Bipolar Treatment with Medication

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Antianxiety medications. Antipsychotics. Antidepressants. Mood stabilizers. Why so many meds? The advantages (and risks) of combining medications in managing a complex mood disorder. Over several years of medical management of a chronic illness such as bipolar disorder, it is common to see people taking pills from several different classes of medications. For example, an antipsychotic...

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Feeling trapped and overwhelmed, and with depression looming, I felt an urgent need for a change of scenery. Answering my “traveling itch,” I took the risk of visiting my hometown. The trip was for my peace of mind—and it was worth it. Why Would I Take the Risk of Traveling? In July of this year,...

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After my diagnosis, I began to define myself by my bipolar. News of being “in remission” brought up fear, doubt, deep questions about identity, and confusion over what it means when my symptoms disappear … and then reappear. “You Are Not Your Illness.” Any doctor, clinician, therapist, and social worker worth their salt will at...

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Staying in touch with your treatment team can be hard under the best of circumstances when you’re living with bipolar disorder. With the need for physical distancing, it can be downright difficult. Here’s how I navigated my appointments. Mental Health Is “Essential”—Even More So Now It can be stressful to go to the doctor and...

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Bipolar medication compliance can be complicated. When I was first diagnosed, I didn’t want to take prescriptions every day—I didn’t want to think of myself as “sick” at all. Boy, have I learned a lot since then! Accepting My Need for Medication to Manage My Bipolar Symptoms One of the most challenging aspects of bipolar...

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I have my unhealthy vices. I’m human. I struggle every day. Besides having a life-saving support system, no matter what, we have to take care of ourselves. These last few months haven’t been the easiest for me. While a lot of positive things have happened, a lot of things have tested me, too. And some...

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My diagnosis of bipolar I disorder gave me an explanation for my symptoms, but not relief. Forget the painful social stigma—I was stigmatizing myself. When people who take psychiatric medications are burdened with guilt and shame from stigmatizing themselves, this is proof of an obvious problem in our world. Sometimes, being diagnosed with a mental...

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To allow your pharmacotherapy for bipolar disorder the best chance to work, identify what’s interfering with your medication adherence and explore simple solutions. Tricia received a diagnosis of bipolar disorder II less than a year ago, in January 2019. She took it as good news, since it opened new treatment avenues. It was still a...

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At first, my acceptance of bipolar and my medication compliance went hand in hand, shifting like my moods. Now, well, it’s complicated… But I recognize how my meds keep me anchored. Noncompliance and a Crash When I first started taking mood-stabilizing medications for bipolar during my senior year of high school, I was so desperate...

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No one loves having to take a daily pill (or handful) to manage a health condition, but not taking medication as prescribed isn’t going to help you in the long run. Here are tips to improve your odds of success. #1 Know the Score The more educated you are about bipolar disorder, the better you’ll...

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Weight gain is an incredibly common—sometimes psychologically painful—result of many bipolar medications. Here I share five ways to help you process this change. The most important thing to remember, if it happens to you: Be kind to yourself. I would do almost anything to be skinny—anything, that is, except for dying or losing my mind....

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Researchers believe an alternative approach to antidepressant and antipsychotic prescribing may be more cost effective and practical than genetic testing.   November 20, 2018 – Pharmacogenetic tests are marketed as an aid to psychiatrists in selecting the antidepressant or antipsychotic medication that will work best in individual patients, based on their genetic makeup. But for...

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If you feel like you want to “throw in the towel” when dealing with medications, it’s important to remember it can take time to find success.   There’s a few things to consider when it comes to taking medication: I’ve been taking medication—you know, I’ve been taking a mood stabilizer, an anti-psychotic, otherwise known as...

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My medication non-compliance led to a devastating psychotic break in 2015. But through family intervention and a return to compliance, I am now healthy, employed, and advocating for others. Here’s what I’ve learned. By Emily Allen   In 2013, fed up with weight gain as a side effect, I decided to stop taking a key...

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No one loves needing to take daily medications for a chronic condition, but confronting your barriers to adherence assures a better outcome for bipolar disorder. Making the decision to go on medication for bipolar disorder—and sticking with it to find some-thing that works—can be a hard-fought battle. It’s common to have doubts about the diagnosis...

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The FDA has approved Abilify MyCite, a pill with a sensor that digitally tracks if patients have ingested their medication   U.S. Food and Drug Administration—November 13, 2017, Silver Spring, MD— The U.S. Food and Drug Administration today approved the first drug in the U.S. with a digital ingestion tracking system. Abilify MyCite (aripiprazole tablets...

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Taking medication for bipolar disorder takes commitment. You may find yourself measuring the pros and cons. For many, the benefits outweigh the drawbacks.     Each week I feel like a pharmacist. I pull out my shoe box, sort through peach-colored bottles, and put my medicine into my weekly pill boxes. I have two because...

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When you have bipolar disorder, no medication can truly change your attitude or thinking, as I learned from my late father. It takes hard work to make changes for mood stability. My dad was the first person I knew who had bipolar disorder. It was back in 1975 that he had a “nervous breakdown.” For...

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Some people may think that the side effects of antidepressants can be pretty innocuous as they are commonly prescribed, but for me, the side effects can be rough.   Earlier this year I wrote about the impacts of taking anti-psychotics and mood stabilizers, so now I’m going to write about the third type of medication...

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Despite advances, diagnosis and treatment of bipolar still has a long way to go before capable, customized, compassionate care is the norm. Today we have more reliable medications, with fewer side effects, than ever before. People with mental health issues can choose from every imaginable form of therapy, from interpersonal to cognitive to eclectic. More...