Bipolar Medications

The market is saturated with medications to help with treating bipolar disorder. There is no cure for the mental illness, so daily medication is a source of treatment many individuals have chosen to live with. Lithium is the most popular drug prescribed for bipolar disorder. The medication is to even out your moods and keep them on an even kill. This reduces both cycles of mania and depression. It is an ongoing daily medication. Patients generally start to feel better within 2 weeks, but it may take several months to fully have the mood changes under control.

Antipsychotic medications are often recommended in addition to Lithium until the doctor is sure the Lithium has been effective. An antipsychotic medication controls psychotic symptoms including hallucinations. They can be used as a sedative to treat anxiety and depression. Lithium can be tricky to regulate because too little isn’t effective and too much is very harmful to your body. The amount of Lithium needed also changes depending on your age, any illnesses, your body chemistry, and your physical condition.

Doctors generally have patients taking Lithium come in for blood work every 2 weeks to ensure everything is balanced properly. Side effects of Lithium include weakness, drowsiness, and weight gain. In some



cases damage to the liver, kidneys, and heart. Women who plan to have children are advised that Lithium can cause birth defects.

The newest medication on the market is Topomax. It is believed to be very helpful with preventing mania. It also appears to help people lose weight, while most other bipolar medications actually cause people to gain weight. Side effects include dizziness and loss of memory. Antidepressants are often prescribed in addition to Topomax to treat bipolar disorder.

While all medications have side effects, they generally are not as harmful to the individual as the actual effects of the depression and mania. Most people taking such medications build up a tolerance for it over time, and no longer experience the side effects. Since taking medication to treat is an ongoing treatment, doctors tend to prescribe medications that a patient builds a tolerance for the side effects, it is easily digested and swallowed, and there is a low risk of interaction with any other types of medication a person may be taking. Most doctors follow up with the patient on a regular basis to ensure no life threatening side effects are taking place and to make sure the patient hasn’t built up a tolerance to the drug itself.