whats good meds for bipolal?

Answer 1

I'm a graduate psychology student, and also Bipolar, but I want to tell you that the people who answer these questions are not qualified to recommend medication for you. Mistichip's answer is a perfect example: Paxil is NOT a bipolar med; it is for depression. And taking an SSRI like Paxil can throw a bipolar into a manic state.
I am very familar with many of the meds that Bipolar patients use, including myself. But instead I'd like you to Set up an appointment with a doctor, or mental health care professional. You also need to be properly diagnosed, as Bipolar Disorder has lately become a trendy disease and is very over-diagnosed. Good luck.

Answer 2

This is a very good question; I can't tell you what you'll need to take, because I'm not a Dr. but I have been diagnosed with Bipolar/BPD and have done a lot of research and talked to a lot of Dr's, so I'll share what I've learned.

The front line medications for Bipolar patients are anticonvulsants (mood stabilizers). The more popular in the group are Lithium, Depakote and Lamictal.

Lithium owns the gold standard as the first medication clinically approved to treat bipolar disorder. Depakote has been around for over 20 years and Lamictal roughly 15 years. All of these meds metabolize heavily in your liver, so if you're going to start taking these meds, I would consider giving up the booze completely.

While I've heard that all three are very effective; Lithium and Depakote are said to have harsher side effects and also require regular blood monitoring to insure that the dosage is safe.

As for Lamictal, there is no blood monitoring, however, there is a small chance that you can develop a life threatening rash. Because the metabolism of Lamictal is unknown, Doctors can only increase the dosage by 25mg per week, which takes much longer to reach theraputic levels and experience the full benefits of the medication - so you'll have to be bit patient if your Doc prescirbes it.

I personally take 1000mg of Depakote daily and it's done a great job in containing my mania and improved my sleep. For me, Depakote has been great as part of monotherapy, but there are other adjunct mood stabilizers, such as Neuronton and Trileptal that are used as an adjunct to the front line mood stabilizers to handle excess anxiety.

Despite popular opinion, when you're bipolar, you cannot take certain antidepressants or antianxiety meds.

For antidepressants, you cannot take SSRI's (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), as they trigger mania and further increase bipolar depression. I've done plenty of research and gone over this in detail with my Psychiatrist; The priority is to treat the mania first, then once stabilized, you can treat the depression with Wellbutrin, which is an MRI (Multiple reuptake inhibitor) and is known as the "bipolar-friendly" antidepressant medication.

For antianxiety meds, benzodiazepines (Xanax, Klonopin, Valium)are a big no-no. While they may make you feel good initially, they are very addictive and are prone to trigger mania and increase bipolar depression. Most bipolar cases tend to develop serious substance abuse problems. If you drink and take benzos, you are really asking for trouble. If you're having serious issues with anxiety, ask your Dr. about Seroquel; this is an atypical antipsychotic, which is designed to treat schitzophrenia and bipolar mania. It provides a similar effect to benzodiazepines, without the nasty addictive effects.

As far as insomnia is concerned, you won't get Ambien from your Doctor, as it's another very addicting drug. You are better off taking Trazedone, which is an antidepressant, but is not used to treat depression, it knocks you out pretty well. When I have trouble sleeping, I take 75mg at night and it works great. It has no addicting effects and you do not feel hungover when you wake up.

I've will reach my theraputic level of Depakote next week (6 weeks total), after which, I will begin Wellbutrin on a low dosage. I take Trezadone as needed and that's it.

It's important not to take different drugs at the same time, becuase it becomes difficult to see how effective a drug works on it's own first. It's also important in reducing the side effects, as you start slowely with each drug and bring it up slowely, you're doctor will be able to observe how your resopnd to the meds and make adjustments as needed.

I've had a lot of trouble with other Dr's, till I finally found one who was truly an expert in treating mood disorders. Since working with her, I've experienced no side effects and have contained my mania, insomnia and most of my depression in about 5 weeks, while taking the least amount of drugs on the lowest dosage possible. (please note, I also attend regular psychotherapy, the meds alone won't cure you completely).

Hope this helps!

Cheers!

Answer 3

only a Doctor should give that type of information as meds work differently with each person. This is not something that you would buy on the street and take to make yourself better. If you can not afford to go to the doctor go to you local mental health clinic as the charge according to your income

Answer 4

I personally like Trileptal. I have had the best luck with this medication, and for me it doesn't have alot of side effects. Remember though, just because a medication works for one patient, does not mean it will work for another. I would however recommend that whatever meds they put you on, you research them.

Answer 5

This is a very good blog, a beginner’s guide to abnormal psychology.
Short, clear and simple; and you can even post your question and contact the author regarding particular subject you are interested in, for FREE

http://sensitive-psychoworld.blogspot.com/

Answer 6

Lithium is always a popular choice. There are many others of course, I suggest you get a book on this topic, it can give you more details about treatment.

Answer 7

There are plenty of them, but only your doctor can determine which is best for you.

Answer 8

paxil and it will help you lose weight also. double bonus

Answer 9

Bipolar....Lexapro for one.