Bipolar Disorder Page 2

Doctor Prescribed Medication for Bipolar Disorder

Medication:
The most effective medication used to treat bipolar disorder is known as mood stabilizers. There are several options available for mood stabilization:

1. Mood-stabilizing medication, such as Lithium which is the first mood stabilizing medication approved by FDA to treat mania. This medication proves to be effective in controlling mania symptoms and preventing recurrence of manic and depressive episodes. Lithium is prescribed for children and adolescents that suffer from bipolar disorder.

2. Anticonvulsant medications: This category includes two medications: valproate (Depakote) and carbamazepine (Tegretol). These two drugs have mood stabilizing effects and have proven to be effective in treating difficult forms of bipolar episodes. Valproate and carbamazepine are prescribed for children and adolescents that suffer from bipolar depression. However, there is evidence that valproate may cause adverse hormone changes in teenage girls and polycystic ovary syndrome in women that have been treated with this drug before the age of 20. For a better outcome, anticonvulsant medication is administrated in combination with lithium.

There are several other new anticonvulsant medications, such as lamotrigine (Lamictal), gabapentin (Neurontin), and topiramate (Topamax), that can be prescribed for bipolar disorder patients. However, these new medication are being studied in clinical trails to determine their effectiveness in stabilizing mood swings.

3. Atypical antipsychotic medication: This category includes: clopazine (Clozaril), olanzapine (Zyprexa), risperidone (Risperdal), quatrain (Seroquel), and ziprasidone (Geodon). However, this medication is still being studied in clinical trials to determine whether it is effective in treating bipolar disorder. There is evidence that clozapine is being helpful to stabilize mood swing in people that do not respond to lithium or anticonvulsant medication. Olanzapine also has proven its efficacy in controlling acute mania symptoms.

In some cases, other type of medication can be prescribe for a short period of time to control other symptoms associated with bipolar disorder. For example if insomnia becomes a problem, the psychiatrist might prescribe high-potency benzodiazepine medication (such as clonazepam - Klonopin, or lorazepam - Ativan®). This type of medication is highly addictive and is prescribed for a short period of time. To avoid the addictive effect, the specialist might prescribe a sedative (such as zoplidem - Ambien).

Medication prescribed to control and prevent mood swing can cause a series of side effects that include: dry mouth, weight gain, nausea, tremors, reduced sexual drive and performance, anxiety, hair loss, and movement problems.

Return to: Main Article: Bipolar Disorder.

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Do you suffer with bipolar disorder? Tired of what it is doing to your life? Contact Tulsa Therapist Alina Morrow, LPC, today to make an appointment and get the help and relief you deserve. You can reach me by texting or calling 918-403-8873 or by Email.

Page Last Updated: July 24, 2022

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