Traditional Treatments for Bipolar Disorder--Medication

This is the second of a few posts regarding the treatment and care of Bipolar Disorder.

This blog is meant simply as a source of information and in no way should be construed as medical advice.  I am not a doctor, nor do I play one on TV.  I am simply a sufferer of Bipolar Disorder who has learned to cope with the illness over the last 20 years or so since my initial diagnosis.  I only want to share the information with you that I have compiled over the years, so that you may be better equipped to understand possible treatments that you and your doctor may discuss during the course of your treatment.

 

You cannot treat this illness on your own and you should not try to.  You need a doctor to oversee your treatments and to prescribe the care that is appropriate for your needs and situation.

Typically, an effective treatment plan involves a combination of at least one mood-stabilizing drug and/or atypical antipsychotic, plus psychotherapy, or "talk therapy".  I will discuss psychotherapy in the next post.  The focus of this post is the medications that may be used in treating bipolar disorder.

The most widely used drugs for the treatment of bipolar disorder include Lithium Carbonate and Valproic Acid (Depakote). Lithium Carbonate is a naturally occurring element that can be remarkably effective in reducing mania, although doctors still don't really know exactly how it works. It may also prevent the recurrence of depression, but is primarily valuable for the control of manic symptoms.  It is generally given in conjunction with other medicines known to have more value for depressive symptoms, sometimes including antidepressants.

 

Valproic Acid, or Depakote, is another mood stabilizer that is also helpful in treating the manic or mixed phases of bipolar disorder.  It can be used with Lithium or Carbamazapine (Tegretol), another mood stabilizer, to help control symptoms.
 

There are some other newer drugs that are coming into the picture when these traditional medications are not sufficient for symptom management.  Some of these include Seroquel, Abilify, and Latuda. Each of these medications fall into the class of antipsychotics and are usually used along with the traditional mood stabilizers to control symptoms. 

 

In general, doctors generally try to keep the use of antidepressants limited and brief as the use of some of these may actually trigger a manic episode or cause cycles between depression and mania to be more rapid.  One antidepressant that has shown effective for bipolar disorder symptom management is Effexor.  It can aid with chronic pain symptoms, such as those associated with fibromyalgia and neuralgia, as well as promoting better sleep, in addition to its antidepressive properties.

 

 

Some of these drugs, specifically Lithium and Depakote, can potentially become toxic if the doses get too high.  Due to this, they need to be monitored periodically with blood tests and clinical assessments by the prescriber.  Because it is often difficult to predict which patient will react to what drug or what the dose will ultimately be, the psychiatrist will often need to experiment with several different medications and dosages to find out what will be the most useful for each individual patient.

 

Because better sleep allows other medications to work better, sleep medications are often prescribed in addition to other meds.  These, too, should be monitored by your doctor to make sure you are getting the right amount of sleep.  Not enough could trigger a manic episode, while too much can cause a depressive episode or be a symptom of the depressive "pole" of the disease.

Some of the medications for bipolar disorder have potential side effects that may make treatment uncomfortable.   Learning to cope with these side effects is just as important as learning to cope with the underlying disease.  You should speak with your doctor about potential side effects so you know what to expect while taking these medications.  Often when we don't understand the side effects of medication, we are tempted to stop taking them.  Do not do this without supervision from your doctor as there is always the potential for withdrawal or the return of your symptoms.  The good news is that once your body adjusts to the medication after several weeks or months of treatment, the side effects will improve or disappear.

 

 

Keep in mind that finding the right medication requires patience as it can take some time and quite a lot of trial and error.  Some medications take weeks or months to take full effect and the dosages may need to be adjusted to find what works best for you with the least amount of side effects.  The medications may also need to be adjusted as your symptoms change.

 

As always, keep your doctor apprised of any changes in your mood or behavior so that he or she can adjust the medications as necessary to provide the best solution for your particular needs and situation.
 

Treatment and management of any illness takes time and effort and requires a strong and comfortable working relationship between you and your doctor.  We would certainly be shocked and very wary of the possible consequences of a cancer patient randomly deciding to discontinue treatment simply because they were "feeling better" or didn't think they needed it anymore.  The same is true of someone suffering from diabetes.  We would definitely advise the patient against stopping their medication and urge them to listen to their doctor and continue treatment. 

 

Bipolar Disorder is no different.  Although the visible manifestations of bipolar disorder channel it into the category of "mental illness", it is a physical disease, just like cancer or diabetes, and requires continued management of symptoms for a patient to maintain a normal and fulfilling life.  Without continued supervised treatment, as with cancer or diabetes, death is the potential outcome for the patient.  Due to the nature of bipolar disorder as a disease of the brain, the consequences of avoiding treatment may have additional far-reaching effects to the lives not only of the patient, but also to his or her family members if treatment is not fully undertaken and closely followed.  It is for these reasons that finding and staying with a comprehensive treatment plan is so important for a patient of bipolar disorder.

 

Like cancer and diabetes, bipolar disorder has no cure.  Its symptoms can only be managed and controlled for the lifetime of the patient.  Find a doctor.  Help him or her to find the best possible treatment for you and stick with it.  It is the only effective way to cope with this illness.  Bipolar disorder is a chronic and recurring condition that you will have for the rest of your life.  The only saving grace is that through treatment and management of your symptoms, you will be able to live a normal life.  It just takes some hard work and patience for this to come to fruition.
 

In an upcoming post, I will discuss some of the psychotherapies available to you for treatment of bipolar disorder.

 

Please contact me below or email me at angelasblogemail@gmail.com with any questions you may have or to share your own experiences with bipolar disorder and its treatment with me.

Peace and Love Always,

Sources:  webMD.com; mayoclinic.org

Photo Credits:  Colorful Brain Scan:  Photo credit: Image Editor via VisualHunt / CC BY-NC-ND;  All Other Photos:  Photo via Visualhunt.com