Antiseizure medicationsĪntiseizure drugs may be used instead of lithium, especially when the mood cycle is very rapid. Blood levels of lithium are checked regularly it is ineffective if the level is too low and risky if the level is too high. The dose is usually increased gradually until the drug begins to work, and is then periodically adjusted. Its side effects include weight gain, hand tremors, drowsiness, excessive thirst, and frequent urination.īecause lithium can injure the heart, kidneys, or thyroid gland, it's important to have a physical examination and blood tests before taking it. Lithium use must also be monitored carefully. The mood cycle often emerges if treatment is stopped, even after many years of treatment. In about 20% of people with bipolar disorder, lithium completely relieves symptoms. Seventy percent of people with bipolar disorder who take lithium experience fewer and less-intense manic episodes. It prevents the mania and, to a lesser extent, the depression, although how it does this isn't known. Lithium is the most frequently used mood stabilizer. In one study, people who were treated with lithium and continued to take it averaged 1½ weeks a year when they were severely ill, whereas people who stopped taking the medicine averaged 13 weeks a year of severe illness. These medications are usually most effective when they are combined with psychosocial treatment.Įven with treatment, though, relapse is common. Antidepressants and sleep medications may also be used. The most commonly used medications are mood stabilizers such as lithium, antiseizure drugs, and atypical antipsychotics. Sometimes, manic people are so out of control that they pose a threat to themselves and others and need to be hospitalized.īipolar disorder is highly treatable. A complete evaluation by a psychiatrist is critical to arriving at an accurate diagnosis, which is the first step toward an appropriate treatment plan. A person in a period of mania often does not know that he or she is behaving strangely and in need of medical attention. If you or someone you are close to is experiencing the symptoms of bipolar disorder, medical attention is urgently needed. The chance that there will be future attacks rises with each new episode. Eventually, the depressive phase of the illness sets in.Ībout 10% to 20% of people with bipolar disorder develop what is known as rapid cycling, with more than four episodes of mania and depression a year. As the mania fades, the individual may have a period of normal mood and behavior that lasts for weeks, or even years. Untreated, the manic phase can last as long as 3 months. Some people have bipolar disorder for months, if not years, before it is diagnosed. People who take amphetamines or corticosteroid drugs or people with overactive thyroid glands have symptoms similar to those of people with the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Mania can be difficult to tell from schizophrenia. The symptoms of bipolar disorder are not always easy to distinguish from other serious conditions. lose interest in activities or relationships.do risky things like abuse alcohol or other drugs, recklessly spend or invest money, engage in reckless sexĭuring a depressive episode an individual may:.develop exaggerated self-confidence or thoughts of power and wealth.jump from thought to thought or project to project.Until the mania gets out of control, he or she can be extremely productive and wonderful company.ĭuring a manic episode an individual may: During the manic phase, an individual can be cheerful, outgoing, talkative, and energetic. One part of the cycle is marked by symptoms of mania, the other by symptoms of depression. Symptomsīipolar disorder is a recurring disease that goes in cycles. Environmental factors, such as troubled family relationships, may aggravate this disorder. Close relatives of people suffering from bipolar disorder are much more likely to develop it, or some other form of depression, than the general population. Heredity is an important factor in bipolar disorder. The risk of suicide is high among people with bipolar disorder an estimated 1 of 4 people attempt suicide, and 1 of 10 succeed. The length of the cycle, from the heights of mania to deep depression, varies from person to person. The first manic phase may not follow until several years later. The disorder usually begins with a depressive episode in adolescence or early adulthood. People with bipolar disorder differ from those with other depressive disorders in that their moods swing from depression to mania, often with periods of relatively normal mood between the two extremes. Bipolar disorder, once known as manic-depressive disorder or manic depression, is a form of depression in which periods of deep depression alternate with periods of hyperactivity and uncontrolled elation (mania).
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