Hello Everyone. Over the course of the yrs I have seen a lot of people who were taking a fairly large cocktail of pills every day. I am one of them. The part that I do not understand is that many people who take this large number of pills do not improve, nor do their doc's seem to help.
I am not blaming them, but sometimes when I get into a discussion with people, even I can clearly see what they are taking will not help them much in the long run.
For example there are still docs out there who prescribe anti-depressants to people with bipolar as a first line defence. This has a 50% chance of making their problems worse. Often docs miss the forest for the trees, being so anxious to stablize us, that they miss the long term goal of a normal life.
The following are just my random thoughts and please do not make any change without talking to your doc.
Mood Stabilizers. Lithium can be hard on the digestion, give you the shakes and great thirst. Why do docs not automatically prescribe lithium sr first as it is much easier to tolerate. Often if someone does better on lithium, they will often do even better on a second mood stabilzer, rather than some other drug. Or sometimes two other mood stabilizers will work well together(there are many).
Anti-psychotics. Sometimes a necessary evil, but again the slow release(SR) version is usually easier to tolerate. The odds of getting tardive dyskinesia is about 5% per yr of taking them. Not bad if you are old like I am, but if your in your 20's you may want to ask about alternatives.
Anti-depressants and the bipolar. I take a/d from time to time, but if I take them for very long my moods will start to zoom up and crash down. Very few people that I have meet(with bipolar) have ever done well on a/ds. Yet all sorts have them prescribed.
Benzodiapines. Again I take them, but only short acting ones. I see long acting ones prescribed for the long term and it is a well known fact that this type of medication loses it's effect in the long run if used regularly.
Sleeping aids, they are great, but a lot are very addictive and lose effectiveness in a few mths and can be extremely difficult to quit taking. Ask your pharmicist about the best way to take them without them forming an addiction.
I rarely tell anyone what types of meds to take. There are too many variables that only you and your doc know about. But everybody should know what their alternatives are and what the long term potential for problems is from any meds. Sometimes it's the very small differences that can make a large difference in our comfort levels.
Some docs do not seem to have time to go over meds with us. Your pharmicist can help in that directions. Do not hesitate to ask them for instuctions or alternatives. Take Care. paul m
I am not blaming them, but sometimes when I get into a discussion with people, even I can clearly see what they are taking will not help them much in the long run.
For example there are still docs out there who prescribe anti-depressants to people with bipolar as a first line defence. This has a 50% chance of making their problems worse. Often docs miss the forest for the trees, being so anxious to stablize us, that they miss the long term goal of a normal life.
The following are just my random thoughts and please do not make any change without talking to your doc.
Mood Stabilizers. Lithium can be hard on the digestion, give you the shakes and great thirst. Why do docs not automatically prescribe lithium sr first as it is much easier to tolerate. Often if someone does better on lithium, they will often do even better on a second mood stabilzer, rather than some other drug. Or sometimes two other mood stabilizers will work well together(there are many).
Anti-psychotics. Sometimes a necessary evil, but again the slow release(SR) version is usually easier to tolerate. The odds of getting tardive dyskinesia is about 5% per yr of taking them. Not bad if you are old like I am, but if your in your 20's you may want to ask about alternatives.
Anti-depressants and the bipolar. I take a/d from time to time, but if I take them for very long my moods will start to zoom up and crash down. Very few people that I have meet(with bipolar) have ever done well on a/ds. Yet all sorts have them prescribed.
Benzodiapines. Again I take them, but only short acting ones. I see long acting ones prescribed for the long term and it is a well known fact that this type of medication loses it's effect in the long run if used regularly.
Sleeping aids, they are great, but a lot are very addictive and lose effectiveness in a few mths and can be extremely difficult to quit taking. Ask your pharmicist about the best way to take them without them forming an addiction.
I rarely tell anyone what types of meds to take. There are too many variables that only you and your doc know about. But everybody should know what their alternatives are and what the long term potential for problems is from any meds. Sometimes it's the very small differences that can make a large difference in our comfort levels.
Some docs do not seem to have time to go over meds with us. Your pharmicist can help in that directions. Do not hesitate to ask them for instuctions or alternatives. Take Care. paul m
).
. Take Care. paul m
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