Can You Cure Bipolar Without Medication

How To Treat Bipolar Without Medication: Therapy

For many, therapy is important in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Bipolar therapy may be short-term or ongoing, but either way it allows for the treatment of bipolar disorder without medication. Key to any therapy is finding a qualified therapist experienced in the desired type of therapy.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a popular short-term option. CBT teaches skills to deal with and challenge everyday thoughts and assumptions. CBT attempts to change thought patterns as a treatment of bipolar without medication.

Interpersonal psychotherapy is also medication-free. Psychotherapy may be time-consuming but can be very helpful for those with longstanding personal issues that are contributing to unstable mental health. Psychotherapy delves deeply into personal issues and is usually done individually with a qualified psychotherapist.

Important Information About Bipolar Disorder Medication

Bipolar medication can cause side effects in some people.

Side effects of antipsychotic medication include:

• drowsiness

Side effects of lithium carbonate include:

• shaking
• muscle weakness
• memory problems

Lithium carbonate can be very effective for bipolar disorder, but it can build up in the body and eventually cause harm to the thyroid, kidneys or central nervous system. If you are taking lithium carbonate, you will need regular blood tests to make sure you are taking the right level.

If you have too much lithium, it can be toxic. If this happens, it usually passes from the body about 2 days after you stop the treatment. Contact the doctor who prescribed the medication immediately if you are taking lithium carbonate and you experience:

• nausea
• unsteadiness
• increased thirst

For most people, the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks of being on medication. However, if you or someone you know is considering treatment, ask the treating doctor:

• What are the benefits of bipolar disorder medication?
• What are the risks of medication?
• What are the side effects?

Also discuss what other medications are being taken as some medications can interact with bipolar medication. Never discontinue or adjust doses on your own without talking to your doctor.

Can You Manage Bipolar Disorder Without Medication

Many people want to know, Can you manage bipolar disorder without medication? The answer to this is both simple and complex. Managing bipolar disorder without medication is possible for a few, but not many. Read below about possible options for managing bipolar without medications .

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What Is Bipolar Disorder

• There are different types of bipolar. Those with type 1 experience periods of manic highs and depressive lows. Those with type 2 experience severe depression and mild manic episodes – known as hypomania – that last for a shorter period of time. Those with cyclothymia experience fewer severe mood swings, but they can last longer.
• During a manic episode, those with bipolar disorder can feel euphoric and have lots of energy, ambitious plans and ideas. But they can become aggressive, and experience symptoms of psychosis.
• The exact cause of bipolar disorder is unknown. Some experts believe it can be developed as a result of severe emotional distress as a child, as well as genetic and chemical factors.
• One in every 100 UK adults will be diagnosed with the condition at some point in their life.

The study looked through the hospital records of patients and found bipolar patients being prescribed other medications such as antipsychotic and anticonvulsant drugs was on the increase.

That is despite, researchers claim, neither of these being proven to be as effective as lithium in managing the disorder long-term.

Alison Cairns, chief executive of Bipolar Scotland, said: “We’ve been concerned for some time by the number of people being prescribed antidepressants without an accompanying mood stabiliser.

“Doctors should strive to improve prescribing practice and bring this into line with the scientific evidence and treatment guidelines.”

Mood Stabilizers In The Treatment Of Acute Manic Episodes

Mood stabilizers can be used in the treatment of acute mania as monotherapy or as part of a combination treatment. U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the use of lithium and valproate for acute mania indication. Lithium among the mood stabilizers and carbamazepine and valproate among the anticonvulsants are medications that can be used in the treatment of mania. However, lamotrigine, topiramate, gabapentin and oxcarbazepine, are known to be ineffective in prophylaxis and the treatment of manic episodes . Among these, only lamotrigine is known to have prophylactic effect on depressive episodes.

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Are There Any Alternatives To Mood Stabilisers

Managing a condition like bipolar disorder without mood stabilisers can be challenging. But medication isn’t right for everyone. You might find that you want to explore other ways to manage your mood. This could be alongside taking medication, or instead of it.

These are some of the common alternatives to taking mood stabilisers:

• Look after your physical health

Therapy For Bipolar Disorder Without Medication

While medication is the foundation of treatment for bipolar disorder, it is most effective when combined with holistic treatments such as therapy, social support, and lifestyle changes. Treatment can include dietary changes, natural supplements, and therapy. The Mayo Clinic recommends exercise such as yoga and alternative therapies such as acupuncture and massage therapy for reducing some symptoms of bipolar disorder. Some natural supplements are recommended to help reduce bipolar symptoms without medication. Sleeping eight hours a night and refraining from alcohol and drugs are also very important to preventing manic episodes and ensuring effective treatment.

Eric buck works with you and your psychiatrist to help you find natural ways to treat bipolar disorder without medication. He will accompany you along your journey to health safely with attention to your own personal needs and goals.

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Beyond Treatment: Things You Can Do

Regular Exercise: Regular aerobic exercise, such as jogging, brisk walking, swimming, or bicycling, helps with depression and anxiety, promotes better sleep, and is healthy for your heart and brain. There is also some evidence that anaerobic exercise such as weightlifting, yoga, and Pilates can be helpful. Check with your health care provider before you start a new exercise regimen.

Keeping a Life Chart: Even with proper treatment, mood changes can occur. Treatment is more effective when a patient and health care provider work together and talk openly about concerns and choices. Keeping a life chart that records daily mood symptoms, treatments, sleep patterns, and life events can help patients and health care providers track and treat bipolar disorder over time. Patients can easily share data collected via smartphone apps including self-reports, self- ratings, and activity data with their health care providers and therapists.

Make Notes Of Your Symptoms

It doesnt have to be anything copious or formal. Tracking your symptoms may help you and your mental health team develop successful treatments and management plans.

Keeping a journal or using an app as a mood log may allow you to see patterns over long periods of time.

You may start to notice specific stressors before mood shifts. You may realize that changes in habit or diet coincide with mood episodes. Once patterns become known, you can find more targeted ways to manage bipolar disorder.

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Look After Your Physical Health

• Get enough sleep. For lots of people with bipolar disorder, disturbed sleep can be both a trigger and a symptom of episodes. Getting enough sleep can help you keep your mood stable or shorten an episode. See our pages on sleep problems for more information.
• Think about what you eat and drink. Eating a balanced and nutritious diet can help you feel well, think clearly and calm your mood. See our pages on food and mood for more tips. If you have a difficult relationship with food and eating, our pages on eating problems may help.
• Exercise regularly. Exercise can help by using up energy when youre feeling high and releasing endorphins when youre feeling low. Gentle exercise, like yoga or swimming, can also help you relax and manage stress. See our pages on physical activity and your mental health for more information.

What Medications Are Used To Treat Bipolar Disorder

Doctors typically prescribe at least two different types of medication for people with bipolar disorder. A mixed treatment plan alleviates symptoms of depression while providing mood stability and preventing a manic episode.

Below are common treatments youre most likely to receive for bipolar disorder:

• Mood Stabilizers: Medicines such as Carbatrol, Depakote, Lamictal, and Depakene help prevent mood swings and subdue manic highs and lows. They can also improve social interactions/interpersonal relationships and correct unwanted behaviors.
• Antipsychotics: Some people with bipolar disorder experience mild hallucinations. Treatments such as Seroquel, Zyprexa, and Prozac can reduce delusions and correct the severe mood changes that cause them.
• Antidepressants: Though antidepressants such as Seroquel and Symbyax effectively treat bipolar depression, patients should never use them alone. One of the risks of monotherapy is that it could trigger an extreme mood change or manic episode. In most cases, the side effects of only taking an antidepressant outweigh its benefits.
• Anti-Anxiety Medication: An adult diagnosed with bipolar disorder is also likely to experience anxiety. Anti-anxiety drugs such as benzodiazepines can help mitigate the occurrence of binge eating, poor sleep, hygiene, and moods, and agitation. Central nervous system depressants can also help slow brain activity, though they can become addictive and result in sluggishness.

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Keep Meds Your Priority

Your medication is already an integral part of your treatment. There are some small ways to make your medication regimen even better, such as:

• taking meds as directed, without skipping doses or discontinuing use
• sticking with the same mental health professionals as much as possible for consistency
• communicating candidly with your healthcare team about how youre feeling
• scheduling and keeping regular appointments to help track progress, even when youre feeling OK

How To Treat Bipolar Disorder Naturally Without Drugs The Effective Tips Forever

Bipolar disorder is the metal disease, which make the patients experience the frequent mood swings. The symptoms can vary from low to high level. However, it is hard for anyone to cope with the bipolar disorder and for their family to live with it. The causes of bipolar disorder still remain controversy and mysterious. Some of risk factors that may trigger this meal disease are stress, hormone balance, physical change, pressure, trauma and excessive drug or alcohol use. When people are diagnosed with bipolar disorder, it is needed to treat carefully and in the long-term. The reason may be that if you do not cure the problem properly and on time, it will develop the bigger issue. For example, bipolar disorder victims may want to suicide. Unfortunately, not many people realize that they are suffering from the serious mental problem or they doubt if the natural treatments work. But many people tested natural ways and they claimed that the tips are effective. Therefore, on vkool.com, I would like to introduce with you some techniques on how to treat bipolar disorder. Read the article bellow to know more.

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Section 3 Treating Bipolar Mania

• Lecithin & Choline Recuce Bipolar Mania
• Drug Addiction & Bipolar Syndrom

My name is Peter Smith I specialise in treating mental health problems using natural remedies and functional medicine without drugs. To make a London Booking

Hi my name is Peter Smith I specialise in treating and coaching people how to live well with mental health problems, digestive health problems/IBS, sleep problems and type II diabetes using natural therapies.I used these techniques to overcome and live well with my own bipolar disorder and IBS. I’ve been in practice as a natural medicine practitioner since 1988.

Light Is A Natural Mood Stabilizer / Antidepressant

Many people have heard of seasonal affective disorder . SAD produces mood swings based on the amount of available sunlight, typically depression in the winter, when light is low. SAD is often treated with artificial sunlight .

Research now suggests light therapy is also useful in bipolar disorder depression, even without a seasonal component. This natural bipolar treatment uses a dawn simulator and a light box to manipulate the amount of light received by the patient. Use of a light box requires a strict schedule so light is always administered at the right time and in the right amount.

Light therapy is a low-risk treatment of bipolar disorder without medication, but it is not no-risk. Light therapy can induce mixed or manic episodes.1 Always consult a doctor before starting light therapy.

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Training Computers To Identify Bipolar Disorder

Think of two people with very different temperaments or personality styles. One is usually calm, even-tempered, rarely anxious and mostly has positive self-esteem. The second person, by contrast, approaches most things with apprehension and doubt and often feels that stress undermines his or her capacity to think clearly and make good decisions. These are people who approach life quite differently.

Imagine these two people both experience the same difficult and challenging day. While their external stress may be comparable, these individuals’ capacity to manage their day is quite different. For the one with anxiety and deficient self-soothing, their fearfulness and difficulty remaining calm are stressors in and of themselves. In other words, the psyche of the individual absolutely plays a significant role in how the day is experienced. The notion that circumstance or other people make us feel anyway in particular is inaccurate. Life comes at us, but our response is our own creation.

I dont want to replicate the perspective that I criticized at the outset of this blog. Psychotherapy wont likely resolve the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Even the most insightful, self-aware, self-accepting bipolar individual will still experience some mixture of highs, lows and/or irritability that will be difficult to manage. Thats life with bipolar disorder.

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When Would Going Medication

Dr. Dennis feels that going med-free might be indicated,

If a person has only ever had mild symptoms, and they are getting good benefit from non-medication alternativestherapy, support groups, meditation, yoga, omega 3 fatty acids, etc. Any decision to stop medication needs to be supported by a persons physician and the process should be slow and highly monitored. The individual needs to see their MD weekly, have family and other support people involved to provide feedback on how the person is doing, etc.)

Personally, even with weekly visits Id still be worried. A person can do a lot of damage to a life in a week.

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Effective Personal Strategies To Manage Bipolar Disorder Without Meds

Although there is no permanent cure for bipolar disorder, you can enhance your general quality of life and functionality with the correct tactics in formulating a holistic treatment for bipolar disorder. Following are some additional tactics for overcoming bipolar disorder once youve found the proper medication and therapy for you.

1. Take an active role in your treatment.

When youre getting treatment, be sure youre participating in the treatment plan. Take the time to study the illness, to comprehend how it affects you, and to ask questions.

Getting to know oneself is an important element of figuring out how to manage bipolar disorder. Find out more about your unique symptoms and learn if there are any triggers or situations you should avoid.

Once you have a better understanding of the bipolar disorder and yourself, you can work with your doctor or therapist to develop a treatment plan. Assist others by asking inquiries and sharing your concerns. Its fine to find someone else who can be a positive contributor with you on your path if you dont feel comfortable cooperating or communicating openly with your current treatment provider.

2. Consider Therapy And Be In Regular

Medication is an important part of a bipolar treatment plan, but it isnt the only option for getting the support you need. Therapy can also help you learn coping techniques and focus on changing your mindset and behavior for good.

3. Pay close attention to your mood and bipolar symptoms.

How My Bipolar Disorder Treatment Has Helped Me

I had a normal, happy childhood. I was always ambitious, although somewhat insecure. My parents immigrated from Portugal to Toronto, Canada. Neither of them finished high school. I was very eager to please them by being the first person in my family to go to university. So I always felt pressure to perform well.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in politics and my law degree. After working in Brazil for a few years, I moved to the United States and started the MBA program at Wharton Business School at the University of Pennsylvania. Not only was I insecure that I wasn’t performing at the same level as my classmates, but I was also alone for the first time in my life. My parents were in Canada and my future husband was working in New York.

The academic and career stress, coupled with the loneliness, led me to withdraw and isolate myself. In 2000, I was diagnosed with major depression. I thought it was just a phase that would pass. I went to a psychiatrist and tried medication, but after a couple of weeks without improvement, I stopped taking it.

At around the same time, my father lost his job where he’d worked for 30 years. I was sexually assaulted by a classmate. All of these stressors came together, and I started to act erratically and out of character. I sent a long, rambling email to my classmates — all 800 of them.

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