Here is an interesting list- the FDA (federal drug administration) has to ok a drug for use with bipolar disorder before a drug company can advertise that the drug can be used for bipolar disorder. Here is a list of the approved drugs with their initiation dates. I will write more on this topic in [...]
Zyprexa, also known as Olanzapine is an anti psychotic drug (also known as a neuroleptic) used to treat psychosis and psychotic mania.
It’s called an atypical antipsychotic as it is a new class of drugs with less side effects that the old anti-psychotics such as Thorazine and Haldol. Zyprexa is known for weight gain- an average [...]
I recently opened a magazine and saw an antidepressant (Pristiq) I had never heard of- so I asked my coauthor Dr. John Preston to explain the mistique of Pristiq!
Hi…Pristiq (desvenlafaxine)is a clone of Effexor…I like it because the starting dose is often the therapeutic dose (50 mg)…with Effexor you had to start low (37.5 mg) [...]
Did you know that there is Serotonin in our stomachs? It has the second highest concentration of the neurotransmitter after our brains.
This is why SSRI drugs such as Prozac, Zoloft and many others can cause stomach problems. As my coauthor Dr. John Preston says, “There’s no way to harpoon a drug straight to the neurotransmitters [...]
Hi Julie,
Recently, my daughter switched from Risperdal to Abilify. I am hoping Abilify will be good for her, contrary to what I have heard. Do you have any information regarding the success of bipolar people on Abilify?
T.
Hi T.
Risperdal and Abilify are anti psychotic drugs. They are often used in the treatment of bipolar disorder. If [...]
Manic/Psychotic Talk
“He blew a glass jacket. The walls were mayo and I was chewing all of the dirt off of the vegetables.”
The above is known as a word salad ( no pun intended!) – the sayings are close enough for us to understand them – but overall, they just make no sense.
A psychotic friend of [...]
Dear Julie–I thought for the diagnosis Bipolar II you could not have any hallucinations–is this not the case? Just wanted to understand. Thanks, R
Hello R,
Oh yes! All people with bipolar disorder can have hallucinations. It’s a very normal part of bipolar I and bipolar II. There are many different types of hallucinations- from hearing voices [...]
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