Antidepressant medicines?

Question

Hi. Could anyone tell me if antidepressant medicine is used to treat bipolar disorder, or is it some other class of medicine? Thanks.

Answer 1

Lithium is the medication used most often to treat bipolar disorder. This medication evens out mood swings in both directions. It is used not just for manic attacks or flare-ups of the illness but also as an ongoing maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder.
Antipsychotic medications are sometimes used in the first several days of treatment to control manic symptoms until lithium begins to take effect. Some of the newer antipsychotic medications are also approved for longer term use in bipolar disorder.
Antidepressants may also be added to lithium during the depressive phase of bipolar disorder. Care must be taken, because given in the absence of lithium or another mood stabilizer, antidepressants may provoke a switch into mania in people with bipolar disorder.

Answer 2

A person with true bipolar disorder will generally receive maximum therapy from a combination of drugs, usually a mood stabilizer paired with an anti-depressant. Using an anti-depressant alone can be more harmful than helpful.

A mood stabilizer like lithium, Depakote, or Olanzapine are usually introduced BEFORE the antidpressant, because taking an anti-depressant without the mood stabilizers can catapult you into acute mania which can be extremely dangerous.

The mood stabilizers do well to curb the manic portion of the disorder; they can reduce excitability and anxiety, as well as disarm any "mixed state" symptoms (such as anxious depression). The antidepressants then elevate the mood out of the depressive state into the desired range of mood. Stabilizers keep you from going to high, antidepressants keep you from going too low.

Different drugs work differently for different people, so it may take months of trying different drugs and combinations before you and your doctor find the best setup. Sometimes more than one stabilizer or antidepressant are used, it all depends.

New drugs are coming out still, I'm taking Lamictal right now which has both mood stabilizing and lifting properties, but I'm going to suggest to my doctor reinforcing it with a mild dose of an SSRI, most likely Paxil.

It might take some time, but these meds DO work and there IS a setup out there that will work for you. It's worth it...

Answer 3

Did you confer consisting of your Dr about this, he could allow you to comprehend precisely what to do. you may extremely take it in decrease doses, likes 75mg for a million week, then like 50 or 25mg for a million week no matter if it really is for sale. Thats's the suitable. Now perchance you may taper off added till you don't be conscious any distinction, if the indications come lower back then go lower back on it slowly...

Answer 4

It can be- it can also be a starting point, where they can possibly add other medicines in addition to it. There are many medications with dual uses- where they are typically used to treat one problem, but are found effective for thers,. For ex,. nueroleptic medications, typically used for seizures, can be used to help with nerve pain and migraines.

Answer 5

Bipolar and depression aren't the same thing, of course, but there are some drugs that are useful in both cases. Trifluoperazine and Trihexyphenidyl are two of them. Don't take my word for it on these drugs, but the thing is, some drugs are used to tackle both, and some are unique to each (depression and bipolar).

Answer 6

in my experience psyche docs will try different meds, including antideppresants until they come up with something that works. there really isn't just one med that works for bipolar disorder.

Answer 7

I THINK IT IS SOME OTHER CLASS OF MEDICATION