seanimus Posted March 19, 2011 Someone I know was recently given a tentative diagnosis of bipolar by a pyschologist and is currently waiting for their 1st psychiatrist appointment to have that diagnosis verified or altered accordingly. They have told me that they are quite worried about mood stabilzers and the prospect of having to take lithium and the like, they may not have to but they have asked me If I knew of any natural treatments, I told them it is well above my pay grade but I would look into it. I would greatly appreciate any help in this matter. I have started to look at things like phenylaline and tyrosine but I really am not sure. I am by no means going to try and treat said person but would like to give them something to take to their doctors as they really would like to keep it natural if possible and avoid become a zombie. Thanks very much in advance for any clues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Darklight Posted March 20, 2011 Sorry I can't help with the natural thing. There are bucketloads of potential recommendations but I think bipolar is still not terribly well understood and I'm reluctant to recommend anything to take I would recommend that your mate take the time ( if they have it- and fantastic for them if they do! ) to find a compatible psych team they can work with closely, and start working with them when they're well rather than when it's triage time. One of the problems with bipolar is apparently non-compliance with treatment, when things look rosy a high proportion of peeps go off their regime and it's harder to get help when things are spinning out, believe me. Stick with the team you get til you find one you like IME one of the important things with bipolar is pre-planning. Plan for being safe during a down episode by training your brain for it while you're OK. Otherwise it's like running a half marathon after you've been sitting down for two years I hope your mate can find a treatment crew who are sympathetic to natural treatments and positive lifestyle changes, and who they're comfortable talking to. Keep in touch and let us know how it goes Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
faustus Posted March 20, 2011 what are their reasons for not wanting to take a mood stabiliser? i'm on lamotrigine. no side effects, except the expense as it's only on PBS for epilepsy. some pharmacies sell 56 x 200 mg for $100+ but chemist warehouse does it for like $60... which i still can't afford. you can get it even cheaper from online pharmacies. re natural therapies. it's been a long time since i've looked at the literature but i'm reasonably confident these are empirically supported: - fish oil - exercise - structured routine e.g. going to bed at the same time, to do lists etc - dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT). some cunts will say that bipolar can only be treated with meds, but there's evidence DBT works too PS if in sydney, they'd do well to be assessed at the black dog institute. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
applesnail Posted March 20, 2011 just live happy without the psychiatric labels best natural therapy ever! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nabraxas Posted March 20, 2011 just live happy without the psychiatric labels best natural therapy ever! easy for you to say. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanimus Posted March 20, 2011 Thanks for the response's quote Sorry I can't help with the natural thing. There are bucketloads of potential recommendations but I think bipolar is still not terribly well understood and I'm reluctant to recommend anything to take I can understand your reluctance but I'd like to have as many recommendations as possible for them to take to their therapists so any help would greatly appreciated. They are currently coming out of a slump or down turn at the moment so time they have. I think you are very correct about the right team as they said they would occasionally miss their appointment because they werent 100% comfortable with the psychologist and now they currently need a new one and their first psychiatrist appointment is around 2-3 weeks away (yay for SA mental health, very slow) so they are now looking for that team and I wish to arm them with as much reliable knowledge as possible. quote what are their reasons for not wanting to take a mood stabiliser? I think they are quite worried about not being themselves anymore or becoming a bit of a zombie its probaly silly but thats how they feel, plus they would like to steer clear of pharmacueticals and keep it natural. They have recently started on fish oil and also increasing exercise and have noticed a definite lift in their general moods, the trick now is a good diet on a regular basis intstead of good for a bit then slack off. I will definetely tell them about DBT thanks Thanks peeps all help on this is greatly apperciated Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
seanimus Posted March 20, 2011 (edited) oops doubled Edited March 20, 2011 by seanimus Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
