Bipolar husband taking ambien during the day?!

Bipolar husband taking ambien during the day?

we are in the final stages of the marriage (too much insanity to deal with). he took an ambien at 10:00 am before meeting me and my son for breakfast, came in stoned (waiter had to drive him home). i don't have access to his doctor (hippa laws, etc.). he is also having weird dreams at night (he's not sure if he's awake looking for his gun or dreaming that he's looking for his gun). i sometimes sleep with my door locked (we sleep in separate rooms). he also obsesses over food and flavored water (always thinks someone is drinking "his" water). bottom line: meds aren't helping. is there anything i can do to help this man?

3 weeks ago
he sees a psychiatrist and a psychologist. the drugs he is currently on are: ambien (1 1/2 per night) but he always wakes up in the middle of the night and takes another one. depakote, neurontin, and lamictal.

3 weeks ago
he says he took the ambien during the day to "calm down." he still has trouble sleeping even with all these drugs.

My hubby is bipolar and it's a constant struggle. What medications is your husband taking? I hope Ambien isn't all. I would ask why he took an Ambien in the day, but after living with a bipolar husband for all these years, I realize that there's probably no explanation for his actions.

A few things that might help:

1. If you are in the final stages of your marriage anyway, separate from him if you can. Either get him out of the house or get yourself and your child(ren) out of the house.

2. You can call his counselor or doctor and talk to them. Tell them just to listen. They aren't breaking HIPAA laws if they don't tell you anything. Just preface your statement by saying that you are aware of patient privacy laws but you must tell them something about your husband that pertains to his safety and medical care. You can also call and have your hubby committed for a 72 hour observation period.

3. If the Ambien is not his prescription, lock it up or get rid of it. Keep all drugs that aren't his away from him. If he is on meds, make sure you have an alarm clock set to remind him to take his meds at the same time every day. I have a friend who had REALLY strange and violent dreams on Ambien. I take it and have no problem, but I have really strange dreams when I take Trazadone. My husband has had luck with Rozeram. It helps you get to REM sleep.

4. If he's obsessing over his food and water, he sounds like he is dealing with paranoia. Is he doing illegal drugs? If so, this could be contributing to the mental breakdown he seems to be experiencing. Reassure him that even though things aren't good between you, you would never do anything to hurt him.

I think it's time you get yourself out of this sinking ship of a relationship and call whoever you can to get your hubby help. He needs to be seeing a professional and having his medication adjusted and monitored.

Good luck! :)