Health Care

By: Trevor Price

Lithium

Lithium is the most common and highest prescribed of the bipolar medications used to treat bipolar disorder. It continues to be the gold standard and is seen as the most effective drug in bipolar treatment. Lithium treats mania along with depression, therefore reducing the cycling between both. It has also been proven to reduce the risk of suicide among people suffering from bipolar disorder.

Lithium is a natural salt. However, just because it is natural does not mean that there are no uncomfortable side effects. In fact, common side effects include stomach problems, weight gain, frequent urination, kidney damage, thyroid damage, foggy thinking, fatigue and tremors.

Because it's important to keep your lithium blood levels within a certain range, you must follow your doctor's prescribed dose. Your physician will test your blood levels regularly to ensure that your lithium levels aren't too high or too low. Levels that are too high can become toxic and in extreme cases lead to death.

Divalproex Sodium

Divalproex sodium is the generic name for Depakote, an anti-seizure medication typically prescribed for people living with bipolar disorder. The drug is effective at treating mania and preventing manic episodes, but does little to counteract depression and therefore must be prescribed in conjunction with an antidepressant. Common side effects include hair loss, fertility issues for women, weight gain and high toxicity in the pancreas and liver.

Lamictal Antidepressant

Lamictal is a commonly prescribed bipolar drug because it reduces instances of both mania and depression, therefore decreasing the number of cycles. The drug is popular also because it doesn't cause weight gain - making it an attractive choice for those dissatisfied with other medications. Some common side effects include rare incidents of skin rash, nausea, dizziness, distorted vision and migraines or headaches.

Tegretol Anti-Manic Drug

Though Tegretol typically isn't used to treat depression, it is an effective anti-manic or anti-mania drug. It controls psychotic episodes and instances of mania, but its side effects include high toxicity levels in the liver, blurry vision and nausea. It can also interfere with the effectiveness of oral contraceptives.

Trileptal Control of Mania

Like Tegretol, Trileptal is used to control episodes of mania. However, it's not as effective as Tegretol. That said, the side effects are drastically reduced and not as damaging to the liver as Tegretol. If you're using oral contraceptives, be aware that Trileptal can interfere with their efficacy.

Topomax for Weight Control

Typically, Topomax prescriptions are used along with other drugs for bipolar disease. Its main function is to prevent the increase of weight, and in fact often results in a decrease. But it can have some unintended impacts that include slower mental capacity, a sense of feeling a bit spacey, and general inattentiveness. Benefits of oral contraceptives are disrupted as well.

Zyprexa as Anti-Psychotic Medication

Zyprexa is an anti-psychotic that is typically prescribed to treat psychosis and is generally not used as part of an ongoing bipolar medications program. Its generic name is olanzapine and is considered an anti-manic drug. The most common side effect of Zyprexa is weight gain.

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