Medicines

Bipolar disorder medicines may be used alone or with others. Some medicines may take time to start working. Types of bipolar disorder medicines include:

• Mood stabilizers. These may delay or relieve episodes of mania (highs) or depression (lows). They can help people go longer between mood episodes.
• Antidepressants. These are often used with a mood stabilizer in people with depressive episodes. If used alone, antidepressants may increase the chances of a person with bipolar disorder switching into mania.
• Antipsychotics. These are medicines that are mostly used to treat mania. They may also be used to treat psychosis that can occur during severe episodes of mania or depression. Patients with severe anxiety or agitation may also receive antipsychotics. Antipsychotics may be used alone or with other medicines for treating bipolar disorder.
• Other medicines might be suggested by the healthcare provider when a person with bipolar disorder cannot sleep or feels nervous.
• Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is not a medicine. It is a medical treatment used to help people with severe mania or depression. It can also help people who do not do well with medicine.

Expert treatment guidelines

The American Psychiatric Association has guidelines for managing bipolar disorder symptoms. The guidelines recommend using medicine to treat short-term symptoms (like antidepressants) along with medicine that can be taken for the long term (like mood stabilizers).

The goals of bipolar disorder treatment are:

• To control symptoms of depression and mania
• To reduce the number of times that moods go up and down
• To help people with bipolar disorder feel the best they can
• To reduce lesser bipolar symptoms that still could be a problem
• To reduce side effects of bipolar disorder treatment

How bipolar disorder medicine can help

The right bipolar disorder medication can help keep moods from swinging too far. It's not a guarantee that all of the problems of bipolar disorder will be solved. But it can help people gain control over their symptoms and manage problems better.

During mood episodes, people with bipolar disorder can experience certain problems. These problems can have to do with thinking, emotions, and physical well-being. These problems can affect their ability to function. It may impact the lives of their families.

Medicine can be used to help people go longer between episodes of depression or mania. This can help make life more normal for people with bipolar disorder.

Here's how to get the most from your bipolar disorder medicine

• Take your medicine every day as directed, even if you have no symptoms.
• Use a mood chart to keep track of how you're feeling and talk about this with your healthcare provider.

Here are some ways to help remember to take your bipolar disorder medicine:

• Write down your medicine and when to take it. Put this somewhere you'll see it every day.
• Use a pillbox to organize your medicine.
• Put up a calendar to help remember what medicine to take and when to take it.

Why it's important to keep taking your medicine

Bipolar disorder is a lifelong medical condition. It isn't a character flaw or a sign of weakness. People with other medical conditions — such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol — often need to take medicine for the long term. People with bipolar disorder can benefit from taking medicine for the long term, too. This can help make their moods more normal. It also may keep the illness from getting worse.

Don't be discouraged if you don't see results right away

Medicines may not make people feel better right away. They often take time to work completely. Sometimes a medicine must be started at a lower dose and increased over time to be effective.

Medicines can sometimes cause side effects. In that case, the healthcare provider may either reduce the dose or prescribe another medicine.

Reasons why you shouldn't stop taking your medicine

This chart shows some common reasons why some people with bipolar disorder stop taking their medicine.

Next: Therapy