Combination therapy is very common in bipolar disorder because different medications have different purposes. The medication that gets you better, may not be the same medication that keeps you better.
Typically, people with bipolar disorder require a combination of medications that you take at the same time. Why? Because the medications treat different aspects of the disorder.
The main four phases that we target in treating bipolar disorder are Acute depression, Acute mania, mixed states and the maintenance phase. And acute means it’s the active state that you’re in and it’s relatively recent. maintenance phase is the in between episodes when things have stabilized. Not all of the medications work for every phase. So you could be put on a medication because you’re manic and then once that mania goes away you can have a depressive episode pop up because that original mania drug isn’t doing a good enough job keeping your depression away.
Here’s a list of medications we use for bipolar disorder and the reasons we use them.
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Want to know more about mixed episodes? Watch this video
Hello, you mentioned in one of your videos about off-label medications for bipolar disorder. Do you have a list of education about these off label meds? Off-label for mania? Can’t handle side effects and need alternatives.
Dear Dr.
Thank you for sharing your intelligence with the viral world. I have been married to my husband for 10 years and we have been having a very difficult ride with his “bipolar 2 and anxiety “diagnosis with suicidal tendencies HEAVILY for the past 3 years. I finally found your page and you have answered SO many questions that I personally thought were his own responsibilty to research. I am like halleluiah !!! for not a scam artist on what my daughter watches for crap! Ilove how you referenced the DSM- I have my Masters in Education Specializing in Special Education and I also now am taking care of my mother w dementia, she is on similar medication. THANK you!!!!
dear Dr. Marks, HI. Can you tell me when a bipolar disorder patient can stop taking her meds? She’s a mild bipolar disorder?two lithium and one valproate every night
dear Dr. Marks, HI. Can you tell me when a bipolar disorder patient can stop taking her meds? She’s a mild bipolar disorder?two lithium and one valproate every night
Excellent videos. Never sure where my daughter is. Most noticable is the severe depression. Diagnosed bi polar/severe depression. 2 serious suicide attempts. However, at times talkative at end of evening and friendly, but next morning hostile, irritable, confrontational. It’s like jekyl and hyde.