Recovery Issues in Bipolar Disorder - Natural Remedies for Bipolar

Written by HealthyPlace.com Staff Writer

victory: How does improved membrane stability affect bipolar disorder?

Dr. Severus: Well, we think that it translates into increased mood stability. It may also decrease the stimulation threshold, however, this is a hypothesis.

rwilkins: I have been on Lithium for over twenty years. I do pretty good for myself. Christmas holidays are usually the hardest, but not all the time. My levels are always good. My question is would Omega 3 possibly be a plus?

Dr. Severus: You can try it, but you should start then pretty soon. Another, and maybe better option, might be to invite friends for Christmas, if it is possible.

ripley: I was on Lithium for two years, and can no longer take it due to a goiter in my thyroid. How can I get back on it? It has helped me greatly otherwise.

Dr. Severus: You could take a thyroid supplement. Have you developed the goiter under Lithium?

ripley: Yes.

Dr. Severus: Are you hypothyroid, or do you have elevated T3/T3 levels?

ripley: I'm not sure, I wasn't told.

Dr. Severus: You should find out. Taking a thyroid supplement might be good option for a "hypothyroid" goiter if you developed it under Lithium.

Pjude9: Could you explain why anti-psychotics such as Zyprexa and Seroquel are used in treating bipolar?

Dr. Severus: Zyprexa has acute anti-manic properties. We don't know yet whether these drugs also have good mood-stabilizing properties in the long term.

techie: Would you recommend medicines like Depakote and Celexa along with the omega-3 fatty acids?

Dr. Severus: If you are suffering from severe depression, than this combination alone is not helpful, you might consider adding the Omega-3s. By the way, I would always recommend a daily mood chart to monitor symptoms and improvement when you change medications. I think that this is extremely helpful, especially also in retrospective.

techie: I'm on 1250mg of Depakote, 20mg Celexa and 10mg Zyprexa, but I can't seem to stay stable for more than a month. Is this common?

Dr. Severus: Unfortunately, it does occur. This is why polypharmacy (taking several medications) has become so frequent.

David: A few notes here, then we'll continue with a few more questions. Here's the link to the HealthyPlace.com Bipolar Community. You can click on this link, sign up for the mail list at the top of the page, so you can keep up with events like this, please take a look around.

erycksmom: I attend a bipolar support group, and there is a lady there who has been on Lithium for over 20 years. She mentioned that when she was first diagnosed, that they gave her some test that pointed to manic depression. I have been told no such test exists. Was there ever such a test, and will there ever be a definitive test to prove medically that I suffer from bipolar?

Dr. Severus: I doubt that this test was reliable, and I am a bit skeptical whether we will have such a test in the near future. However, we can diagnose bipolar disorder even without a "test" pretty well. This is why we have the diagnostic criteria.

PSCOUT: Can you please discuss the use of Neurontin as a mood stabilizer?

Dr. Severus: Gabapentin seems to be especially helpful in the treatment of anxiety in bipolar disorder. Another advantage is it's lack of interactions with other drugs, however, it may cause fatigue, sedation, and dizziness. Furthermore, I am not aware of any well-controlled data regarding long-term mood-stabilizing properties.

David: Just to make sure, Gabapentin and Neurontin are one and same, correct?

Dr. Severus: Yes.

garfeld: Can this be used with children with bipolar and an anxiety diagnosis?

Dr. Severus: To tell the truth, I don't know the data in children with bipolar disorder, if there are any. Sorry.

SaxDragon78412: I have read some reports that people with bipolar should not take Melatonin supplements, and other reports that we should. Which is correct?

Dr. Severus: Melatonin might be helpful to improve sleep during a depressive episode, but it does not have anti-depressive properties. It might also be useful to treat jetlag, which is especially dangerous for people suffering from bipolar disorder.

cris7448: I was misdiagnosed and went through hell on other antidepressants, but Wellbutrin has worked very well for me. However, even on the medications, I still have some mood fluctuations. What besides medications and omega 3, can I do to try to keep my moods stable?