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Medicines are used to manage bipolar disorder. Your doctor may prescribe more than one. Types of medicines for bipolar disorder include the following:
- Medicines to help keep moods stable may delay or relieve episodes of mania (highs) or depression (lows).
- Medicines for depression don’t treat the whole illness. Your doctor may prescribe one of these medicines when you’re depressed, as well as a drug to keep your mood stable.
- Medicines for psychosis (an illness that prevents people from knowing the difference between the real and imaginary world), when used for bipolar disorder, are mostly used to treat mania. They may also be used to treat psychosis that can occur during severe episodes of mania or depression. Patients with severe anxiety or agitation may also receive this type of medicine, which may be used alone or with other medicines, for treating bipolar disorder.
- A doctor may give other medicines when a person with bipolar disorder cannot sleep or feels nervous.
- Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), although not a medicine, is a medical treatment used to help people with severe mania or depression. It can also help people who do not do well with medicine.
Expert treatment guidelines
The American Psychiatric Association has guidelines for managing bipolar symptoms. The guidelines recommend combining acute (short term) with maintenance (long term) therapy.
The goals of treatment for bipolar disorder are to:
- Control mania and depression symptoms in the short term to get people feeling better again.
- Help prevent or delay mood swings.
- Reduce how often a person has mood episodes.
- Help people with bipolar disorder function as well as possible.
- Reduce the side effects of treatment.
- Help people with bipolar disorder stay with their treatment plans.
How bipolar disorder medicine can help
Taking medicine for bipolar disorder doesn’t guarantee that all of the problems will be solved. But the right bipolar medicine can help stabilize the mood swings associated with bipolar disorder. It can help people gain control over their symptoms. It can improve their ability to cope with problems.
During mood episodes, people with bipolar disorder can have problems with thinking, emotions, and physical well-being. These problems can affect how well they function and may affect their families’ lives. For many people with bipolar disorder, using bipolar medicine may keep their moods stable. This can help make their lives more normal.
Get the most from bipolar disorder medicine
- Take bipolar disorder medicine every day as your doctor prescribed, even if you have no symptoms.
- Tell your doctor how the bipolar disorder medicine makes you feel.
- Find a good way to remember to take your medicine:
- Write down your medicines and when to take them.
- Use a pillbox to organize your bipolar disorder medicines.
- Put up a calendar to help you remember what medicines to take and when to take them.
- Don’t run out of your medicine. Get your refills on time.
Also of Interest
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Use a Mood Chart (PDF Format) to learn about your bipolar disorder and possible triggers. |
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