Hi,
I was at a bipolar support group meeting the other day and volunteering. A lady came up to me and said that she knew someone who had bipolar disorder for sure and only had to take an antidepressant and she has been stable for years. The lady said that she was going to tell
everyone at the meeting so they could “save money.”
I begged her not to do this. I’ll tell you why. First of all, I don’t even know if this lady’s story is true or not. And even if it is, it would be the exception, and not the rule. With bipolar disorder, you want to follow the rule, and not the exception.
One of the problems with support groups is that one person will say that this medication or that medication was a miracle drug for them, and that everyone should take it and it will work wonders for them, too. But if you listen to that, well, it might not work as good for you. In fact, it might be deadly for you, you never know. That’s why I don’t discuss medications on here. I’m not a doctor, for one thing. And for another thing, it’s like I said: Follow the rules, not the exception.
Even so, antidepressants are for what they say – for depression. And depression is only one part of the equation when it comes to bipolar disorder. What about the mania? That’s the other part.
See what I mean?
And most people with bipolar disorder are on more than one medication, for another thing.
This woman, even if her story is true, is NOT a doctor! So who is she to say that her friend’s medication is going to work for everyone at the meeting?
Listen, you and your loved one have to do what’s right for you. And what’s right, especially when you’re talking about medications, is what’s right for YOU, not someone else and what THEY say is right for you. Besides, what’s right for one person isn’t necessarily what’s right for another person. Everybody is different. Even the same person is different when it comes to different medications. They might respond well to one medication, but have many side effects with another medication.
That’s why they (or you or your loved one) have to work with their doctor or psychiatrist to find
the right medication or combination of medications that is right for them (or you).
Be careful out there – There are what I call cookie cutter doctors. These are doctors who diagnose people with bipolar disorder and then prescribe the same medication to everyone they diagnose as having bipolar. These are the worst doctors to go to. But they are out there. You don’t want that. But at least they are the exception rather than the rule.
You want a doctor who is going to take each of their patients with bipolar disorder differently
and prescribe what’s best for each of them, according to their needs. You want to stick to the rule.
Well, I have to go!
Your Friend,
Dave
Post responses below
i think that is very good advice . . . especially about how you have to do what’s right for you, and that everyone not being the same. Keep the emails comings . . . I read all of them and appreciate your work.
Despite what the mass media says, people who are correctly diagnosed with bipolar symptoms…are a minority group. Maybe 3-4 percent of the populations based on consumer and academic data. Crunching numbers…it’s the folks with major depression who (or have bipolar and go deep into the ‘down side’…who often die at their own hand.
My sister had all her currents meds (for mania and depression) taken from her by a nurse practioner who said, ‘oh, you don’t have bipolar…you were mis-diagnosed.’
This woman had never seen my sister in a manic state..but her now-retired psychiatrist had.. and her current counselor (at the County MH clinic she goes to in Long Beach, CA….be careful about the care you get in publicly funded facilities…often they are more about making money than treating patients– or the good ones are under-staffed and on paperwork overload).
My sister got very sick. Went manic, could not sleep, relax. She begged for the new provider to put her back on at least some of her mood stabilizers…and take her off the anti=psychotics. She reached out to me for support. Since I am consider a leader in the consumer-survivor movement here in Colorado…I told her I would be her advocate if things did not turn around. Any agency or flaky provider DOES NOT want me to pick up pen and paper….they will be sorry.
Fortunately, the situation turned around thanks to a kind therapist who knows my sister well. Thank you Charles for alerting people to the realities. Whatever your label or diagnosis…what works for one person may actually harm someone else.
–SB
Anti-depressants are generally contraindicated for bipolar disorders as they can trigger mania and rapid cycling, and make the bipolar disorder worse. Generally anti-epileptics are prescribed for bipolar disorder, but some of them can cause suicidal ideation, so it is important to have a good doctor who will get a thorough history and closely monitor the patient’s reaction to each medication.
Thank You SOoooo much for this info. however… We would NEVER try this, and you are so right…. what works for you doesn’t mean it would work for me. I hope Everyone reads this. No Two People are alike regaurdless if you are sick or not. I try to read everything that you e-mail us because… Reading Is Knowledge and Knowledge Is Power!
Again, Thank You!
After reading the post it sounds like this person has mainly depression and that’s great for her. People sometimes forget that bipolar is a spectrum disorder and not only is everyone different and respond different to meds but also bipolar effects each person differently. I’m a supporter of a 14 year old daughter with bipolar and honestly she tends to be mostly on the manic side. To give an example of how meds can effect you negatively she was put on Adderall to help her function better in school. Her psychiatrist at the time kept saying her outburst were behavior to some past trauma. It turned out that the Adderall was making her violent and she eventually ran through a wall and spent 2 weeks in a psychiatric facility. Needless to say she has a new doctor and other service providers helping her adjust and she is doing better. Its best to listen to the person with the disorder than others who think they have all the answers. Best of luck to everyone whether you are fighting with the disorder or are a supporter of someone with BP.