Take to your health care provider to see what’s right for you
Reduce or stop substances or foods that elevate or alter mood
- caffeine-coffee,tea, cola, energy drinks with taurine, guarana, yerba, gingko, ginseng
- amphetamines, crystal meth, cocaine, ecstacy-E, alcohol, marijuana
Make sure your physical health and medications have been checked
- thyroid problems, neurologic conditions, infections can mimic mania/hypomania
- steroids, methylphenidate, decongestants, diet or stay awake pills, St.John’s wort (hypericum), ginseng, supplements may cause/worsen mania/hypomania
Caution with use of antidepressant medications
- antidepressants may trigger, bring out or worsen a hypomanic or manic episode
- can be used cautiously as an adjunctive add-on to mood stabilizing medications
- if stopping – must taper some down gradually to prevent withdrawal
Mood stabilizing medication for acute episodes and future prevention
- Lithium – (a well proven, natural mineral) – need to monitor blood level, kidney and thyroid counts
- Valproic Acid – need to monitor blood level, liver and blood cell counts
- Atypical Anti-psychotics/Mood Stabilizers- many indicated for treatment and prevention of bipolar manic and depressive episodes – not only used for psychosis
- Lamotrigene – effective for depressive phase only – watch for rare but serious rash
- benzodiazepines (valium, lorazepam, clonazepam) – useful as adjunctive or short term add on to above first line recommended mood stabilizers
Safety first, prevent damage to yourself, family, friends, job, finances
- prevent or stop uncharacteristic risky behaviour-fast driving, extreme sports, unsafe sex, fighting, gambling, excess spending, drug and alcohol use
- protect your job security – consider illness leave for health reasons
- protect finances – limit access to funds, credit cards, bank accounts, stock trades
- you, family, society to consider brief hospitalization to get well and for safety. Sometime must be involuntary
- appoint someone to look out for you if you have an episode and can’t yourself (power of attorney, substitute consent provider, advance directives)
Healthy lifestyle, thinking habits and peer support
- regular sleep and wake times, regular meals, exercise, peer support groups, biologic rhythms therapy
- Cognitive Behaviour Therapy(CBT) – a type of talk therapy to develop thinking skills and habits to keep you accurately grounded in your decisions and actions