Ending up in A&E and starting medication

So, the last couple of weeks has felt quite dramatic...

Over the past couple of weeks I have been experiencing a manic episode, for a while it felt more manageable than usual, I wasn't spending loads of money and I hadn't changed anything about my appearance (Hair dye, tattoos, piercing etc.) however, the episode seemed longer than usual and it was more unpredictable.

One night the mania became the worst that I had experienced up until that point and we were starting to feel overwhelmed and out of control but we went for a walk and hoped for the best and by morning I was feeling a little more in control of myself.

However, the next week the mania was still continuing and one night got to the point where I could not sit sit at all and couldn't connect with the real world, my mum noted that I couldn't finish my sentences or answer questions. By this point we decided the best idea was to call 111 for their advice. It took a couple of hours to come to a proper conclusion but in the end we were directed to go to the hospital.

When at the hospital I had to go through the normal triage where they decided the best idea would be to keep me in over night for observation. I was seen by one of the doctors who told me that they weren't able to medicate me due to the fact that I wouldn't be alert enough to talk to the mental health team in the morning. So, I spent a sleepless night curled up on the reclining chair in the hospital having obs checked every couple of hours just waiting to see the mental health team. Unfortunately, the mental health team weren't able to do anything in particular because I already was under the care of the community mental health team. However, the good thing that came from the visit to the hospital is that they were able to do a blood test and an ecg which was required to prescribe me medication that my psychiatrist had recommended.

The good news is that we managed to get some medication sorted and I was able to pick it up the next day. So, for those interested I am continuing Sertraline (an antidepressant aka Zoloft) and have been prescribed aripriprazole (an antipsychotic aka Abilify) and have been given Diazepam (a benzodiazepine aka Valium). For now its just about waiting to see the affect of the medication.

So far so good... and I am happy to feel like I am doing something that may make me feel better.

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