Bipolar II, medication help.?!


Question: I am currently seeing a psychologist at my university and he believes that with my family history I have bipolar disorder, but he feels it is bipolar II not bipolar I. I have been doing a lot of research about possible medications that I may be put on (I have an appointment tomorrow with my primary care, I don't have mental health coverage in my health care plan.) and I am wondering what you have been prescribed to treat your bipolar II.

Thank you for your help in advance.


Answers: I am currently seeing a psychologist at my university and he believes that with my family history I have bipolar disorder, but he feels it is bipolar II not bipolar I. I have been doing a lot of research about possible medications that I may be put on (I have an appointment tomorrow with my primary care, I don't have mental health coverage in my health care plan.) and I am wondering what you have been prescribed to treat your bipolar II.

Thank you for your help in advance.

Hi Liz,
There is a significant difference between Bipolar I and II and therefore the treatment regime for each condition. Medication which works well for bipolar I can be disasterous for bipolar II.. A medication to bring down the mania of bipolar I can have a catastophic depressive effect on someone who has bipolar II.

But also, a person might need different medication depending on what cycle of the illness they are in (ie depression or mania). And each person reacts differently to different medications as well.. i think it is often a case of trial and error to find out what suits you best.. and a case of you and your doctor working in collaboration to fine tune the medication or medications that you take.

I'm not an expert or a doctor, but i do have some good knowledge of bipolar II because i have helped a friend of mine get suitable treatment.

I believe that many people find the mood stabilizer lamotrogine/lamictal to be useful for bipolar II... the side effects are very mild and acceptable for most people.. Lamotrogine has an antidepressant and stabilizing effect which is useful for bipolar II, which has a bias towards depression.

The mood stabilizer Lithium has some very strong side-effects which can include the feeling of being drugged-up and having a head stuffed with cotton wool, so this has to be taken into account when deciding whether to embark on this treatment strategy.. i believe that Lithium is often prescribed to people who are experiencing moderate to severe symptoms of depression in bipolar I or who have a tendency to be more depressed that manic.. it is prescribed to lift and stabilize mood.

Sodium Valproate can also have pronounced side effects, although not as pronounced as lithium, which have to be balanced up with the need for treatment.. Sodium Valproate can have a strong depressive effect (anti-mania) and so is often prescribed to those who are experiencing mania or who have a tendency to be manic.. So for this reason, it might cause symptoms of depression in someone who has bipolar II and therefore never suffers from severe mania.. My friend experienced a side effect of severe depression when taking Sodium Valproate for his bipolar II.

Again, i am not an expert, and i may not be totally accurate with everything that i have written.. but i am sure that Lamotrogine has mild side effects and is easily tolerated.. My friend finds that is helpful without causing him any distress due to side effects.

Bipolar is a very complex condition to live with and to treat.. if you find that you are not happy with your doctor, then please find another one.. my friend and i have found that some doctors are excellent and some are totally useless and can make the condition worse.

All the best, I hope you find some good results,
Zag

I've heard of people taking Effexor for Bipolar disorder...I hope this helps :)

Psychologists are not qualified to prescribe any medications. Get an appointment with a psychiatrist who is qualified to properly diagnose you. For example your psychologist may be wrong. A psychiatrist is less likely to come up with a wrong diagnosis. If need be get extra cover for mental issues with your health care plan.

My brother has bipolar as well. He has been taking Seroquel with good results. He was first placed on Zyprexa and gained a significant amount of weight, with a huge appetite to go along with it. I don't recommend the Zyprexa. He also takes Depakote, which is a mood stabilzer. There are side-effects to these meds, but the results are well worth it. Good luck

Seroqel is used to treat both, but you need to be sure that is what you have

I have not been treated for bipolar I or II, but your primary care physician should be in contact with your psychologist to give
you the best medicine out there for your particular problem.
I wouldn't worry about this too much you will be in good care.
How long have you been bipolar do you think? Does it flare up on you more often when you are in term semester tests?
It sounds like maybe stress due to school work might cause you to flare up. Have you had any suggestions as how to cope with this problem. Would sports activities help your
case? Would a girlfriend or boyfriend which ever sex you are
help you over the rough spots?

My friend is bipolar and she says they give you lithium, no bones about it.

The first and most important thing to treat any Bipolar is a mood stabilizer such as lithium or depakote. Antidepressants alone aggravate bipolar disorder and can cause mood swings and mania. There are a lot of good websites devoted to Bipolar disorder. Good luck.

I'm not sure what type of Bi-polar I have-- but my mania goes into psychosis.... But, anyway, for what it's worth, this is what I take.

Geodon 40 mg (for racing thoughts, mania and psychosis)
Abilify 10 mg (for depression)
Lamictal 200 mg (mood stabilizer)

Good luck to you in finding a med mix that works!





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