Many mental illnesses require drug therapy for treatment. Drug therapy means that medications will have to be used. Bipolar Disorder is no exception to this rule. Bipolar Disorder is considered a mood disorder. What it means is that people suffering from Bipolar Disorder do not have balanced moods, they often go to extreme highs and extreme lows. The extreme highs are called mania and the extreme lows are depression. There can be times in between when the moods are considered normal, but a person suffering from Bipolar Disorder cannot control the moods. It is the medication that will work on the brain chemistry that controls the moods. The neurotransmitters in the brain namely dopamine and seratonin regulate normal moods. When there isn.t enough of these transmitters or not enough of these chemicals in the brain, depression occurs. When there is too much, hallucinations can occur. Medication such as antipsychotic drugs, anticonvulsants and antidepressants can help stabilize the moods so that bipolar patients can live a normal healthy life. There is one problem however, even though scientists have pretty much figured out that a chemical imbalance is the problem, the actual body and brain chemistry of each individual is unique and therefore it takes quite sometime before the proper medication in the proper dosage is found.

Many people are worried about taking medication. We all have heard about the side affects of prolonged use of any medication. Unfortunately, Bipolar Disorder is a life long disorder and no matter what kind of help you are getting through family, friends, and therapy you will still need to be on medication. Sometimes the anxiety is so much you just can.t deal with it without medications. Other times the hallucinations and delusions make you so out of touch with reality or at least everyone else.s reality that you are not functioning well. You may want to die and even try to hurt yourself or others if you are off the medication that you so need. Some people have committed suicide when they were off their medication.

Unfortunately, taking medication to keep you balanced is going to be your way of life. In the beginning it will take awhile to find the right medication, but once it is found, you will be glad that you did take it. You will see an improvement in your life. That improvement may be so remarkable that you think you don.t need the medication anymore, but you do. It is the medication that is keeping your moods balanced and if you go off them all those crazy or negative out of control feelings will all come flooding back. Furthermore, you might have serious side effects or withdrawal symptoms because you went off your medication.

Of all the medications the most widely known medication is lithium it is the first medication ever used and is still in use today. Lithium is metal and is usually taken by pill form. Because of the chemical going into the body, blood tests must be taken in order to make sure the body is not absorbing too much metal. It does take a long time to be affective (at least two weeks), but when the lithium kicks in it can treat both mania and depression. The side effects from lithium can include: thirst, vomiting, tremors, weight gain, high blood pressure, and diabetes. Also, people with various health problems such as heart problems or kidney problems would not use lithium.

At one time lithium was the only medication available. Today there are antidepressants, antipsychotic, and anticonvulsant drugs that can help with the symptoms of mania and depression. Sometimes the doctors would have to prescribe a drug combo to get just the right assortment to help the patient in question.

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