THANK YOU ALL FOR THE PRAYERS SO FAR. My dad said that if they had not gone home when they did, my brother could have had a heart attack due to his heart rate being so high or could have gotten hurt due to being so confused. Please continue to pray for him; we are hoping he makes a full recovery and can go back to leading a normal life.
The original post Aug. 6th 2010 (updates are below it):
I just got a very, very out of character message from my brother on facebook. He is home alone and I am worried about him. I can't get him on the phone. I am concerned first about his mental health and safety because he told me the other day that he hasn't been able to sleep for days now. Secondly, I am concerned about his faith (because of the content of the message).
UPDATE #1 (Friday Aug. 6th): I got my brother on the phone and he is saying very weird things and talking rapidly. He did not know what day it is because when I asked him the last time he ate, he said 3 this afternoon today (it is morning so that is not possible). I think he is on the verge of a psychosis. Called my parents, they are going home and should get there in a few hours. We may be able to arrange for someone to go and check on him in the meantime.
UPDATE #2 (Saturday Aug. 7th): My brother is in the hospital. My parents took him to the ER when they got home. His pupils were dialated and his heart rate was 155. His blood pressure wasn't too bad. He is having drug tests, a CAT scan, MRI, and spinal tap and has been admitted to the hospital to stay overnight. They gave him Ativan to try to calm him down but I wasn't clear on whether or not it helped. It sounds like his HR was still high.
UPDATE #3 (Sunday Aug. 8th): My brother is going to be hospitalized for at least several days for a sleep deprivation induced acute psychosis. The sleep deprivation is what caused his heartrate to be so high and his pupils to be dialated. He is in an induced sleep right now. The doctors think the sleep deprivation and psychosis was caused by one of the prescription drugs he was put on after a recent surgery. If this is the case, he should recover and go back to leading a normal life. If it is NOT the case, and this is the beginning of a psychiatric issue, then that will be very sad. We're hoping that this isn't psychiatric and is just like when I had a drug reaction 5 years ago (it would seem plausible that we're both sensitive to these things since we share a lot of the same genes). ETA: All the tests they did on him (scans, bloodwork, spinal tap, etc) were normal.
Update #4 (Saturday Aug. 14th): Update: my brother called me yesterday and sounded a LOT better. He still made an occasional weird comment so I know he's not out of the woods yet, but he was able to hold a normal conversation and he seems to understand everything that's going on.
He had a visit with my parents and his girlfriend yesterday and they said he was mostly normal in the morning visit and completely normal in the afternoon visit.
Also, this morning I talked to my Dad and he said Matt called and was bored today. Bored is good. That means mundane things like a bottle of water aren't fascinating to him anymore and don't have "secret meanings".
Update 5 Monday Aug. 23: Matt was discharged from the hospital last week. His doc tapered him to 1/2 the dose of the antipsychotic he was taking. He had to go back to the ER on Saturday because of being sick from the medicine and being weak from being sick. He also could not sleep again. Long story short, the ER docs said it was b/c of various meds he was put on in the hospital. They changed some of his meds and gave him IV fluids.
Today, Monday, my parents say my brother has been very clear headed these past few days. He went to church yesterday. The doctor had him tapered off 1/2 the dose of antipsychotic pill he was taking because it was making him so sick. He was able to sleep last night without the help of a sleeping pill.
Update 6 Wednesday 9/1:
Another update: Yesterday, my brother saw the new psychiatrist and this one did think this was drug induced. He took him off of the antipsychotic completely (which was surprising to me but hopefully it will be OK). The doctor will take Matt off the other medication next. He goes back next week for another appointment.
He told my mother that they can call him anytime and if there is an emergency to let him know and he will come to the ER. So, he is basically the opposite of the doctor Matt previously had!
Update #7 on 4/13/11: Forgot to post in the OP that my brother had another psychosis shortly after he was taken off the drug, so he was put back on and has been slowly tapered off. He is on the lowest dosage he can be on right now. We are waiting for the doctor to take him completely off it. The doctor hasn't done so yet due to my brother being in classes again and having a lot of stressors (moving, breakup with his GF, etc).
The original post Aug. 6th 2010 (updates are below it):
I just got a very, very out of character message from my brother on facebook. He is home alone and I am worried about him. I can't get him on the phone. I am concerned first about his mental health and safety because he told me the other day that he hasn't been able to sleep for days now. Secondly, I am concerned about his faith (because of the content of the message).
UPDATE #1 (Friday Aug. 6th): I got my brother on the phone and he is saying very weird things and talking rapidly. He did not know what day it is because when I asked him the last time he ate, he said 3 this afternoon today (it is morning so that is not possible). I think he is on the verge of a psychosis. Called my parents, they are going home and should get there in a few hours. We may be able to arrange for someone to go and check on him in the meantime.
UPDATE #2 (Saturday Aug. 7th): My brother is in the hospital. My parents took him to the ER when they got home. His pupils were dialated and his heart rate was 155. His blood pressure wasn't too bad. He is having drug tests, a CAT scan, MRI, and spinal tap and has been admitted to the hospital to stay overnight. They gave him Ativan to try to calm him down but I wasn't clear on whether or not it helped. It sounds like his HR was still high.
UPDATE #3 (Sunday Aug. 8th): My brother is going to be hospitalized for at least several days for a sleep deprivation induced acute psychosis. The sleep deprivation is what caused his heartrate to be so high and his pupils to be dialated. He is in an induced sleep right now. The doctors think the sleep deprivation and psychosis was caused by one of the prescription drugs he was put on after a recent surgery. If this is the case, he should recover and go back to leading a normal life. If it is NOT the case, and this is the beginning of a psychiatric issue, then that will be very sad. We're hoping that this isn't psychiatric and is just like when I had a drug reaction 5 years ago (it would seem plausible that we're both sensitive to these things since we share a lot of the same genes). ETA: All the tests they did on him (scans, bloodwork, spinal tap, etc) were normal.
Update #4 (Saturday Aug. 14th): Update: my brother called me yesterday and sounded a LOT better. He still made an occasional weird comment so I know he's not out of the woods yet, but he was able to hold a normal conversation and he seems to understand everything that's going on.
He had a visit with my parents and his girlfriend yesterday and they said he was mostly normal in the morning visit and completely normal in the afternoon visit.
Also, this morning I talked to my Dad and he said Matt called and was bored today. Bored is good. That means mundane things like a bottle of water aren't fascinating to him anymore and don't have "secret meanings".
Update 5 Monday Aug. 23: Matt was discharged from the hospital last week. His doc tapered him to 1/2 the dose of the antipsychotic he was taking. He had to go back to the ER on Saturday because of being sick from the medicine and being weak from being sick. He also could not sleep again. Long story short, the ER docs said it was b/c of various meds he was put on in the hospital. They changed some of his meds and gave him IV fluids.
Today, Monday, my parents say my brother has been very clear headed these past few days. He went to church yesterday. The doctor had him tapered off 1/2 the dose of antipsychotic pill he was taking because it was making him so sick. He was able to sleep last night without the help of a sleeping pill.
Update 6 Wednesday 9/1:
Another update: Yesterday, my brother saw the new psychiatrist and this one did think this was drug induced. He took him off of the antipsychotic completely (which was surprising to me but hopefully it will be OK). The doctor will take Matt off the other medication next. He goes back next week for another appointment.
He told my mother that they can call him anytime and if there is an emergency to let him know and he will come to the ER. So, he is basically the opposite of the doctor Matt previously had!
Update #7 on 4/13/11: Forgot to post in the OP that my brother had another psychosis shortly after he was taken off the drug, so he was put back on and has been slowly tapered off. He is on the lowest dosage he can be on right now. We are waiting for the doctor to take him completely off it. The doctor hasn't done so yet due to my brother being in classes again and having a lot of stressors (moving, breakup with his GF, etc).
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Please update us when you hear something.
If all else fails call the police and have someone drive by and check on him.
