Over the past year or so, this sort-of-biweekly series has shined the spotlight on a host of medications used to treat the two poles of bipolar disorder. The medications and medication classes we have covered so far include lithium, anti-seizure medications (including Depakote and Lamictal), antipsychotics and atypical antipsychotics (including Zyprexa and Seroquel), SSRI antidepressants (including Prozac and Paxil), SSNRI antidepressants (including Cymbalta and Effexor), and the older Tricyclics and MAOI's for treating depression. This week, we shift gears to start our coverage of medications not exactly designed for treating mania or depression but that nevertheless may come in very handy for treating symptoms that often accompany bipolar disorder and may contribute to its severity – symptoms such as anxiety and sleeplessness. Today, we examine anxiolytics (pronounced ang-zee-oh-li-tiks), sometimes referred to as tranquilizers – medications used to alleviate anxiety and calm the nerves. The main family of anxiolytics is made up of the benzodiazepines – commonly referred to as " benzos."

With this post, we continue our biweekly series on medications used to treat bipolar disorder and related symptoms. We have already covered lithium, along with anti-seizure and atypical antipsychotics commonly used as anti-manic medications or mood stabilizers in bipolar disorder. We introduced our coverage of SSRI (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitor) antidepressants with a post on Prozac (fluoxetine). This week, we continue our series on SSRI antidepressants with this post on Luvox (fluvoxamine).

Question “Do some medications used to treat bipolar disorder actually cause anxiety attacks as a side effect?”