Bipolar relapse vs benzo withdrawal - any role for going back up on benzo dose?

[[Wi...]]

I'm not sure if my 24 yr old son is experiencing withdrawal symptoms or a relapse of his bipolar disorder with "mixed state" mania/depression/psychosis.  There is so much overlap of symptoms.  Or maybe he has both.  I honestly think now that much of his unstable psychiatric state this past year has actually been benzodiazepine withdrawal.  But much worse now with recent drops in diazepam doses.

 

Is it okay to go back up on diazepam to the point where he was last stable?  I'm worried he will need to be hospitalized if this doesn't turn around.

Psych doc is not a lot of help - unfortunately.  Doesn't have much appreciation for benzodiazepine withdrawal being part of the problem. 

 

Had to take seroquel last night due to extreme distress.  He is on depakote for the bipolar - which seems to have been a helpful medication since he started it in January.  So many things have not worked.

 

Any help is appreciated.

[[co...]]

Your poor son.

 

Bipolar at 13, huh?

 

It's the pills, mom.

[[Wi...]]

Cookienose-

 

Yes, age 13 was his first hospitalization for suicidality and psychosis. 

 

For the past several years he has been off nearly all meds - just on a nutritional supplement and had to add in a low dose of lithium for mania that just would not respond to the supplement alone. Lithium was an amazing med for him - it saved him and gave him his life back.  Tried going off multiple times and ended up in the hospital.  He finished college with honors.  He does all he can to take care of himself - no drugs/alcohol, eats healthy, exercise, etc.    However, once he had to stop the lithium everything became very unstable. The supplement alone just didn't work.  We tried and tried.  He has been in and out of psychiatric hospitals now for the past 19 months, and very unwell.  He cannot restart the lithium due to kidney problems.  And a trial of getting off all psych meds again and going on just the nutritional supplement was not successful despite trying as long as he could tolerate.  I do wish he could be off all pills - and we are trying - but he just keeps getting worse and I am very afraid he will take his own life in all of this misery.  Depakote saved him a few months ago. He was well for few months.  It was amazing to have him back.  I wish he had not tried to reduce the valium so quickly after he got feeling well on the depakote. And I wish they had not started it in the hospital - but they had tried everything and nothing made him sleep (at all) until they added it.  Now he is stuck on it, and I wonder how much of his current issues are from this nasty drug.