

Question

my son is 17 yrs. old and was started on klonopin 6 months ago. he takes it only once in a while. when he does not take it, he gets very moody, sad, and even violent at times. this morning, he admitted to me that he has not been taking his pills for the past 6 days, and his anger is coming out again. i am sometimes scared of my own son. he makes life here for the rest of us intolerable to live with and we all walk around on egg shells--trying to keep out of his way. at other times, he is a great kid--does what he is told, gets great grades, and holds a job. does anyone know what can happen if he refuses to continue taking his pills? i can't kick him out, he is a junior in high school and he is not working right now. i'm scared that he might hurt himself, or one of us in his anger outbursts. last week, he threw a kitchen knife at me, said he was not aiming it at me, but it nearly hit me. again, he had not taken his meds. does anyone have any ideas or answers for me?

Answer 1

That's gotta suck for you - and for him, too, probably.

Medication compliance is not an uncommon problem for bipolars. You've probably already heard lurid tales of what happens when bipolars go "off the meds."

My first question back to you is, does your son understand the diagnosis, or does he believe it's all a bunch of mind-control hokum, designed to get him Under the Thumb? (Paranoia is not an uncommon aspect to just about any mental health issue.)

If he does understand the diagnosis, you might consider a family contract (see link below to an example.) The only problem I have with the example contract is the first line, assuming that a bipolar person in the midst of an episode could even begin to "stay calm." That's just unrealistic.

The benefit of the contract, though, is that if he agrees to it during a lucid moment, where he sees that his disorder really can threaten his own life and the lives of those he loves, it empowers you - completely - to do what you have to do to protect yourself in the event he's not stable (i.e., not taking his meds or they're not working anymore.)

There are tons of example contracts out there on the web.

Also, have you tried family counseling? As a family, it's critical to determine what your coping mechanisms are/will be for instances of instability or dangerous behavior.

Good luck to you, and to him.

Oh and before I forget, there's a great book he might want to read, it's called "An Unquiet Mind" by Kay Jamison - it's a memoir of a woman with bipolar disorder, only she's a psychiatrist so she has a special perspective. Very well-written. If you kid likes books at all he might dig this one. Or not. Hard to tell.

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Well, darn it, I thought about this as I was taking my own meds last night and I wonder if maybe the Klonopin makes him feel kind of dumbed-out. If he likes his sharp manic side (and you said he was pretty smart, or at least got good grades,) feeling dull and doped out might be causing some of his noncompliance issues. There are lots of meds out there that can be used for bipolar disorder.

Answer 2

I too have a son with bipolar disorder, he is 13 and takes his meds so I am not at the point where he is refusing to take them. As long as your son is not harming or indangering him self or others there is not much you can do about him not taking his meds, But if you see him becoming a harm to himself, you can have him put in the hospital and they will make him take his meds.... You can call the police to pick him up, this is the safest way, for him and you so things dont get to out of hand. Good luck!

Answer 3

I am bi-polar so I know what your son is going through. I cant take my meds because I suffer from severe memory loss from them they make me sick to my stomache and make me feel like I should committ suicide. You need to talk to him. Ask him if he suffers from any side effects of the medication. That might be a reason why he wont take them. And if he is not suffering from any side effects, then your should put him in the psychiatric ward of your local hospital for a few weeks, so he can take his medication and get help with his mood swings. They will monitor him to make sure he doesn't hurt himself or other people and they will FORCE him to take his meds. They will show him some techniques on how to handle himself during his mood swings, this is called recreational therapy. so good Luck! I hope I was of help!

Answer 4

i am 56 years old and i am bipoler.i went almost 35 years untreated. my life was hell. i take different meds than he does. and they our very kind to my systym.....does he have a support group? bipoler disorder is a very lonely place when you are alone...i dont want to alarm you but 15% commit suicide......ther has been many great and artistic people in history that have been bipoler. my lady friend calls it a blessing not a curse! with alittle bit of help with his meds he could live a very productive life.............good luck. ps you should have him and you learn all you can about the disordere. tell him its his disorder...that is what my docter told me ....it went along way.....peace

Answer 5

once i watched an episode of my favorite show (Law and Order: SVU) and a girl went off her meds (she had bipolar disorder) and in a short week she ended up loosing her virginity, accusing to of her classmates of rape and mowed down a bunch of people in her car, killing one of them, in an attempt to kill her self. unmedicated people with bipolar disorder are known to act out sexually, and sucicide risk is high...
tell him that he really needs to.
if he doesn't listen, count his pills.
it works.
reward him if he takes them. tell him if he takes them for a whole month that you'll give him extra spending money( if you don't have extra money to give out, let him have a friend over or let him stay out past him curfew a little...)

Answer 6

he needs to take the pills long enough to figure out that they actually make a difference. My mum said to one of my brothers, if you can't be adult enought to monitor your health, i'll do it, and she practically shoved the pill down his throat everyday, until he'd get up in the morning and do it himself.

Answer 7

One should never be afraid of their own child. If so, contact your nearest teen intervention agency. If you are not familiar with one in your area, contact your local police department, school counselor, or hospital/health dept-clinic.You are not alone :)