posted
My son (26 yrs. old) has lyme disease and has some very serious legal problems due to impaired judgment (lyme induced).
He is contemplating suicide, but he's herxing horribly because he just began treatment for lyme.
I was quite serious about ending it all when I first began treatment. I felt quite normal in between the herxing and rode on the herx/normal roller coaster for long periods at a time.
He has gone so far as to pick the day to end his life and has several plans in mind.
My thought is to commit him, but no one in our state will treat him for lyme in a psychiatric setting.
Help. I am in urgent need of your input.
You can send me a PM if you desire.
-------------------- Posts: 703 | From Almost Heaven | Registered: Aug 2004
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posted
Dear Biting Back, I would not fool around with this. I would take him off the meds right away and let the toxins clear which is what is causing the depression and the suicidal thoughts.
It is not him!!!! It is lyme toxins causing this.
Then I would look into other alternative methods of treating lyme which are more controllable and give some hope along the way.
I have been where your son is and that is exactly what I did. I am better now (also taking an antidepressant, but very small amount) and I am making progress.
Take him off the meds! Lymelady
Posts: 484 | From Fredericksburg, Va USA | Registered: Sep 2004
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lymemomtooo
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 5396
posted
BB..Please get him off of all abx NOW..He needs a break..None of the llmd's understand the suicide herx..Sorry if any of them are reading this and I have 2 wonderful ones..
YOu are the MOM, you must go with your gut instincts..If possible get some Valium to take the edge off..Even giving him a half of one will help..
And as mentioned get some detox going on..Even if you have to sneak it in a milk shake.
Then I am going to try to send a PM for you to share with him..Our story is very rough but there is now some hope..Hang in there..lymemomtooo
Posts: 2360 | From SE PA | Registered: Mar 2004
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Michelle M
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7200
posted
Oh, Biting, I am so sorry to hear this. Definitely end the meds for now till he's in a better spot. Any chance of not letting him out of your sight? Enlisting help from friends? I will keep your family in my prayers.
Michelle
Posts: 3193 | From Northern California | Registered: Apr 2005
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posted
My doctor saved my life by knowing all about this illness including the suicidal aspects - that's why he is called a LLMD.
This is a very serious situation and having him commited may make him decide to NEVER confide in you again. Do you want that?
Just as an aside - my suicidal thoughts didn't come from toxins or keet die off. My suicidal thoughts were a symptom that made me wake up to the fact I was once again sick, and the keets were in my brain.
Everyone here means well (myself included), but this is a serious issue and you should be very leary of taking our advice. Your son's life is at stake.
I suggest you do not leave him alone, and pick up the phone and interupt his doctor's Thanksgiving.
Andie333
Frequent Contributor (1K+ posts)
Member # 7370
posted
First, I'm so sorry your son is going through this. It's hard on the whole family, even if you're able to understand how he's feeling.
That said, I feel Lyme-ed has a very good suggestion, and I'd encourage you to follow up asap. There is an awesome (I understand) LL psychiatrist in PA who has also had Lyme.
I'm not sure where you live, but you could consider flying here if it's too far to drive.
I have sent you a pm with pertinent information about this doctor. I'd encourage you to explain the situation when you call the doctor's office. Chances are they could find a way to accommodate you.
My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!
Andie
Posts: 2549 | From never never land | Registered: May 2005
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posted
I agree, 1)back off the meds and get your son on a detox program with your LLMD. One detox med that works well is XYMOGEN MedCaps DPO. Dr. Harris recommends it. No prescript. needed, just off the web. 2) Increase the Magnesium supplements immediately!!, depression is linked to low Mg levels, and as Marnie will remind us... all Lymies have depleted mg. I was often depressed until I started uping my Mg. This link may prove helpful: http://www.coldcure.com/html/dep.html I use a blend of Mg Malate, Mg citrate and Mg taurate.
If his LLMD can't help him....see NY State Psychiatric Institute's Brian Fallon, MD,. He probably knows more about the psychiatric effects of Lyme than anyone in the world!
Hope this helps Ernie
Posts: 546 | From Cascadia subduction zone | Registered: Mar 2002
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posted
Thank you all, for caring and sharing -- I don't know what I'd do without you. My son has congenital lyme and so does his sister and 2 brothers. He has acquired lyme as well and I recall several bull's eye rashes that were each diagnosed as spider bites.
Chanse, our youngest (9) is still being treated for lyme and is doing fabulous.
My oldest son's legal nightmare does have a possible upside to it. If it weren't for the legal problems and desperation that goes along with it, he may not have considered lyme as the culprit of his lifelong ups and downs. His impaired judgment and impulsiveness, emotional lability, fluctuating unpredictable behavior, depression and anxiety have improved tremendously with the treatment he began recently.
Aside from the legal issues and waves of herxing, I can see that he's feeling 'normal' for the first time in his life (Mom's vantage point). But I'm guessing he's lost approximately 20 lbs. due to worry and stress. Thankfully, he is currently living at home with us, so I am watching over him like a hawk. I guess the technical term is Mother Hen.
Herxing is so new to him that he does not yet recognize it as such. He does very well for a few days, then all he** breaks loose for a day or so. Heck, how many times do we all go through this, not realizing until it's over that we'd experienced a herx?
My son has been unable to see a LLMD due to his legal problems. The closest LLMD is an 8-9 hour drive for us. He's not taking antibiotics, but he is using a natural protocol until he's able to break away and see the LLMD.
I've asked him to back off of the meds to give himself a break, but he won't. He says he just wants the lyme G-O-N-E. Slow and steady wins the race, but trying to convince a type A, 26-year-old male of that fact is next to impossible.
I may just hide his meds and hand them out to him one dose at a time. I hate to do that, but it looks like I have no other options.
Today is a much better day for him, but I never know what's lurking just around the corner. There are no lyme literate psychologists or psychiatrists in our state or I'd have had him there in a heartbeat.
Thank you so much for caring. All of you.
BB
P.S. My surgery went well on Tuesday and all things considered, I'm not feeling too bad.
-------------------- Posts: 703 | From Almost Heaven | Registered: Aug 2004
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bettyg
Unregistered
posted
BB, so sorry to read of your older son's state of mind! You just don't get a break, do you? Glad your surgery went well.
Yes, I agree with your statement....you give him his pills as needed.
Nov. 3, my former boss' wife, 57, committed suicide from severe depression! I wasn't aware of her depression but heard it went back to high school. I've wondered if she also had undx LYME disease. She OVERDOSED; her husband was very surprised to come home and find her this way. She hadn't talked of suicide.
So keep listening to your son & take action on your GUT feelings. My best to you all.
quote:Originally posted by bettyg: BB, so sorry to read of your older son's state of mind! You just don't get a break, do you? Glad your surgery went well.
Yes, I agree with your statement....you give him his pills as needed.
Ditto! I'm so glad your surgery went well. I hope your recovery continues to go well.
I'll be praying for your family.
-------------------- --Lymetutu-- Opinions, not medical advice! Posts: 96223 | From Texas | Registered: Feb 2001
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You might be able to get your son to agree to pulse his meds. Doing that helped me tremendously when the herxing was awful and I felt like I wanted to die.
Lyme has a 28 day life cycle (I think that's right) so pulsing the meds, say 10 days on and 5 days off, would help him to get the break he needs so desperately and it won't cause the lyme to reproduce in that short span of time.
A few months ago I asked people on this board about pulsing and many gave me very positive replies and said they did fine with that method.
Something else I did when I first started was cut my abx in half. I don't think we should herx so horribly that we can't function. Your son probably has a load of toxins in him and doesn't need to have such a huge die-off. Its non-productive when he feels as awful as he does. I still herxed plenty on 1/2 yet I was able to function.
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