What’s another drug besides Depakote I can take with less side effects for bipolar disorder?
by LC on Tuesday, December 1st, 2009 | 10 Comments
I have been on it for a month, but I have been researching it a lot and I am not happy with what I am finding. I read that it causes ovarian cysts and infertility, I can take weight gain and drowsiness, but I am not alright with this! I really don’t want to be on it anyways because I do plan on having children someday. Please someone help me! It seems like my psychiatrist just wants to get me in and out with no real regard for my health. I think I was better off without medication.
Have you tried any other medications? A few other medications that are out there are Serequel, Lithium, and Lamictal. I currently take both lithium and lamictal they have both worked for me with few side effects. I would talk to your doctor and express your concerns to them and if they aren’t willing to listen to you then find a new doctor. Good luck!
My husband is Bipolar and to this date, he says that Effexor is the best!
Without knowing your medical history I cannot recommend another medication. I have linked you to the WebMD bipolar disorder guide. Best bet is to ask a pharmacist as they know all about side effects and drug-drug interactions.
The medication that has been around the longest for treatment of bipolar problems is Lithium. Bipolar disorder is caused by a chemical imbalance in the body specifically salt. Lithium works as it is a salt. My son’s half brother and sister are both treated for bipolar. Many bipolar folks feel they are better off without the medication because the prescription drugs "lop of the highs and lows" of the patients mood swings. Many people miss the "highest of highs" when being medicated. I had questionable bipolar issues without the depressive feature and have not been a candidate for medication. In my case I used to drive from Florida to New England straight through and found the ability to tap into my "manic panic" mode was beneficial. 20 hours or so of interstate highway driving was tough.
Last but not least maybe you should look for a new psychiatrist if you are not happy with the one you are seeing. The doctor-patient relationship is of paramount importance in the psychiatric field. In that person’s defense sometimes the choice of medications has to do with the patients medical history. Hope this helps and best of luck to you.
A previous answer follows: Take the quiz, at http://www.blackdoginstitute.org.au/public/bipolardisorder/howtotell/self-testing.cfm if unsure, and if the results are positive, ensure you get an expert diagnosis from a mental health professional, not doctors, who are much better dealing with physical ailments, and don’t diagnose complex disorders like bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, and borderline personality disorder often enough to develop any real expertise. Bipolar disorder usually involves major mood swings, which occur without apparent cause, and often over many months, or a matter of years, rather than days, as with most people (unless rapid cycling). If you decide to use allopathy, (modern Western medicine) I recommend trying Lithium Carbonate, or Lithium Citrate (regular tests are necessary, for these) before trying the other mood stabilisers, but if you aren’t good at taking medications regularly, drinking adequate water, and keeping up your salt intake, something else, such as Lamictal may suit you better. Check out "lithium" at http://www.drugs.com & http://crazymeds.us/ and always research medications first, (read, and keep the labels/information sheets) so you will be aware of the risks, and on the lookout for side effects. If I wasn’t bipolar type 1, and wasn’t troubled by hallucinations, or serious delusional states, I know I’d first try the orthomolecular, and Omega 3 fish oil supplements, vitamins, minerals; herbal remedies, and a mostly raw food diet, for around 6 months, to see if they were sufficient. Even if not, they can be maintained, as complementary treatments, which may enable a reduction in the medication(s) ultimately required, with their risks, and side effects. Check out http://www.nutritional-healing.com.au/content/condition.php?category=neuro&condition=Bipolar+Disorder
Note: St. John’s wort has been known to trigger mania, or hypomania, as have antidepressants, and the two should never be combined, due to the risk of serotonin syndrome. I’d aso eat in accordance with my "nutritional type". Enter that term in the searchbar at http://www.mercola.com (book), or a 20 question quiz is via http://www.naturalhealthcoach.com/tools If not considerably improved, after several months, consult your primary mental health care provider; you may be one of those who need medications to prevent this progressive illness from getting even worse. If bipolar type 1, an antipsychotic medication may also be needed. Everyone should take the Omega 3 supplements, or preferably "krill oil" for its other health benefits: use the searchbar at Mercola.com . Some people refuse medication, using supplements, and a selective, mostly raw food diet (I do not recommended trying this, if bipolar 1, unless you aren’t troubled by hallucinations, or delusional states). Don’t use medications and supplements together, without medical advice, except for Omega 3, which is safe. Maintaining the treatments for the depressive phase (if not using, or using minimal mood stabilisers) may well reduce the impact of the depressive phase, when it recurs. Depression: (1.) Take at least 4 Omega 3 fish oil supplements, daily: (certified free of mercury) it is best if consumed with an antioxidant, such as an orange, or its FRESHLY SQUEEZED juice. If vitamin E is added, it should be certified as being 100% from natural sources, or it may be synthetic: avoid it. In the winter months, if not getting sufficient daily exposure to strong light, see http://www.mercola.com SEARCHBAR: enter: "vitamin D3". Go to a doctor and ask for a 25(OH)D, also called 25-hydroxyvitamin D, blood test. When you get the results, don’t follow the typical “normal” reference range, as these are too low. The OPTIMAL value that you’re looking for is 45-52 ng/ml (115-128 nmol/l)". The company which tests your levels has to be one of those using the correct form of test, and this topic is addressed via the searchbar at mercola.com – "vitamin D3; testing".
Talk to your doctor about the following for bi-polar.
Lithium
Zyprexa
Lamictal
Abilify
I’m bipolar and am currently on lithium.Best Wishes
My friend takes Lithium, but I think that has made him slightly melancholy – I guess it depends on the individual.
His dad however is on Carbamazepine and that seems to work very well. My brother also takes it (not for bipolar though) and neither of them have gained weight or anything so try that one :]
Take care xx
I heard there are medications such as Abilify , Seroquel XR, Lamictal these medicines seem to be
work for people , I got Bipolar disorder and I am taking Seroquel XR and it does seem to work me the best , It causes drowsiness but it does benefit in a lot of ways for people , I’ve been taking it about 2 weeks and I am starting to feel better already
i have been on almost every bipolar med there is, and the safest one for maintaining fertility and the least weight gain, which was a problem for me with almost ALL of the drugs, is the anti-convulsants (topomax, degranol, etc). however, they make you a little slow on the up-take of day to day conversations, thus the nick-names (DOPOMAX, hahaha, true story though)
GENERALLY, and I`m saying this as a truth….Lithium and Seroquel are " gold standard", drugs for Bipolar 1. But not everyone responds to these drugs, I am one of them, There are some co morbid conditions that exist with bipolar that may make other drugs more appropriate. I have ADHD, and GAD…so I take drugs more for anxiousness, and psychosis than a mood stabilizer, ( Lithium).
AND YES, TOPAMAX DOES DULL YOUR VERBAL AND LANGUAGE ABILITIES!!! I`ve suffered greatly. I need to be weaned off this drug, but I suffer from severe migraines and I can`t find any other drug that is cheap enough to keep them at bay….HELP???
all meds have side effects. you have to weigh those against the benefits. remember most side effects are rare, and not everyone has them. depakote is one that has a generic. if money is an issue it is the one to stay with. lamictal for example, the starter pack cost 300+ and monthly it runs 120 unless your insurance is better than mine. the depakote was a good option because of cost