Article by Ricky Hussey

Bipolar disorder is not a single disorder, but a category of mood disorders defined by the presence of one or more episodes of abnormally elevated mood, clinically referred to as mania. Individuals who experience manic episodes also commonly experience depressive episodes or symptoms, or mixed episodes which present with features of both mania and depression. These episodes are normally separated by periods of normal mood, but in some patients, depression and mania may rapidly alternate, known as rapid cycling. The disorder has been subdivided into bipolar I, bipolar II and cyclothymia based on the the type and severity of mood episodes experienced.

Causes

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Question by Drunk Monkey: Is there anything I can do to stop yawning so much from my bipolar medication? 10 POINTS?
Ok i started taking a bipolar medication a while back and ever since then i’ve been yawning all the time, even when i get plenty of sleep and i’m not even tired. Is there anything i can do to stop yawning so much? Or is there any medication i can take for it?

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Article by Betha Mmari

It is not unusual for individuals with bipolar depression (also called manic depression) to be misdiagnosed unless seen by a professional.

Characterized by sudden and extreme mood swings manic depression is referred to as such because manic or mania refers to the up periods while depression refers to the down periods. Although many of us can experience occasions where dramatic mood swings can occur, this is often caused by short term stress at work or pre-menstrual tension for example. Doctors actually have diagnosed regular, persistent mood swings as a common symptom of depression.

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Bipolar disorder was called manic depression in the past. Various types of bipolar disorders but they are generally presented with heightened mania mood while being followed by deep depressive symptoms. These symptoms, however, can be managed by several medications like lithium and other antipsychotics to take care of the mania, but it would also need an antidepressant bipolar medication to take care of the depressive episodes. Medications like antidepressants must be obtained through a physician’s prescription. There is an antidepressant bipolar medications that are grouped as SSRIs or selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, which control the serotonin level in the brain. Serotonin is the type of neurotransmitter concerned with several behaviors as sleeping.

Bipolar medications that work as antidepressants come in different names these days like Prozac. There are also other medications included in this group and is considered to work just like Prozac like Paxil, Wellbutrin, and Zoloft. Typically, these medications are taken in at higher dosages at times when the patient is in his or her depressive behavior, but it will be on its regular dosages on regular instances. Aside from SSRIs, tricyclics are among the other medications people are taking in since not everyone can take SSRIs as it makes their depressive episodes worse. Tricyclics are considered to be an older type of antidepressant bipolar medication with higher mood stabilizing components at regular levels.

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Question by R.E.D.: Do most bipolar people think they can do without medication?
Is it common that most bipolar people want to drop taking their bipolar medication? Do they come up with all kinds of rationizations to support not taking their medicine? What are some of these rationizations? Do you think a bipolar alcoholic can recover from alcoholism without their bipolar medications?

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Bipolar medications can vary in different types like in stabilizing the mood. A classic example of this medication is a calcium channel blocker bipolar medication. This has been used in taking care of manic episodes experienced by people who have a bipolar disorder. Verapamil is among the known calcium channel blocker bipolar medications in the market and has been formulated to help acute mania attacks. This is also a good substitute for individuals who may find carbamazepine as not effective in taking care of its symptoms. It will be preventing too much brain activity because of increased calcium ion signaling.
According to comparison of this calcium channel blocker bipolar treatment, many experts claim that this is similarly effective just like lithium in terms of controlling calcium backfire. Verapamil can take care of regular occurrences of bipolar depression and also hyper signaling of calcium within the brain. Most of the time, these attacks occur in a recurrent manner because of sudden backfire of calcium in between neurotransmitters which in the result to bipolar symptoms. However, this type of medication has been typically given to patients who may not have enough results with other bipolar medications. Experts claim that it’s better and much easier to just prevent bipolar symptoms than just stopping it once the attack started.
Calcium channel blocker bipolar treatment like Verapamil is a known mood stabilizer and can also be helpful taking care of bipolar depressions by blocking out calcium busts. However, this type of medication should also be monitored properly as side effects can as well as happen to depend on the patient. For instance, it can cause fainting and nausea to people whose bodies are not used to this calcium channel blocker bipolar treatment. This medication is the last resort of physicians when their patients are not getting results from the regular antidepressants and other medications.

Discussing bipolar medication with your physician can be uncomfortable about you. It can be easy to understand that your physician can help you when it comes to this case, especially when you’re currently challenged with its episodes. Furthermore, you may also find lots of physicians that may make the discussion difficult when it comes to discussing several issues when it comes to bipolar medication. Typically, these physicians will only aim to treat you and not listen on your side. There are bipolar medications that may be giving you horrible side effects while others may work well.

You must inform your physician if you notice that your current bipolar treatment is not working as expected so you can have it changed. They will tell you to take the new medication for sometime if you want to know the right ones that will work for you effectively before they say their decision. Basically, there are some medications that may take several weeks before working properly for you. However, during instances of severe side effects like having suicidal thoughts or urges, make sure to emphasize this to your physician to get it change as soon as possible. Although you may find your physician a bit intimidating, it’s better for you to bring someone who can help you express your concern about your bipolar treatment.

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Question by :O: What can bipolar medication do to a misdiagnosed schizophrenic?
I’m no doctor, but this person has definitely had delusions, possible hallucinations, and episodes that give me reason to believe this is Schizophrenia, not Bipolar.

She is taking Bipolar medication which numbs her down really well so she doesn’t have episodes… but I’m curious to know what this wrong diagnosis could mean, any psychologists out there?

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Bipolar disorder is described by having two extreme moods. One is being too manic while the other is getting too depressed. The occurrence of these cycles may happen several times a year. Typically, this condition is diagnosed and aided by a psychiatric expert. Mood may vary from having an episode of mania, normal and depressive on some patients while others may one of them. This condition can be managed or treated with the help of bipolar medication but many people are having problems using them because of various medication adverse reactions. The most common bipolar medication adverse reactions a patient may experience is nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, thyroid problems and even liver function problems.
Furthermore a patient may also experience blurred vision, dry mouth, memory issues, constipation and reduced sexual functions as among these known bipolar medication side effects. Some antidepressants and antipsychotics that are meant to manage depressive episodes may actually trigger and increase these episodes. Some mood stabilizers are not suitable for pregnant women because it can affect their development. Diabetes are among the side effects of using antipsychotics. The problem with these bipolar treatment side effects is they can be fatal for the patients who will undergo these medications.
Apart from the ones mentioned above, chest pain, overheating, suicidal thoughts and seizures are among the fatal or highly problematic bipolar medication side effects. It’s advisable that the patient should be taken to an emergency room to manage this problem since they can cause death without proper management. Regulating drugs can be given to patients who are experiencing bipolar medication side effects and results may be expected after several days or weeks of use. In addition, changing the diet and food intake together with the medication can also be helpful for patients in taking care of this problem. It’s better to discuss these bipolar treatment side effects with your physicians in detail so you’ll have better understanding of it. This is a good help for you in managing your condition and even knowing the right thing to do once these deadly symptoms occur.

Abilify

Abilify Bipolar medication is used for the treatment of psychiatric problem such as mental sickness that creates problem in the perception or expression, hallucination paranoid, speech related issue and thinking ability. These symptoms are mostly common in the adulthood. This medication can also be used for treating acute manic and mixed episodes or bipolar disorder. Besides this it can also be used for treating depressions. Abilify helps in treating aggression, mood swing, temper tantrum and suicidal thoughts or autistic problem

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