Psychological episodes & hiv

[Nicholas_88]

Hi there I'm wondering if anyone could help with any advice information or own personal experiences. My partner is positive diagnosed 2 years ago with a low cd4 count and vl of about 30,000. Since this time he's been on arv meds and been okay. He has been suffering with paranoid manic episodes since last year  (at that time we thought it could be the atripla so meds were changed to eviplera) since then he has again been having these "episodes" it usually starts with some anxiety and stomach pain/acid/heartburn, sweaty, dry mouth, unable to speak clearly, clammy and shaky with a fast heart beat then he starts to get very paranoid about his phone/my phone/someone bugging the house etc he will spend hours taking the sim cards out and changing settings etc (to add he has gone through a lot this year which surely will leave him with a slightly raised anxiety level) a few weeks ago he was admitted to a psychiatric hospital as he started to turn all the lights and switches off in the house, was just repeating what I say back to me and speaking like a robot he then started talking really random things like bible verses (he's religious) throwing himself on the floor and trying to grab me dragging me around by the hair, he ran outside with only shorts on and was very delirious he was taken to hospital and then discharged in the morning as he was completely fine. This has happened a few times after but not to the same extent.

We are seeing the doctor tomorrow after having no success with the mental health team. Does anyone know what this sounds like or could possibly be?

[mecch]

Hello.  Eventually the moderator will put this into the correct section - someone I know...

Listen that sounds like a lot going on. I doubt anyone here can offer much insight knowing so little about your friend.

What do you mean no success with the mental health team?  That's all very worrying, and the psychiatrists  came up with nothing?  Does he have a ID - HIV - specialist? That's probably the doctor who should be aware this isn't good and should refer to a qualified mental health professional.

Glad he's off the Atripla.  That combo doesn't help people with such tendencies.

Good luck.  Stick to it and stick up for him and find a doctor to figure something out.

[Jim Allen]

Hi

Welcome to the forum.

Firstly I moved your thread, please only post in this section "Someone I Care About Has HIV" or for anything off-topic so not related to HIV or treatment in the "off-topic" section. The other sections are reserved for people living with HIV.

Look your friend need to keep working with his HIV doctor and make sure they are also aware of his mental health problems, this is something he need to do and it sounds like he needs to to continue to work with his psychiatrist.

However nobody here will be able to tell you much more than that he should work with his doctor.

Jim

[Nicholas_88]

Hi mecch thanks for the reply, the mental health team are not taking it too seriously probably due to the fact that he can present as quite normal and calm afterwards,it seems to be a different case worker every time also so explaining everything that has happened to a new person every other day is getting us no where. He's been offered anti psychotic medication aripiprazole but refused to take it
 I have told him I can only support him if we see a doctor and don't stop til we get to the cause of this.

He has a new hiv specialist who didn't seem to worried about what I told her she said it sounds like a mental breakdown which I fully understand but this has been going on for some time and seems to be worseing. Thank you for replying anyway hoping the doctor can offer more support tomorrow

[mecch]

He has a new hiv specialist who didn't seem to worried about what I told her she said it sounds like a mental breakdown which I fully understand but this has been going on for some time and seems to be worseing.

There is something rotten in Denmark if an MD who is, to boot, an HIV Specialist, is "not worried" about a "mental breakdown".

I have told him I can only support him if we see a doctor and don't stop til we get to the cause of this.

By all means get to the cause of it. And maybe I misunderstood the first part of the sentence. I don't think we should put conditions on helping out a partner who is obviously mentally ill.  I mean at least get a diagnosis.  Then you can see if you partner is ready to deal with it or not.  Refusing anti-psychotics could have been right or wrong. We don't have enough information to judge.