Right on e…:) you are very smart

Hi David,
My concern is for the men and women in prison who are being taken off medications that have worked for years. My son was in Avenal State Prison and they took him off of his Wellbutrin and has been moved to Mule Creek Prison and on Monday they are taking him off of his Seraquel. And no they are not weaning him off. Cold turkey. I am very upset and am attaching a letter I sent to Avenal and am in the process of sending to Mule Creek Prison. I have not had a response from any of the people this was sent to including Lois Capps.

March 1, 2008

Dr. Greenman
Chief Medical Officer
Avenal State Prison
1 Kings Way
Avenal, CA 93204

The Honorable Arnold Schwarzenegger
Governor of California
Office of the Governor
State Capitol
Sacramento, CA 95814

Mental Health Association of Santa Barbara County
16 West Mission
Suite V
Santa Barbara, CA 93101

County of Santa Barbara
Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services
315 Camino Del Remedio
Santa Barbara, CA 93110-1316

Dear Dr. Greenman,

How does a mother, or any family member who has a loved one in prison, feel when they discover that the medical staff is making decisions about medications that are not in line with what the loved one needs? Who do they turn to? What can they tell their loved one in prison when they keep reaching out to their families for help? What gives the medical staff the right to take away or adjust medication that has been working for years for someone who is mentally ill? Do they really believe that taking away a medication or lowering the dose on others is going to keep a bi-polar person well adjusted and calm? Why can’t they see that when they mess with a person’s medication that it has consequences and the only person that suffers is that person?

I am a mother. My son is an inmate in your prison. He is bi-polar and an addict/alcoholic. Due to my research and participation in mental health support groups I was made aware how he used alcohol and drugs for many years to self-medicate. I too am an alcoholic in recovery. Due to my own drinking and the lack of knowledge about bi-polar behaviors and the need for a mentally ill person to self-medicate, he went undiagnosed and untreated until he was around 23 years old.

He enlisted in the United States Army as a paratrooper with the 82nd Airborne when he was 17. He was the keeper of the wings and was chosen to jump with the British Army. He was proud of his service and trained hard. His hope was to find a way to feel better and felt if only he had discipline and training it would work. It didn’t work. He couldn’t handle it and was drinking again. He received a general discharge and left the Army ashamed and devastated.

He came to live with me and I watched in agony as he deteriorated. He started getting into trouble and had a difficult time holding a job. His marriage was over and he was having a hard time dealing with the loss of seeing his son. He was hearing voices and would sit on the couch having a conversation with someone who wasn’t there. He could not sit still and paced for hours, chewing on his fingernails until they bled. He was irritable most of the time and when he seemed calm it was short lived. He wouldn’t leave the house unless I drove him where he wanted to go. He couldn’t sleep at night. He lost interest in his music, his appearance and the well being of himself and others. He had tremendous sudden highs and very deep dark lows. It had progressed to an uncontrollable and very agitated state of mind for him. I became more and more concerned and knew that there was something terribly wrong beyond alcoholism/drug addiction. I asked him one day if he needed help as I had many times in the past and he was finally able to say “yes, that he thought he was losing his mind.”

That afternoon I took him to the County of Santa Barbara Alcohol, Drug and Mental Health Services. The doctor immediately put him on lithium which had an immediate effect. He was calmer and able to sit for longer periods of time. However, it was not enough. Before long he was in the hospital in a near coma state due to lithium levels that were out of range and was taken off of it. The journey to find the correct medication for him began.

He applied for and received SSI. He was given many different medications over the next year trying to find what worked for him. While there was some improvement it wasn’t long before he was so confused both physically and mentally that he ended up with a felony assault charge in a total blackout and was incarcerated in Santa Barbara County Jail.

While in the jail the medication was far and few between. I went several times to talk with the Mental Health staff, in particular a lady named Cindy. I do believe that they tried to help and they did end up putting him back on Welbutrin which was one of the medications he was taking before he got in trouble and he had expressed that to the medical staff and was heard. While in jail Welbutrin, along with the other meds, began to help him right away. Without the addition of alcohol or drugs the Welbutrin was able to perform the way it needed to and he was able to concentrate on what was happening and in what direction his life was going. He knew he had to find a way to change his life. After much discussion with myself and his attorney he came up with a plan. He had hope.

His attorney and the judge both agreed that he needed to be in sober living and enter a dual diagnosis program. He was released to a sober living home for men and was court appointed to the Phoenix House program on an out patient basis of which he did 18 months and received a certificate of graduation. During that time he enrolled in Santa Barbara City College seeking an Associates Degree in Behavioral Science. His goal was to become a dual diagnosis counselor where he hoped to work with young boys who suffer from the same disease as himself. He maintained an excellent attitude and was able to focus on his schoolwork receiving excellent grades. He then took a summer off and was able to bring his 9 year old son to California to live with him in the Lighthouse Dad’s house. They had a wonderful summer and watching him with his son was a joy. He is a great father who wants to give his son everything he never had as a child which was mainly a sober parent. I believe that the success he achieved in all these areas of his life during that time was a direct result of being on the correct combination of medications, including Welbutrin. He was sleeping, having fun, developing physically, mentally and spiritually. He attended AA meetings and had a great group of supportive men in the program. He told me that the Welbutrin helped him to stay calm, was not agitated as much and helped him stay focused.

He did excellent for 2 years. Unfortunately, when you are dealing with a dual disease his alcoholism again reared its ugly head. He was overwhelmed and drank and was sporadic with his medication. There is a lot of underlying stresses that can cause a relapse of which as a doctor I would hope you are well aware of. As a result he was arrested once again for probation violation and domestic abuse.

He was given another year in jail of which he did about 5 months and was released on electronic monitoring back to the Lighthouse. He again did excellent and was released from electronic monitoring at the end of that year. He was so focused on his recovery that he decided not to return to school until he was stronger. He maintained his medications which included the Welbutrin. He then felt he was strong enough to move out on his own and found a small apartment where he could have his music and was planning on having his son come over for another long visit.

He moved into an area of town, unaware until it was too late, that was full of people that were drug dealers and drug users. It wasn’t long before he got in a fight with one of the residents and was again arrested on probation violation and vandalism. I am sure that you have all of his records and know the details of his arrests. Perhaps you haven’t taken the time to read them. It might help understand his history if you did.

So here we are. He is in prison, once again struggling to maintain the medications that have proven successful all these years. I contacted the Mental Health Services and had his medical records sent to Dr. Galen. He received them and stated in one of our phone conversations that they were concise and that they showed great success with the Welbutrin. He wrote up a recommendation which he submitted to you of which you so heartlessly denied. He has been taken off the medication and is now agitated, mentally confused and in fear of being around other inmates, getting more agitated and having a fight.

He has become withdrawn while looking for things to do to survive in his state of mind. He has already had two fights since he has been there due to medication changes and sees no way out. He has become hopeless once again. I see no progress or programs being offered to help him to become a non-repeat offender. Have you ever met him? Have you ever sat down and talked to him? I believe you would be amazed at the person he is.

I am very concerned for him as he is for himself. I believe it is unethical and dangerous and even against the law ? to change around his medication, or anyone’s for that matter, and find it offensive that you believe that you can do this with obvious disregard of the consequences. He will be the one to pay for behavior that stems from not being medicated correctly. Is this the goal? To keep him down with no hope for the future?

I am focused on the Welbutrin and Seraquel because this is the medication that he has been taken off of and along with the other medications he is on has been the most successful and is so important to his well being. I have sent proof of this to Dr. Galen.

His only desire is to see himself with a chance at a new life. He needs programs that are conducive to his not being a repeat offender and programs to help him maintain a strong recovery. I have read all of your information on the internet and you talk about these very objectives with no proof that it is happening.

It makes no sense to me why this medication has been stopped. I have heard that this is a statewide event. However, if that be the case it is a true picture of what I and many others see as a failure in the prison system. Sean feels disregarded and unimportant. I know I am not the only parent or loved one that is going through this with those incarcerated. My only concern is my son. If I can somehow help others then I am relieved. My son does not deserve to be treated with such callous disrespect regardless of what he has done. It becomes a vicious cycle. Take him off the medication that works, he gets in trouble, gets more time and on it goes. It is a set up for you to continue such practices. It will only lead to more dangerous situations and continued struggles for my son.

I am sending a copy of this letter to the above addresses in hopes that this can be resolved. I am a voice out here for my son because he isn’t being heard in there.

My next step will be the media. This is not a threat. It is a mother fighting for her son.

i am finding your information on bipolar disorder very informative but here’s my problem i just started to se a man about 3weeks ago and he was very up front about being bipolar. I just notice that the meds they have him on cause side effects that even he sometimes doesn’t notice but i do. i was just wondering if you have any information on the drugs used for this disorder. It’s mostly his short term memory but there are things i am curious about in his personality. i guess i am wanting to know more about the side effects because i truely like this man and want to have a more lasting relationship if possible. I would appreciate any help you could give. thank you.

I thought (hoped) I finally was given an effective medication (Resperdal) this week. But, I have had extremely bad pain across my upper abdomen. My psychiatrist told me to stop taking the medication to determine if Resperdal is the cause or if it may be something other than the medication. I had been taking Seroquel and it was not working well and caused me to be over-sedated. Does anyone have any good experiences with Resperdal? What about the side effects? I was thinking I would be willing to take it if the doctor would give me something to counteract the intense stomach pain. Anyone have similar experiences?

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