Danielle Asks…

My 4 year old son was diagnosed with bipolar disorder about six months ago…he is currently on Seroquel, and the doctor added lithium today. I am scared that my baby has to be on these medications at such a young age and I am wondering if there is anyone out there with children (or yourself) that started these meds so young.

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Over the past ten years of living with bipolar disorder, my wife has seen about a dozen different doctors for about a half dozen different reasons – insurance issues, trouble getting in to see the doctor, ineffectiveness of treatment, moves (us or the doctor), and so on.

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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.”

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I watched an episode of Intervention last night. The woman involved in the intervention, Marci, was heavy into alcohol and drugs, including smoking crystal meth. Prior to the intervention, she had lost her home, her marriage, and custody of her children. By the end of the show, she agreed to treatment, was diagnosed as having bipolar disorder, received effective treatment, and experienced a complete turnaround.

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Last week I saw the Broadway musical Next To Normal – with music by Tom Kitt and book and lyrics by Brian Yorkey. As a big fan of Broadway, I was anxious to see this rock musical that has become quite a sensation and has won two Tony awards – for Best Original Score and for Best Actress in a Musical (Alice Ripley). I was particularly interested because Next To Normal tells the story of a family grappling with Bipolar Disorder.

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Robert Asks…

Do you think a combination of different herbs can cure any form of bipolar disorder and if so what are those herbs?

Dr. Fink Answers…

In Chapter 9 of Bipolar Disorder For Dummies, we discuss a host of alternative treatments for bipolar disorder, including ECT (electroconvulsive therapy), light therapy, vitamins & minerals, and herbs, used alone and in conjunction with traditional forms of medicines and therapies. For example, some people claim that St. John’s Wort is useful for treating the depressive pole in bipolar disorder. (Of course, unfortunately, like most other antidepressants, St. John’s Wort also increases the risk of triggering mania, especially in someone who has bipolar disorder.)

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I recently received an email message from the translator who’s doing the Slovene translation of Bipolar Disorder For Dummies. Following is the letter (included here with permission).

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With this post, we continue our sort-of-biweekly series on medications used to treat bipolar disorder and related symptoms. Two weeks ago, we covered an older class of antidepressants that are still sometimes used – Tricyclics. This week, we turn our attention to another older classes of antidepressants – Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitors or MAOI’s, for short.

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Some time ago, on our other blog, Bipolar Blog, a visitor posted a piece in our Share Your Bipolar Story section entitled “Bipolar Extramarital Affair,” which generated some discussion.

Recently, another visitor commented on that story about the need to make some allowances for bipolar: “Allowances must be made. Not to do so is unfair because it [bipolar] holds people to unrealistic standards and disappointment becomes the inevitable outcome.” He goes on to say that “You have two choices: moderate the behaviors and/or moderate the expectations.”

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With this post, we continue our sort-of-biweekly series on medications used to treat bipolar disorder and related symptoms. Several weeks ago, we covered Wellbutrin (bupropion), an antidepressant that’s in a class of its own. This week, we turn our attention to an older class of medications used to treat depression – Tricyclics.

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