Beyond Lithium: Medications That Can Help Bipolar Disorder When Mood Stabilizers Aren’t Enough

For bipolar dysfunction, supplementary medicines are used when signs persist even after taking the primary treatment.

These residual signs can embrace anxiousness, despair and panic, Kumar says.

“If first-line medicines for bipolar dysfunction enhance signs however don’t lead to full remission, or if first-line medicines aren’t tolerated, different kinds of psychotropic medicines are normally obtainable as an adjunct to mainstream remedy,” says Paula Zimbrian, MD, a psychiatrist and professor of psychiatry at Yale Faculty of Medication in New Haven, Connecticut.

Lithium and valproate (Depacos) are the 2 most important first-line medicines for bipolar dysfunction.

Nevertheless, episodes of despair, mania, or blended states could require adjunctive remedy, Dr. Zimbrian says. Temper stabilizers work quicker than antidepressants, Zimbrian stated, so well being care professionals could recommend a second treatment sooner for manic or blended episodes.

However signs of despair are extra persistent, Zimbrian stated. “Due to this fact, a second dose could also be really useful for sufferers with extreme despair, however it might come later in remedy.”

Melancholy in bipolar dysfunction could be very troublesome to deal with, says Kumar. “Conventional antidepressants could cause mania, which might worsen your signs and even make your temper unstable.” Nevertheless, your physician can assist you discover the very best mixture of medication to deal with your bipolar signs.