Bipolar Medicine And Complementary Treatments

Bipolar medicine that is used to treat the disorder is basically centered on mood stabilizers. These mood stabilizers include anti-depressants and anti-anxiety medications.

Mood Stabilizers

Mood stabilizers are used to help treat manic or depressive episodes or a combination of both. These bipolar medicines reduce the symptoms and the risk even of suicide in chronic depression. They bridge the gap between extreme mania and the ebb of depression when other treatments or medications are introduced.

Among the line of these mood stabilizers are lithium, anticonvulsants, and antipsychotics. Any one of these three is chosen after diagnosing the symptoms and episodes of mania or depression to tailor fit the medication. At times, a combination of them may be prescribed. No surefire combination is prescribed generally; treatment is usually on a person-to-person basis.

Anticonvulsants include Carbamazepine, Divalproex sodium, valproate and valproid acid, Gabapentin, Lamotrigine, Topiramate, and Oxcarbazepine. Atypical antipsychotics include Olanzapine, Quetiapine, Risperidone, Clozapine, Aripiprazole, and Ziprasidone.

Bipolar medicine is prescribed by psychiatrists who are more familiar with the medication to treat the disorder. The mood stabilizers are the first lines of defense and are initially used to treat the manic episodes and prevent the bouts of mania and depression from recurring or returning. Sometimes it takes years of maintenance use of the mood stabilizer to be able to manage the disorder. Sometimes, months or years into the maintenance regimen, other additional medications may be prescribed.

Choosing the Right Bipolar Medicine

It is not always a one-shot deal in treating bipolar disorder. Sometimes it may take several treatment sessions and medication prescriptions before your doctor can finally determine the best treatment and medication that will work for you and your type of bipolar disorder. Combining medications are usually done as best determined by a physician.

For example, in cases of severe manic attacks, a combination of an antipsychotic and mood stabilizer may be prescribed. Anticonvulsants may also be used to complement if not actually replace the mood stabilizers along the course of the treatment. Anticonvulsants are generally helpful in harder-diagnosed and harder-to-treat cases. Antipsychotics may be used in combination with anticonvulsants and mood stabilizers, too.

While antidepressants are used, they must be monitored closely as there is a higher possibility of a manic episode being triggered by the use of these antidepressants. Antidepressants are oftentimes recommended only for a limited period of time and used in combination with mood stabilizers.

Bipolar Medicine in Combination with other Treatment Forms

It is best that bipolar medicine be used in combination with counseling and therapy. While initial treatments are mostly medicines, because they are needed to stabilize the patient’s mood and manage the acute manic episodes, the bipolar medicine may not be the end of the process. To manage the bipolar disorder episodes of either mania or depression, the bipolar medicine will then have to be complemented by other treatment forms.

Counseling and therapy are introduced then to help maintain and prevent manic and depressive episodes. In worst cases, electroconvulsive therapy or ECT is sometimes used as a last resort. This treatment form is done by stimulating the brain electrically through electrodes. The treatment is aimed to stimulate the production of chemicals that will keep balance in the brain.

Other Things you should Know about Bipolar Medicine

Aside from your doctor’s professional advice, you yourself and your circle of support from your family and friends should also watch out for other aspects in the medication and treatment of bipolar disorder. Bipolar medicines are not totally foolproof. They have side effects, withdrawal effects, and other reactions that your body may have to the medicine. There may be side effects when you switch medications.

You may need supplementary medications. Interactions and allergic reactions to various drugs should not be discounted and must be anticipated. Even the use of non-conventional bipolar medicine or treatment should be taken in the light of extreme caution. There are some who advice the use of acupuncture, physical therapy, yoga and medication, to complement bipolar medicine and therapy.

Whatever combination is used, the combination must be professionally advised and must be adhered to strictly. Any sign of adverse reaction should immediately be relayed to your doctor or pharmacist.