When you read a book or go to a webpage or hear someone talk about natural treatments for depression, please know that people with bipolar don’t have depression. We have #bipolar depression and it is quite different.
When people site research that shows depression can be handled with natural treatments, I agree with them- and then I give them the news that is hard to hear. This research doesn’t apply to bipolar depression.
We need to educate GPs and natural practitioners on this topic. Bipolar depression always has the risk of mania. This is why the following natural treatments can’t be used for those of us with bipolar depression unless there is a mood stabilizer present – or someone has the ability to stop mania from going too far, which is rare even for myself.
5HTP
Taurine
GABA
Aswaganda
St. John’s Wort
ADD medications
SSRI and SNRI anti depressants
Light boxes
True Hope/Empower Plus
Energy drinks
Amino acid blends for energy
Cognitive enhancers such as green tea extract
The list is long!
We have bipolar depression. Anything that affects serotonin to help a person with depression get better can make us manic. IT IS A BUMMER! But, we need this info to get to the general public, especially to natural health practitioners.
