What medicine should my wife take for bipolar disorder...?

Question

She was clinically diagnosed when she was 17, but has never taken anything for it... She has recently started taking Celexa, and it's made a difference, but I don't thin kit's the answer...
HELP!!!

Answer 1

Your wife needs to see a psychiatrist.
A psychiatrist should oversee the treatment of bipolar disorder. There are many medications for treating bipolar disorder, and a psychiatrist is best qualified to identify which drugs work best for a specific patient.

Psychologists and some mental health counselors can provide psychotherapy, or talk therapy, another critical part of treatment. Through therapy, people can develop coping methods that prevent long periods of illness, extended hospital stays, and suicide.

Mental health meds are different for everyone... so what may work for one person won't necessarily work for another.
There are many mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics... old drugs and new drugs.
Celexa is a SSRI (like Prozac) used for clinical depression and generalized anxiety. It can take quite a while to work.
"The efficacy of Celexa in maintaining an antidepressant response for up to 24 weeks following 6 to 8 weeks of acute
treatment was demonstrated in two placebo-controlled trials."

One thing you should be aware of
"Screening Patients for Bipolar Disorder: A major depressive episode may be the initial presentation
of bipolar disorder. It is generally believed (though not established in controlled trials) that treating such
an episode with an antidepressant alone may increase the likelihood of precipitation of a mixed/manic
episode in patients at risk for bipolar disorder. Whether any of the symptoms described above represent
such a conversion is unknown. However, prior to initiating treatment with an antidepressant, patients
with depressive symptoms should be adequately screened to determine if they are at risk for bipolar
disorder; such screening should include a detailed psychiatric history, including a family history of
suicide, bipolar disorder, and depression. It should be noted that Celexa is not approved for use in
treating bipolar depression."

Answer 2

If it has helped, why don't you think "it's the answer"? When people are prescribed psychotropic meds, they need to be monitored by the person prescribing (hopefully it was a psychiatrist) with weekly visits for counseling and med monitoring.

Bipolar is tricky, some meds work for some, while not for others. To get even more detailed, often a "cocktail" of a combination of meds is necessary. This is where you need to find a skilled person willing to take the time to see what really works for her.

Answer 3

Usually an antidepressant and a mood stabilizer. Some people need meds for anxiety too. You'll have to talk to the Doc.