u/Inner-Schedule-2075

Posting for my sister (46F) with bipolar 1. I have bipolar 2 and there’s a strong family history.

Yesterday she had a severe episode: threw out her meds, became very confused, said bizarre religious stuff (“Jesus was Hitler”), didn’t recognize us at one point, and is now in a psych ward.

She’s likely perimenopausal, and I’m wondering how much hormones could be making this worse on top of the med issue.

Questions for anyone who’s been through this:

• Did perimenopause/menopause make your (or your family member’s) bipolar episodes more frequent/intense or different (confusion, psychosis, memory issues)?
• Did your treatment plan change around that time (med changes, hormone therapy, etc.)?
• After a severe episode like this, did things return to your previous baseline once stabilized on meds again?

Trying to figure out what to ask her doctors (hormone workup, med review, etc.). Any experiences appreciated.