Bipolar Disorder Medication

By | April 26, 2016

If you’ve been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, take heart. There are many traditional and new bipolar disorder medications on the market that can help you both get and stay well. If you’re in an either manic or depressive phase, antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers can help you bring your symptoms under control. Once you can maintain, mood stabilizers can help you stay where you are so that you don’t go back into either manic or depressive phases.

Other treatments for bipolar disorder

Further to using bipolar medications, it is useful to undergo therapy and educate yourself about bipolar disorder to develop a self understanding about your condition and limits. This will help you tell the doctor if the bipolar medication you are on has quit working or is not working effectively; ultimately to help you cope with lifes stresses and therefore be less worried about the symptoms recurring.

Commonly prescribed bipolar medication

Mood stabilizers

Mania and depression phases are calmed with mood stabilizers. Generally youll need to take these when you are first diagnosed to help you get your manic or depressive phases under control and continue on them to help give you a long term control. They can prevent the cycling of moods and also reduce the effect of cycles if they do occur.

The most commonly prescribed mood stabilizers are valproic acid and lithium. Lithium is recommended if you have episodes of euphoric mania, while valproic acid is usually the drug of choice for rapid cycling or mixed episodes.

Antidepressants

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If you spend far more time in your depressive phase than antidepressant drugs would be far more useful for you than if you were in your manic phase. With this said there are some recent concerns that they may not be effective and may result in episodes of mania and make bipolar disorder worse in the long term. This is the reason why antidepressant drugs and mood stabilizers are not used simultaneously. However your health practitioner may prescribe antidepressants for you only in the short term to alleviate the effects of depression and then return you to continue on mood stabilizers.

Anti psychotic drugs

So-called “older” antipsychotic drugs such as Haldol or Thorazine have been prescribed and are effective in treating bipolar disorder, but long-term use can cause a permanent movement disorder with involuntary tics called tardive dyskinesia.

Therefore, so-called “atypical antipsychotics” are preferred; these include Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Seroquel, among others. These may also be effective in the treatment of bipolar depression.

Bipolar disorder ” other medications

Benzodiazepines

The average mood stabilizer and antidepressant medication often takes several weeks to work. However during the short term Benzopdiazepiness can be used to help with anxiety, agitation or sleeplessness while the mood stabilizers take effect. Some examples of these are Klonopin and Xanax. Since they are so hi highly addictive they should only be used in the short term.

Calcium channel blockers

Channel blockers are usually used for disorders like high blood pressure, but they can also be used when you are not able to tolerate lithium or other mood stabilizers. However, they are less effective compared to traditional mood stabilizers.

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Thyroid medication

The thyroid is often affected when a person is suffering from bipolar. However medication for the thyroid can be added to the drug regimen to correct the problem. Low levels of thyroid can also be caused by the influence of lithium, which is an indication that thyroid medication is needed.

Finally

Without adhering to the doctors orders no medication or therapy will be effective for you. In addition it may take some adjustments to find the right medication protocol for you. Without adhering to the doctors orders and staying on your medication and attending therapy sessions, staying well will be a difficult task. If ever you face difficulties with your medication never go off it without first consulting with your doctor. They should be able to adjust the protocol to make you feel well.

Ken P Doyle is well aqauinted with the latest developments in bipolar medication and makes it his priority to share his knowledge with the everyone. To find out more about bipolar disorder , visit his helpful resource site on knowing bipolar disorder today.

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