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dreamlife
Starting Member
2 Posts |
 Posted - 09/24/2007 : 22:33:39
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Hi,
I'm new to this community.
I'm bipolar 1 and I've been on a medication for the last 6 years. I was on Depakote for 5 1/2 years and then about 4 months ago they switched me to Lamictal because it's supposed to have less side effects. Since I've switched I think my moods are changing more. I've had an anxiety attack which I don't think I've ever had before, a little depression, and today I felt manicy. I like that lamictal doesn't have the side effects but I'm worried it's not quite working for me. In the past doctors have given me mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics to make it stop.
Does anyone know of any ways you can stop mania without drugs? Like is there any way to make it just slow down and stop without switching meds? I just wish there was a way to force myself to slow down sometimes. I moved a few months ago and my psychiatrist is 2 hours away so if I could work this out on my own, that would be convenient.
Any ideas? Experiences?
Welcome to our community Dreamlife, Concerning Lamotrigine Research has shown that lamotrigine is primarily effective against depression, and is not that effective against mania in the treatment of Bipolar I Disorder.
J Clin Psychiatry. 2007 Jun;68(6):973-4.
Lack of mania prophylaxis associated with lamotrigine monotherapy in manic-predominant bipolar I disorder.
Dossett EC, Land AJ, Gitlin MJ, Frye MA.
PMID: 17592931 The only medications that have well-proven effectiveness in the prevention of mania are: lithium, carbamazepine (and oxycarbamazepine), valproate (valproic acid and divalproex sodium), and all antipsychotic medications. Thus, if individuals with Bipolar I Disorder were taken off of divalproex sodium (Depakote or Epival) and put on lamotrigine (Lamictal), they would not be protected against the return of mania. However, they would have partial, but often ineffective, prevention of depression. Recent research strongly suggests that only combination therapy (i.e., the use of a mood-stabilizer PLUS an antipsychotic medication or second mood-stabilizer) is effective in the treatment of Bipolar I Disorder.
Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2005 Aug;39(8):652-61.
Maintenance therapies in bipolar disorder: focus on randomized controlled trials.
Muzina DJ, Calabrese JR.
Bipolar Disorders Research Unit, Department of Psychiatry and Psychology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation, 9500 Euclid Avenue, Cleveland, Ohio 44195, USA. muzinad@ccf.org
OBJECTIVE: Lithium remains the cornerstone of maintenance therapy for bipolar disorder despite growing use of other agents, including divalproex, lamotrigine, carbamazepine and the atypical antipsychotics. Lithium has the largest body of data to support its continued use as a prophylactic agent; however, most of this data comes from early studies that did not use contemporary analytic methods. Alternatives to lithium are needed because of the relatively high rate of non-response to lithium monotherapy and the drug's frequent side-effects. This article reviews available data with an emphasis on double-blind, placebo-controlled studies that examine the efficacy of lithium and other putative mood stabilizers: carbamazepine, divalproex, lamotrigine and olanzapine.
METHOD: The authors reviewed key literature using Medline searches using key words: bipolar disorder, controlled trials, mood stabilizer, lithium, lamotrigine, divalproex, olanzapine, carbamazepine.
RESULTS: Lithium remains the gold standard for overall preventative efficacy in bipolar disorder, especially to decrease manic or hypomanic relapse. Of the mood stabilizers that have marked prophylactic antimanic properties, lithium appears to possess the greatest antidepressant effect. Divalproex may also prevent recurrent bipolar mood episodes but the relative lack of controlled maintenance studies makes this less certain. There now exists an extensive and well-designed research database supporting the use of lamotrigine in the acute and prophylactic management of bipolar I disorder. Lamotrigine offers a spectrum of clinical effectiveness that complements lithium, in that it appears to stabilize mood 'from below baseline' by preventing episodes of depression and has been shown to be effective in rapid-cycling bipolar II disorder. Carbamazepine may be a useful alternative to lithium, divalproex and lamotrigine, particularly for patients with a history of mood-incongruent delusions and other comorbidities, but controlled data is more equivocal and it may lose some of its prophylactic effect over time. Emerging data continue to support the growing use of atypical antipsychotics, particularly olanzapine.
CONCLUSIONS: Any monotherapy for use as a maintenance therapy of bipolar disorder appears to be inadequate for long-term use in the management of the majority of patients with bipolar disorder. Combination therapy has become the standard of care in the treatment of bipolar disorder and particularly in patients with treatment-refractory variants such as those with rapid-cycling. The emerging consensus is that patients on monotherapy, if followed for sufficiently long periods, will eventually require concomitant treatment to maintain a full remission. There exists a need for controlled trials that use random assignment to parallel arms including combination therapy followed by data analyses that include both relapse rate and survival techniques.
PMID: 16050919 Concerning Nonpharmaceutical Treatment of Mania The average untreated manic episode usually lasts for 3 months (but some can go on for years). Thus, in ancient times, manic individuals would simply be shut away by their families for 3 months until their mania subsided. The manic individual would respond to a very low-stress, quiet environment (such as in a monastery). With modern medical treatment, mania can usually be prevented, or manic episodes can be shortened to merely a few weeks. In July this summer, a manic man (who went off his anti-manic medication) was shot dead by police 6 blocks from were I work. For some unknown reason, he attacked two policemen, and knocked one unconscious with a chain before the other officer shot him. Thus there can be a terrible price to pay for not being on medical treatment for Bipolar I Disorder. Phil Long M.D.
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| ogri
Starting Member
2 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 10/31/2010 : 04:16:21
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ive been mentally unwell with schizophrenia diagnosis, schizo effective, schizophrenic psycotic, and obviously bi polar . recently after 5 years looking for the answer i found out how to have a dream existance on the planet outside of mental health.
the answer is a dietry one. IRON DEFICIENCY.
recent research in the mental health industry has lead to iron being a factor in the cause of mental ill health in some patients. i decided to foillow the thinking and after 35 years of mentral ill health aged 40 i tried a multi vitamin WITH IRON suppliment. remember 35 years of mania delusion psycosis hospital visits in there double figured. unable to engage with family friends school chums etc now aged 40 i take the iron tablet . overnight i was cured. every single one of my symptoms dissapeared overnight it took about 20 minutes after 35 years to take effect. real result was 8 hrs later in the morning (i took the iron tablet at 10 at night)the morning wake up was incredible . first time in 20 years i slept like a log, woke up the second the sun came up in the morning to a glorious day for the first time in 20-30 years. believe me.
even though my serum bloods according to blood tests were normal i still had to live with mental illness. with one iron tablet in the mornings periodically through the week and 3mg of an A typical anti psycotic at night before bed. i am a changed man. mental illhealth destroyed my life, my career, my relationships and my dreams and aspirations. with one poxy multi vitamin with iron periodically through the week matched with the 3mg risperadol im a changed man.
my chance to live again has returned. i am now no way bitter about the past i am looking forward to my future success. before the iron i gave up. with iron IM ALIVE.
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| ogri
Starting Member
2 Posts
Gratitude: 1
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Posted - 10/31/2010 : 04:41:34
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what i should have also added,
they say its social causes, genetic, biological.
the iron fits with all 3 models of cause. DIET.
( GENETIC MODEL ) family dont eat meat, fish, orange juice enough, illness returns. NO IRON IN DIET
( BIOLOGICAL MODEL ) family/ individual doesnt eat meat, fish, orange juice enough ...NO IRON IN DIET
( SOCIAL MODEL ) family/friends. macdonalds/kentucky fried chicken, alchol abuse, social habits, when in rome do as the romans do. DIET..NO IRON
if my findings are correct, more red meat, fish, oysters and orange juice to help the uptake of the iron in the blood stream and your heading toward the solution to most mental illness's. theres a very small amount of mania left in the late afternoons and early evenings but an A typical Anti psycotic or dare i say even a basic anti psycotic will take the mania away if and only if the iron suppliment is there once or twice a week.
the mania could be due to coffee intake in the mornings and afternoons, high energy drinks or even sugar intake in the afternoons when your bodies trying to relax for the day.
either way, whatever causes the slight mania in the afternoon the iron gets takes 95 percent away anyway. the little bit left 3mg of a A typical get rid of the rest.
HAVE A NICE DAY PEOPLE. is all ive posted on facebook for the last 2 weeks since the multi vitamin with iron supplement. DRs say dont use the supplements too often if and when needed. red meat/fish in your diet can do the same things. |
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Stop mania without drugs?
