Medications Used In Treating Bipolar Disorder

Manic Depression or Bipolar disorder as it is commonly referred to, is a mood disorder. It is characterized by mild changes in ones mood to a more severe swing from depression to manic episodes and vice versa. When this occurs it is said that a person is usually going through a mode of rapid cycling. In the manic or high state if you will, individuals can experience excessive happiness combined with expansiveness, or excessive touchiness and/or anger. A person with Bipolar disorder may have grandiose thinking or ideas, in other words they may consider themselves better at a particular task, avocation and so on, than they actually are. Simply stated they may really think that they are the greatest at whatever they are partaking in at the given moment and better at it than others.

Manic depressive individuals often find that they have little need for sleep, they have excessive energy and an unusually high sex drive or are promiscuous. Also these they find themselves engaging in reckless activities, and often go on spending sprees regardless whether they think that they can afford to spend or not. Someone with Bipolar disorder usually cannot tell that they are going through a manic or depressed phase. They cannot see themselves acting extremely excited or that their excessive talking is not normal. No, only family members or others around a Bipolar individual can really see that their loved one is going through an extreme high or an extreme low.

There are a few different types of manic depressive illness, or Bipolar Disorders to make note of...they are:

Bipolar 1 Disorder- In Bipolar I Disorder a person has at least one elevated or manic episode in their lifetime that fully disrupts their life. This elevated mood is usually accompanied by abnormal behavior.

Bipolar Disorder II- With Bipolar II Disorder there is a high and low cycling between moods over a period of time, and it is very similar to Bipolar I disorder, the only difference being that in Bipolar II disorder the elation of mania never reaches the full-blown high level if you will, that it does in Bipolar I.

Rapid Cycling - An individual that is rapid cycling in Bipolar Disorder usually has four or more episodes in a year. Four or more episodes of Depression and four or more episodes of mania within a years time. Approximately 20 percent of individuals with Bipolar disorder II have rapid cycling.

Mixed Bipolar - In mixed Bipolar, there is alternating levels of mood over time. Moods in a manic-depressive individual switch from being depressed to being elevated or manic. And that particular person can experience depression and mania at the same time or in rapid sequence.

Cyclothymia- Is a fairly mild mood disorder and individuals with (Cyclothymic Disorder), have milder symptoms than someone who has an abnormally elevated mood or is an otherwise manic state.

People with Manic Depression or Bipolar disorder can become extremely angry out of the ordinary for no reason, and can cause harm or self inflict injury upon not only themselves but to someone else as well. Besides anger, the often negative emotions that one with Bipolar disorder can experience can include extreme frustration and anxiety. The good news is that individual counseling or psychotherapy can assist one in getting the help he or she needs with this condition. To add the following medications and supplements have been found to be very effective in treating people suffering from Bipolar disorder. For the most part the benefits that these medications play in helping with manic and/or depressive symptoms outweigh the negative side-effects of the medications. And to add, all medications for the most part do come with some undesirable side-effect profile whether it be dry-mouth or a little constipation.

Of the more popular drug treatments used in treating and helping manic-depressive persons in leading a better quality of life and assist with controlling the depressed states and manic episodes that they find themselves experiencing are...

• Lithium
• Depakote
• Cymbalta
• Seroquel
• Zyprexa
• Abilify
• Neurontin or (Gabapentin)
• Lamictal
• Wellbutrin
• Zoloft

And Fish Oil supplements, to name a few of the more popular therapies.

It is not uncommon for example for a psychiatrist or other qualified M.D. to prescribe Depakote (Valproic Acid) for an individual two to three times a day. And than add to that a high-quality Omega3 or Omega6 fish oil supplement. It is thought that fish and fish oil supplements that contain these fatty Omega constituents assist in enhancing or boosting the total effect of the Depakote and brain chemicals. And basically helps with the overall cognitive function in manic-depressive individuals. Depakote is also used to treat seizures in epileptic persons. To point out some drugs such as Depakote are are used in treating more than one condition, and this case holds true with many of drugs on the market today, whether for treating depression or pain for examples.

The most common side-effect that is experienced with Depakote along with another anti seizure, antidepressant drug called Lamictal or (Lamotogrine), is weight gain. However it is important to know that drug companies are hesitant to disclose to the consumer right away about warnings from the FDA ( Food and Drug Administration) to them about including in their drugs product information, the potential side-effects that can occur. A fact that was brought up by the FDA in August of 2010 for example about Lamictal; was a warning that this drug can cause Asceptic Meningitis, which is an inflammation of the protective membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord that is not caused by bacterial infection. Asceptic Meningities can be fatal to a person if he or she develops it while taking lamictal.

Even though the majority of medications utilized to treat Bipolar disorder are very effective and safe, it is still a good idea to do some research of your own on some of the products out there that are utilized to treat Bipolar Disorder and can be risky to take on a long term basis. The information about the various drugs used to treat this often complex disorder are very numerous to mention and I could go on and on about them in this article. But with respect to time, I would like to mention one other older drug called Gabapentin in closing.

Gabapentin, better known as Neurontin, is a class of drugs very much like Depakote for example. It was originally used as an anticonvulsant like Depakote to treat epileptic seizures when it had first been introduced on the market in 1993. Gabapentin for one has a very desirable side effect profile, whereas side-effects from this drug are very few compared to some of the newer therapies on the market. Gabapentin has been used successfully on individuals who were not responding well to other antidepressants or mood stabalizers to treat their conditions. It interacts favorable in treating manic-depressive illness to boot.

This drug has also been used successfully in treating acute depressed and manic mixed states and can be utilized to treat future episodes of depression and/or mania. It has also been documented in certain studies that gabapentin may provide some relief with the long-term outcome of bipolar disorder.

The most important thing to remember about Bipolar Disorder is that no matter how great you think you are feeling. The fact is...you will always need to be on your medication and should not abruptly stop taking it, because you think that you are feeling good. It's certainly nothing to be embarrassed about because it is a real disease, just like diabetes or heart disease, are real diseases. Bipolar Disorder is a biochemical disturbance that occurs in the brain and is related to a general imbalance of the chemicals in the brain that are responsible for emotions and so on that makes us experience the way we think and feel. (ie). Norepinephrine and serotonin are two of the major brain chemicals of mention here.

Also important to remember is that your overall quality of life will improve dramatically if you stay with the regimen of treatment that your doctor prescribes for you. It will help with the everyday activities in your life. From your job, to the interactions with many a different people that you come across on a day to day basis. Bipolar individuals are also very talented and creative people. Some famous and talented individuals from our past who suffered from Bipolar Disorder were President Theodore Roosevelt and Van Gogh to name a few of the many. So all in all, when you look at it this way a if you do suffer from some form of Bipolar Disorder you are not alone. You may have an advantage over others in that you find within yourself an undiscovered creative talent.  And can eventually share with others this new found talent in the future. It all depends on from what perspective you look at your disease from.