It is possible to manage bipolar disorder with numerous types of bipolar medicines available today even if the disease can’t be cured. The treatment depends on how well bipolar disorder is managed in the long run.
Other than medicines, modification in behavior and counseling are two very important psychological techniques which are helpful in treating people who suffer from this disorder.
It is essential for many people suffering from bipolar disorder to take a mixture of bipolar medications. It is very difficult to say if unconventional treatments by themselves help to treat the disease in long period of time.
Bipolar medications called mood stabilizers are used primarily to prevent or lessen manic or depressive episodes. Medications that are commonly prescribed for this purpose include lithium, anticonvulsants like valproic acid, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine.
Antipsychotics are also used in bipolar medication for treating the problem of mania. These bipolar medicines are olanzapine, quetiapine, and risperidone. Normally drugs used for stabilizing the mood are useful for managing the episodes of mania. You can also use some other medicines like quetiapine, lamotrigine and fluoxetine for treating bipolar depression.
In most cases bipolar medications have some side effects. Problems like memory loss, nausea, diarrhea, increase in weight etc can be faced by patients taking Lithium. It may not manifest itself when mild dose is taken but can be an issue for people taking a strong dose of these medicines.
Sedation, increase in weight, disturbances in electrolyte, and there are some more side effects of anticonvulsant medications. Problems like hyperglycemia, weight increase and restlessness can result from bipolar medication which is antipsychotic in nature.
One may find it difficult to decide on which medicine is more effective as the bipolar medication works in a very different way for each sufferer and is also dependant on episodes. The doctor should wait for at least four weeks after the medicine has been introduced before coming to any conclusion and it is not possible to get immediate relief also.