Concerns about Taking Drugs

Do the Drugs Work?
So you start taking the drugs your doctor prescribed, and everything is fine, yes? Well, no. Medication does not make us normal.

Worries about Taking Medication
Should I take medication. Is it safe. Suppose I don't want to.

Should I take Therapy or Pills?
Now that you plan to do something about being bipolar, which is better - seeing a therapist, or taking medication.

If You are Prescribed a Drug, Ask your Doctor these Questions about It (new: 19 May 09)
When you are prescribed medication, don't just accept it. Take the initiative and ask your psychiatrist the questions you need to know about the drug.

Magazine Articles on Drugs - Don't take them too Seriously.
Magazine and newspaper articles frequently don't present with all the information you need. Here's how to analyse such articles and what information to look for in them.

Experiences with Specific Drugs

When I am on Tegretol
Tegretol is an effective antimanic for me. But it stops working after a while. How I feel when I am taking it and the side effects.

When I am on Epilim (Depakote)
Epilim stabilises me, but I can't function at normal. And I get unpleasant side effects which vary by dosage.

When I am on Prozac
Prozac seems to work well on countering my depression. I'm not getting any side effects either.

When I am on a High Dose of Prozac
Taking 80 mg Prozac works to stabilise my mood swings. With side effects.

When I am on Wellbutrin (Zyban)
Finally, a drug that seems to work the way I want!

Best Website for Drugs

If you can't find the information you are looking for here, check out Crazy Meds.  They have information on pretty much every drug that us bipolar / manic / depressed persons might be prescribed. Everything is written in language you and I can understand instead of the difficult to understand information you usually get on drug websites.

The information includes the standard uses for the drug, what the drug is supposed to do for us, all of the warnings about the drug, how it supposed to work, what the side effects are, and - the part I like best - a section called "Interesting Stuff Your Doctor Probably Won't Tell You."

The Crazy Meds site layout can look a bit haphazard, but don't let that deter you. The information on this website is great. And the text size is a lot bigger than on those slips of paper you get with the meds - important if you're on the high side of 40 years old.

Best Document for the
Big Picture on Being Bipolar

Unlike Crazy Meds, it doesn't deal with the details of specific drugs, but rather the various classes of drugs (SSRIs, MAOIs, anticonvulsants, etc.) and why they are being used to treat mania or depression symptoms. His document also explains in pretty clear language the available research on what is thought to be going on in your head, so you don't have to wade through reams of scientific documents.

There are two versions of the document. The link to the web version is on the lower left corner of the main page (or you can just jump from here and scroll down about two window lengths). Alternatively, if you need a portable version, you can buy the book Medicines for Mental Health by Kevin Thompson, Ph. D.

This is not exactly a short read, but it IS well worth reading. If nothing else, read the Introduction and browse the sections on Depression and Bipolar Disorder and particularly the parts about the drugs that are used. They provide a good grounding on how the drugs we take are thought to work to ease depression and mania, and their advantages and disadvantages.

You may have to read one or two paragraphs twice to fully grasp them, but this is as clear a description as you are going to get. That's all stuff we really need to know. How else are we going to take control of our mood swings - and our lives?