What are the most common meds used to treat bipolar condition as opposed to depr!


Question: Mood stabilizers. Most of them are actually anti-convulsents -- they have found that some of the best mood stabilizing meds are the same meds they use to treat epilepsy. The most common are Lamictal (I am on that), Depakote, and topamax. For stronger mood stabilizing ability there is also lithium but that has a lot more side effects and health risks so it is not used as much anymore. Anti-depressants can't be used to treat bipolar as it can actually have a VERY bad effect (making people manic and psychotic). People who are very bipolar and get very manic with psychosis are also put on a anti-psychotic.


Answers: Mood stabilizers. Most of them are actually anti-convulsents -- they have found that some of the best mood stabilizing meds are the same meds they use to treat epilepsy. The most common are Lamictal (I am on that), Depakote, and topamax. For stronger mood stabilizing ability there is also lithium but that has a lot more side effects and health risks so it is not used as much anymore. Anti-depressants can't be used to treat bipolar as it can actually have a VERY bad effect (making people manic and psychotic). People who are very bipolar and get very manic with psychosis are also put on a anti-psychotic.

mood stabilizers
I'm on lamictal

Lithium is the mainstay. Other meds that are used for epilepsy (gabapentin is one, Lamictal is another) are also used.

Well I know that in antarctica they use the Flinstones meds for polar bears?

The most popular class of drugs used to treat depression are called SSRIs, which limit the reuptake of the neurotransmitter seretonin.
Lithium, an anti-manic, is the most commonly used drug to treat bipolar disorder, although it can have severely disruptive side effects

i know lithium is one of the top notch ones
but i also know it doesn't truly work for a lot of people.

i'm on lamictal...i've been on it for a year
and i'm doing damn great.
plus....i haven't had ANY side effects...and it doesn't
cause you to gain any weight. and it doesn't even stop
you frmo losing weight if you try to....so that's always good.

i have heard that lamictal is being prescribed to more
teens now [i'm 17] because it works really well
AND plus....unlike lithium, lamictal is used for
long term purposes and you don't beocme immune to it.

for depression....that's treated with antidepressants[anxiety and ocd also can be treated with antidepressants]

BUT if you have BPD, please do NOT take antidepressants
it will harm you a great deal because it will make your mania WORSE. i don't know how it does, but trust me....two months on lexapro[antidepressant] definitely proved that it makes it all worse.

lithium, depakote and lamictal

Lithium can be considered the 'classic' bipolar disorder treatment - the mood stabilising qualities of lithium were discovered in the 1950s (although it was also used earlier than that to treat mania) and is still one of the major drugs used in treating bipolar disorder today. It is generally safe in long-term use but regular blood tests are required to monitor the levels and make sure it is not having any adverse effects (e.g. on thyroid function). Thanks to recent advances, however, there are now many classes of medications used to treat bipolar disorder, the most common classes being mood stabilisers (e.g. anticonvulsants such as lamotrigine) and atypical antipsychotics. Antidepressants can be used, but they are being used less and less, as they can often cause mood instability and trigger episodes. Many people have been put on antidepressants because they are incorrectly diagnosed with unipolar depression, only to experience no benefit or an adverse reaction, because tehy are in fact suffering a bipolar depressive episode.

Mood stabilisers are a group of medications used to treat bipolar disorder - this group includes medications from various classes, the main ones being lithium, as aforementioned, and anticonvulsants. Various anticonvulsant drugs have been found to have mood-stabilising effects, and form the basis of long-term treatment for many bipolar sufferers. Lamictal, for example, is found to prevent both manic and depressive episodes, whereas some only effectively prevent mania. Most of these drugs are also quite safe for long-term treatment, but therapeutic monitoring is used to ensure that they are not having any adverse effects.

Antipsychotics are also a major part of bipolar treatment, but have traditionally been reserved for short-term treatment, i.e. for treating acute episodes of depression or mania, rather than for long-term 'maintenance' treatment, because of the potential for adverse effects in long-term use (e.g. tardive dyskinesia). However, the 'new generation' atypical antipsychotics (e.g. Seroquel, Zyprexa, Risperdal) are less likely to cause such adverse effects, and are being used more and more as maintenance treatment.

Many bipolar sufferers will have to be medicated their whole life, will have to undergo regular therapeutic monitoring, may require regular dose changes, may suffer adverse effects from their treatment, and may take years to find the drug(s) that works for them. Some will require several of these drugs in combination (e.g. lithium with a mood stabiliser and an antipsychotic) to remain well. This is why it is important to find a psychiatrist who specialises in psychopharmacology and bipolar disorders.

Advances in the treatment of bipolar disorder are being made all the time, and other substances such as Omega-3 are being studied as potential mood stabilisers. Although medication is vital, it should be remembered that psychological treatment is often just as important for dealing with, and treating, bipolar disorder.





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