Bipolar Disorder Treatment – Bipolar Medication

Bipolar Affective Disorder is essentially a mental illness which causes sufferers to experience severe and sometimes very sudden mood swings. For the most part, patients will experience periods of mania and depression, hence the reason why this illness is often referred to as Manic Depression. Currently patients can benefit from successful bipolar disorder treatment can comprise both medication and therapy.

Intensive research into the cause of bipolar affective disorder has resulted in numerous new medications becoming available to patients, particularly during the last five years. Listed below are some of the leading and most successful bipolar disorder treatment – medications available on the market today.

Aripoprazole

In 2004 an anti-psychotic drug known as Aripiprazole was approved as a bipolar disorder treatment for manic depression as well as mixed bipolar disorder, and in 2005 it was also approved as a so called maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder. Unlike the vast majority of anti-psychotic drugs which work by means of suppressing or blocking dopamine receptors in the brain, Abilify or Aripiprazole is designed to simply stabilize these receptors. Because of this new approach, this latest medication is viewed by many as being the treatment of choice for treating bipolar affective disorder.

Celexa

While it has been on the market for many years already, Celexa, which is essentially an anti-depressant drug, has been prescribed more and more frequently in recent years as a bipolar medication. Of course anti-depressants can cause patients suffering from this disorder to plunge into a state of depression, which is why an additional mood stabilizer may need to be prescribed. However, Celexa has proven to be more predictable than many other anti-depressants, which in turn has resulted in fewer patients requiring any mood stabilizing drugs. Furthermore, Celexa has also shown extremely promising results when used as a maintenance drug for bipolar affective disorder.

Geodon

Another very promising bipolar disorder treatment – medication is Geodon. While this is a typical anti-psychotic drug used as a mood stabilizer for bipolar affective disorder patients, it has an advantage over many other drugs such as Zyprexa, in that is does not result in weight gain. Additionally, unlike Zyprexa, Geodon has fewer side effects. It's also been noted that any side effects resulting from Geodon are significantly milder than those experienced with Zyprexa.

Wellbutrin

Wellbutrin is another bipolar medication which has been used with much success in treating those suffering from bipolar affective disorder. Interestingly enough, Wellbutrin, also marketed as Zyban, was originally developed in order to help people quit smoking. However, it was recently discovered, purely by chance, that this medication is extremely beneficial to patients when used as an anti-depressant. To date, it still remains unclear as to why Wellbutrin works so effectively for bipolar affective disorder sufferers as it has absolutely no chemical similarities to any other anti-depressant drugs. It should also be mentioned that Wellbutrin poses no risk as far as weight gain is concerned.

Researchers all over the world are continuously searching for new and improved treatments which will be successful in treating bipolar affective disorder. It's therefore essential that patients regularly discuss treatment options with their doctors and that they make an effort to stay informed with regards to the latest developments in bipolar medication. This is in essence, the only way patients can be sure they are benefiting from the most successful bipolar disorder treatment for bipolar affective disorder.