More meds

Taking the Stage, Anti-Psychotics...Tah Dah!

Okay for the next exciting installment of medication. Now, these meds have always scared me. I don't know maybe it's the name. There have been several times in my career with mental illness that physicians have considered prescribing me an anti-psychotic…and then they mentioned it to me and I, of course, refused. In retrospect, however, I'm of the mind that one must do what works best. If you ever get past that whole denial thing of, "Well I feel pretty good. That must mean…I'm cured!" you will find that what works best is what works best. I have a psychotic feature with my bipolar II, which is not rare but is somewhat unusual. I experience catatonia and have had states of altered senses. These are considered psychotic states and ani-psychotic meds eliminate them. If you are a person who hallucinated during mania and you DO NOT enjoy such experiences, an anti-psychotic might be a comfort for you. So without further babbling, I give you…anti-psychotics!

Anti-psychotics affect the neurotransmitters in the brain. You can find more information about these meds if you look up the National Institute of Mental Health at http://www.nimh.nih.gov/index.shtml

"Atypical antipsychotic medications, including clozapine (Clozaril®), olanzapine (Zyprexa®), risperidone (Risperdal®), quetiapine (Seroquel®), and ziprasidone (Geodon®), are being studied as possible treatments for bipolar disorder. Evidence suggests clozapine may be helpful as a mood stabilizer for people who do not respond to lithium or anticonvulsants.16 Other research has supported the efficacy of olanzapine for acute mania, an indication that has recently received FDA approval.17 Olanzapine may also help relieve psychotic depression.18" http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/bipolar-disorder/complete-publication.shtml

Okay, now the term "atypical" simply means (novel), the newer drugs as compared to the old ones. Serequel and Serlect are also part of that atypical category, and are relatively new to the show.

Medications classified at "typical" and are "old school med" are broken down into three categories—low, medium, and high. These categories are all about how much medication is required to get a potential effect. For instance, a medication in the "low" category may take 200 mg for the desired effect with 5mg of the "high" category meds may get the same effect.
"Low-potency medications tend to be more sedating and are associated with low blood pressure, dizziness, dry mouth, blurred vision, and difficulty in urinating.
High-potency medications are less sedating but are associated with tremors, rigidity, muscle spasms, and restlessness.
Medium-potency medications fall in between in terms of side effects." http://members.aol.com/leonardjk/drugs.htmAcetophenazine

The difference in the two types, atypical and typical is that atypical meds are easier on the human and have less chance of developing tardive dyskinesia. Tardive dyskinesia is a neurological disorder that can develop from long term use of some anti-psychotics, namely in the typical category. Tardive is abnormal movement in the lower face. Other neurological conditions can develop as well, such as shuffling.

See why I was frightened? I had someone in my life who has schizo-affective disorder and has been on an ant-psychotic for some time and he does not exhibit such symptoms. I have several friends who have schizophrenia and do not exhibit such symptoms. Thanks to the new atypical medications, such neurological disorders are not as common.

So here is the end of our exciting adventure into the world of anti-psychotics. Not quite so scary as the boogieman in one's closet, and not even close in comparison to…SHARKS! but a thrilling ride none the less.

L