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medication for bipolar

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Q: Does taking medication for bipolar decreases your sex drive?
My best friend’s husband has bipolar and takes medication. She is one frustrated woman, I can sense it although she does not talk about the subject. They are young in their 30’s. Could his decreased sex drive be a main reason for her frustrating attitude since he was diagnosed.

A: That is one of the worst drawbacks to most psychotropic medications. Most of them affect sex drive. Be there for her to confide in, also maybe you can tell her the medications can cause this. My husband takes lexipro and I am on a lot of medication and we both know about this. How we have worked on this is we have knowledge of the situation and it just takes extra effort. To put it bluntly sex takes more time to break through a chemical barrier. If we didn’t make an informed effort, we just wouldn’t have sex. You have try and work at it, you don’t just get those spontaneous urges anymore. O.K. probably way more than you wanted to know.

Q: what would happen if you took ecstasy while on medication for bipolar?
will he go insane? my friend wants to drop E, but i know he’s on medication for being bipolar. anyone knows what it could do to him?

A: Different medications target different different neuroreceptors in the brain – bipolar is different in everyone, so depending on what medications your bf is on, he could potentially be risking his life. Ever heard of serotonin syndrome? Check it out, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/serotonin_s…

“Symptom onset is usually rapid, often occurring within minutes after self-poisoning or a change in medication. Serotonin syndrome encompasses a wide range of clinical findings. Mild symptoms may only consist of tachycardia, and shivering, diaphoresis, mydriasis, intermittent tremor or myoclonus, as well as overactive or overresponsive reflexes. Moderate intoxication includes abnormalities such as hypertension and hyperthermia; a temperature as high as 40°C (104°F) is common in moderate intoxication. As well as the mild symptoms other features include hyperactive bowel sounds. The overactive reflexes and clonus in moderate cases may be greater in the lower limbs than in the upper limbs. Mental status changes include hypervigilance and agitation.[3]

Severe symptoms include severe hypertension and tachycardia that may lead to shock. Severe case often have agitated delirium as well as muscular rigidity and high muscular tension. Temperature may rise to above 41.1°C (105.98°F) in life-threatening cases. Other abnormalities include metabolic acidosis, rhabdomyolysis, seizures, renal failure, and disseminated intravascular coagulation.”

Yeah, that sounds like a LOT of fun. Here’s another question for your bf- if he is on meds to stablize his mood, WHY on EARTH would he intentionally take a drug that CAUSES the very extreme highs and lows that he’s on the meds for in the first place for?????? If after all this, he still wants to do it, then he has no right to whine to anyone when he gets moody and his meds seem to not be working, cuz he’ll be the one who caused it. Sorry if i sound tough, but I’m a bipolar myself (med compliant) and I see this kind of stuff everyday, people complaining & crying about not being able to find meds that work, but then in the next breath I hear about the drugs they tried that weekend or about how wasted they got the night before. It just doesn’t work that way.

Good luck with your bf. I hope he makes the right choice. :)

Q: Living without medication and with bipolar?
I am currently taking medication for Bipolar. Is there anyway to get off the medications totally. I am only 25 and dont wanna be on these for my life. Anyone know a cure or what are my options?

A: ok well im just goin to tell you this from seeing it my whole life, my fiance is bipolar, he for the longest time wanted to be off his meds and without the guidance tried it, it put him right back into hospital. Taking medication is nothing bad, you need your meds bipolar is not only a mental disorder , it can become disabaling without your meds, your bipolar disorder is a chemical imbalance

Q: Can anyone offer me some advice on finding the RIGHT medication for bipolar & paranoid schizophrenia?
I’ve been browsing the web in hopes of finding a medication that will work for a young man aged 20 who is suffering these illnesses and whose psych doesnt seem to know what to prescribe or really care. He has morbid hallucinations and severe mood swings and a desire to kill himself. There are so many different meds for this – and we need to find the RIGHT one for him quick. So whatever advice and experience is offered will be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

A: I’m bipolar type II and I’ve been through a lot concerning medications and bad psychiatrists. Much as it’s natural to feel like wanting to take some control over what is going on, only a doctor—a competent doctor—is really capable of deciding what is best for this person.

Since you indicate his state is very poor and he needs help quickly, I would really recommend a hospital stay. At the hospital he will be “under observation” by a number of professionals who can monitor his condition and based on talking to him and watching him over a period of days, hopefully get a better picture of just what is going on. It sounds like he may not even have a correct diagnosis.

So, much as I’m sure everyone here would like to give you a quick answer, the sad truth is that none of us are qualified to give you that kind of advice. This young man is suicidal and, according to you, experiencing severe psychosis (hallucinations etc.). He NEEDS to be under a hospital’s care.
Good luck and sorry I cannot offer more.

Q: Is there medication for bipolar dogs?
My dog is sweet but aggressive.You can be petting him and he can just turn around and bite you. And he will attack any stranger that comes into the house [as well as the possibility of biting any of the family members.
He is very small [chihuahua/daschund mix] but has a big bite.
we are starting to think he is bipolar or has some other sort of problem. is there medication for this kind of stuff? or a solution?
and the reason for me asking is

the last thing i ever want to do is euthanize him!

he [nor any dog] deserves that.

A: There are medications for extreme cases (ususally prescribed by your vet). I have never had it prescribed for one of my own dogs, but some of my dog training clients have tried it before calling me. I have never known it to be helpful (but my sample size is very small). It is possible that there is some underlying physical problem, so a thorough vet exam is definitely called for. Additionally, you may want to speak to an animal behaviorist or a very experienced dog trainer.

Q: how much would bipolar medication cost per day or per week or per month?
so if you’re taking to different kinds of pills, (not exactly sure what, but just two of the general ones for treating it) how much would the cost be per day, week, month, year? and if you have to go to therapy every week how much would that be per hour/week if you went for one hour?

A: depends on your insurance. With my insurance (i opted to pay $26 a month for the good prescription coverage) my meds cost me $50 for a 3 month supply….but due to med going to generic and i need to stay on name brand now thats going up to like $140 for 3 months supply. My therapy and drs appts each cost me a $25 copay. Also there is cost of my deductubles whenever i get blood work done for managing my meds and checking that they arent effecting liver function and checking thyroid just to make sure thats not causing issues….that is $40-100 depending on what tests get done at the time. So if i went to therapy every week it would all work out to costing me $500-600 every 3 months….but i dont go near that often.

as for base cost of meds without insurance, it very much depends on which meds. What I’m on one Rx would cost about $70 a month (and thats generic) and the mood stabalizer that i need the name brand would cost me like $400-500 i think. However something like lithium would cost much less. And without insurance you would likely be able to find therapy cheaper then my copays. There are many places that work on a sliding scale based on income if you dont have insurance. I looked into one before i had insurance and they told me it would cost me $15 a week.

Q: Will the VA give me medication for bipolar after discharge?
I was diagnosed with bipolar roughly a month ago, and now my unit informed me that they will start the chapter process for discharge. Will I be eligible to get my medication from the VA after my discharge has occurred? I have 18 months in.

A: Yes , and if you had the problem when you entered service and it was aggravated by your service , you may qualify for disability payments. Due to the backup of claims at most VA Regional Offices ( that’s where disability is determined ) , get a copy of all your military medical records before you get out , make a copy of them , file the copy, not the original with your disability. That will trim some time off the wait time since the VA will not have to request them. Make a note that that is all of your records. Also send a copy of your discharge with your claim. There are several service organizations to help you with your claim for no fee. I prefer the Military Order of the Purple Heart myself , they have gone above and beyond to help me over the years. Good luck and be patient , they are not speed demons for sure.

Q: side effects of antidepressants or medication for bipolar disorder?
What do you think of taking meds for bipolar disorder? I feel like i can’t function and i’ve gone most of my life without meds but I feel so alone sometimes in the way i’m feeling and can’t relate to anyone. Does anyone take meds, and what do you think are the pros and cons?

A: all medication will have some side effects and you may have to try a few different ones before you find the one that is right for you. I have been on depression meds for about 10 years now. I had to try a few and they either didn’t help or the side effects were bad. Each one effects different people different ways and you have to take them a few weeks to see if it will help you. Don’t get discouraged during the time you are trying to find the one that is right for you. When you find the one that helps your depression your body will adjust to the side effects. The benefits of the medication is worth it.

Q: Has anyone changed from Tegretol to another medication for Bipolar?
What were the reasons why you changed or got off Tegretol? What’s the name of the medication you changed to and how effective is it? What sort of side effects did you experience while on Tegretol and are there any side effects with the new medication?

Thank you!

A: Changed from Tegretol to Seroquel. Worked 100x better. Tegretol didn’t work…at all. Just made me hungry for everything. Seroquel just makes me sleepy that’s the only side effect.

Q: What is the best medication for bipolar 1?
I am on 400 mg of lamicatal daily but still seem to have break through episodes. Is there something else I could be on? I also have a bad memory and sometimes cannot remember where I am so I also know that once in a while I forget my meds, but even when I’m consistant I have breakthroughs.

A: We all have episodes sometimes regardless of our usual mood stabilizer.

I take Lamictal 250mg a day. I had an episode early this year for which I had to start Seroquel as an anti-psychotic, but after a week, I was already off.

Q: Is there a bipolar medication that kills sperm?
Me and my now ex boyfriend were talking one night, and he had told me he can’t have kids, because the medication he was on for being bipolar kills his sperm, and i asked other friend that are bipolar if they know of any medications. the all said not that they know of. so im starting to worry bc we did it with out a condom.. and i’m scared

A: He is full of sh*t……… if tgere were ANY medication that had the ability to kill sperm then it would be marketed in a heartbeat as a male pill…… He conned you into havign sex without a condom. Hope your period shows up and make sure he stays your ex. He’s an ass.

Q: What causes you to gain weight while on medication for bipolar?
I take Valproic acid, Citalopram, and when needed Risperidone.

My doctor doesn’t like to blame the meds but I have never gained weight before in my life until being prescribed these.

Has the same thing happened to you?

A: These medications are known for weight gain….. When I was concerned about weight gain my doctor said “ohh poo…… just don’t eat too much”. Bitch, if it were that easy it wouldn’t be listed as a major side effect. Your doctor is an a$$, almost all of these meds cause weight gain…….

Q: How long have you been on medication for Bipolar, and have you gained weight?
What medication are you taking?
I agree with you Kitty. I have gained a lot of weight since taking Depakote, Risperidone and Citalopram. I have never had a problem with my weight before this, in fact, I was always underweight!

A: I highly disagree with Ms Kitty – I take Effexor (SNRI)and Neurontin (gabapentin). Effexor causes weight loss of about 3 lbs and neurontin is neutral. Neither should be given to anorexics because of it. Actually I lost about 10 lbs and have kept it off 8.5 years since I started the meds for Bipolar.

The SSRI antidepressants only cause about a 5lb overall increase in body weight and only in some people. People like to blame medicine when it’s not, it’s just them overindulging day after day and not exercising. I took SSRI’s for years and never gained any weight – never.

Q: How long were you on medication for Bipolar? How have you been since?
I have not made my question clear. I wanted to know if you have come off medication, either by yourself or with the help of a doctor.

A: meds — get real and educated
The sin bin -Vested interest Apathy and other unworthy systems

As you can see I am not the only one saying this is happening

hi my background is research inventions where i am in touch with quite a few other researchers some of whom have suffered massively dealing with vested interest factions.
so if you value your health you better get aware of these problems and the health care systems
this information certainly has the capacity to unnerve you. However if you do like to know what is going on and are not afraid of the truth read on, it is very enlightening.

Drugs and other treatments
There are a few very important points that I would like to cover on the subject of drugs and research and treatment At present the system in England is this

,and this principle will apply to other countries as well

all treatment recommended by the health care people should be tested and approved and quite rightly so

Obviously it costs vast sums of money to test and approve treatments because of the possible damage to people and the subsequent litigation costing millions of pounds.
The point is this Where does this money come from to test and approve treatments?

By far the biggest source is the drug companies.
Do you think drug companies are some charitable institution – in the main they are there to make profit
What do you think the implications of that statement means

So take for example a researcher might go along to his local drug company and tell them his findings about this treatment he has been working on which is of outstanding value but needs testing further or approving, you might think they would be falling over themselves to know more –right, you could not be more wrong.

By and large only treatments which show a profit will even get examined.

Because they are in business to make a profit, not for serving the people.

So many of the thousands of therapies which they see as having no profit potential do not get approved

and thus by and large do not get recommended by your local doctor or hospital despite the fact that some of them do have overwhelming benefits some which have saved needless operations, needless amputations, needless pain and trauma, needless kidney failures and much loss of life.

Did you know there are groups of people begging drug companies to look into certain therapies for their possible benefit but many wont –why– money in the main

Your local G.P/ doctor is not a researcher , what does this mean , he is very taxed with his time that means he cannot do research he finds it very difficult to keep up with what is going on
In the main he is told what to prescribe he does not even have the time often to look at research.

At this minute 2004 approx 5000 Beds are being taken up by people who have had reactions to drugs.

Some will die others will be maimed .That is fact

So Mrs Jones by and large you will probably only get recommended treatments where there is profit in them for someone.
Have you heard your local doctor recommend,
Massage,
Spiritual healing,
Knieisiology
Herbs,
Light therapy,
Colour therapy,
Regression therapy,
Osteopathy,
Zappers,
Magnetic devices,
Electrical Frequency devices
.karma therapy,
Decent nutrition,
Beck devices,
Colonics, enemas,
Detoxing,
The violet ray,
The wet cel
The radial appliance ,

Has he ever mentioned nutrition what you eat how much protein carbo vitamins etc .

All of these have shown their inherent worth with thousands if not millions of testimonials.

As you can see this system in its present state is inherently flawed which is why you are getting recommended what you are

that is until the day comes when most of the research and testing is done by an agency with no vested interests attached and a clear agenda of being objective.

Acting for the people s health interest..

There is clear evidence that some of these drug companies will even go much further than just dismiss this proposed treatment especially if it is going to affect their profits.

Imagine this 10 000 patients on some drug costing say 500-1000 pounds each per year
Average time to get well 20 yrs –income in that time –go on work it out

Then an invention come s along and hey presto we can get them well in just 6 weeks at a cost of 200 quid

Do you think they will just sit around and go err – what planet are you on jack?

Ever heard of a brilliant doctor with the name of Raymond rife the gifted scientist and winner of 14 government awards including scientist of the year award twice.
Rife discovered that some major diseases could be eliminated with frequencies based on that diseases individual electromagnetic signature. He uses the same effect, which causes a glass to shatter by the use of some peoples voices.

These distinguished medical doctors who originally confirmed part or this entire discovery included:
E.C

Q: How can I take medication for bipolar disorder if my parents won’t allow me?
I am nineteen and am on their health insurance and everything. I was diagnosed a couple months ago, and they “won’t allow” me to be crazy. What can I do?
My parents are Southern traditionalist. They don’t accept mental health very well. They have the “just be happy” mentality; instead, I get yelled at if I can’t get out of bed for days or whatever.

A: As an adult you do not need their permission for treatment or to take meds. Get a copy of your medical card for your insurance, go back to the doctor who diagnosed you, get a prescription and go fill it….. your parents need never know as long as you pay your copays at the time of service so they don’t get a bill.

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