What Is the Best Medication for Bipolar Disorder?

What Is the Best Medication for Bipolar Disorder?

There is no one medication for Bipolar that is better than another; the best medication for Bipolar Disorder is the one that works for you. Some medications suppress the extreme, dangerous highs of Mania, while others fight the lows of depression. You may take more than one pill, and this may change throughout your lifetime. 

Usually, these medications are taken for years or even decades. If you haven’t had a manic episode while on your pills, that’s because the medications are working, not because you don’t have Bipolar anymore. This type of long-term use of medication is called "maintenance therapy”. On maintenance therapy, most people with Bipolar can live normal lives with minimal disruptions from their disorder.

Finding the right type and combination of medication can take a while. Work closely with a doctor or psychiatrist to find which medication works best for you. 

These are the most common medications for Bipolar.

Mood Stabilizing Medications

Most medications for Bipolar fall under the umbrella of “mood stabilizing". These types of medications work to prevent mania and depresion. This does not mean you won’t be able to experience normal fluxes in your mood throughout the day. You should! In fact, if you feel numb on a mood stabilizer, talk to your doctor about switching. It might not be the right medicine for you. 

These are some common types of mood stabilizing medications.

Lithium

Lithium is often the go-to for Bipolar Medication, because of how effective it is as treating the symptoms of Bipolar Disorder. Lithium is a naturally occurring metal. Too much of it, like any metal, is toxic to the human body, but at the right amount it has been found to effectively treat suicide ideation, depression, and Bipolar Disorder. 

Some people experience emotional numbness on Lithium. Talk to your doctor if you feel emotionally numb. They will check your lithium levels to make sure everything is right. 

Common side effects when you first start taking Lithium include: 

• Feeling sick (nausea) or being sick
• Diarrhoea
• A dry mouth or a metallic taste in the mouth
• Slight shaking of the hands (mild tremor)
• Feeling tired or sleepy

These are likely to go away on their own after your body adjusts to the medication. If they do not go away, contact your doctor. 

Serious side effects occur when there’s too much Lithium in your blood. You should get your lithium levels checked regularly to prevent this from happening. If you are experiencing any of these side effects, go to the nearest emergency room or call 911:

• Blurred vision
• feeling overly thirsty most of the time
• Lack of control over bladder movements
• Feeling light-headed
• Confusion and blackouts
• Shaking, muscle weakness, or twitching
• Jerks or spasms in the face, tongue, eye, or neck
• Difficulty speaking 

Properly managed lithium should not have these side effects. Working carefully with a psychiatrist or doctor will help ensure your lithium levels are just right to manage Bipolar symptoms. 

Anticonvulsants

Anticonvulsants work to calm hyperactive parts of the brain. For this reason, they are effective at treating seizures, migraines, and Bipolar Disorder, which shows abnormal brain activity during a manic episode. 

Every anticonvulsant will work differently. Some of the more commonly prescribed ones include:

• Tegretol: Good at treating Mania and acute symptoms
• Depakote: Another medicine that’s good at treating Mania and acute symptoms
• Lamictal: Best at treating depression and preventing future episodes. It is commonly used during the maintenance therapy stage of treatment. 

Common side effects include unwanted weight gain, drowsiness, and an inability to sit still.

Antipsychotics

Despite their name, these drugs are not only used to treat psychotic episodes. They’re mood stabilizers, and are used to stabilize extreme moods. 

Some antipsychotics prescribed for bipolar disorder include:

• lumateperone (Caplyta)
• olanzapine (Zyprexa)
• risperidone (Risperdal)
• quetiapine (Seroquel)
• lurasidone (Latuda)
• aripiprazole (Abilify)

Common side effects include unwanted weight gain, drowsiness, dry mouth, decreased sex drive, and blurred vision.

Antidepressants

Some antidepressants can trigger a manic stage in some people, so they should only ever be taken under supervision. Report any symptoms of mania or hypomania to your psychiatrist or doctor. You can read about different antidepressants here. If used to treat Bipolar, they are usually used in conjunction with one of the other listed medications. 

Can You Feel Normal with Bipolar?

Yes! For one, many people with Bipolar will experience periods of normal, stable mood, a time called euthymia. Medication helps lengthen these periods of normalcy and dampen the effects of a mania or depression. Although most people have the best results when they also make lifestyle changes such as a normalized sleep schedule, no drugs and alcohol, and healthy eating and exercise habits, Medication can help someone with Bipolar live a “normal” life.

Can Bipolar be Self-Managed?

It depends, but most professionals encourage you to seek treatment. The mania stages of Bipolar 1 will continue unless medication is prescribed, and for those reasons, people with Bipolar 1 should take medication. 

People with Bipolar 2 can sometimes go unmedicated and will find other ways to manage periods of hypomania and depression. Often, they will have a therapist to help them. 

If you have Bipolar and want to find medication or therapy, reach out to Lifebulb. We have psychiatrists and therapists who are here to help. 

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