Wow Outspoken,

You said a lot...It was kind of tough for me to get through to the core.

I think that you were saying that you did feel as though you and a friend had a lot in common until pretty recently. You are unsure what the cause of the change is, but you suspect that her doctor has put her on dangerous levels of medicines. Correct? This med change has caused frustrating and concerning behavior in your friend.

Hope that I've gotten the gist of it.

What struck me in your post was a lot of frustration with your friend. The driving events are disturbing, as is her low mood. An Aunt of mine is bipolar, and there are differing degrees of mania and depression. One universal trait is the intensity of those moods. People who suffer from severe depression can best relate to it ~ but their's is more intense and comes fast! You can't bring someone up from severe depression by taking them for a ride, to a movie, or whatever. It is a major chemical change occuring inside of their brains. If you haven't ever experienced severe depression, imho, you cannot possibly imagine the constant deluge of terrible thoughts.

I applaud you for being concerned. Looking for some way to help her feel better. In my experience, it isn't that easy. I wish that it were! Our bodies change throughout our lives, and for whatever reason, what did work before suddenly stops. And then comes changes & trying to get a hold over manic and/or depressive symptoms. Maybe you should step back from this relationship a bit. Put more time in yourself or your marriage. Send a kind line every now and then (without expecting response) to let her know that you do still care. Hopefully, the symptoms will soon get brought under control.

The medication thing ~ that's really individual. Some people do require more meds than others. Many build up immunities to certain types of meds, and require huge dosages to have any impact on the symptoms of the illness. You've let everyone involved know your opinion and experiences of your friend on the increased med's, and there really isn't much more that you can do. Just step back and try to get more centered.

Very best wishes to you ~ I hope things improve very soon!