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Bipolar Forums › General & Support › considering stopping meds and going herbal?

03/23/2012 11:43 AM

considering stopping meds and going herbal?

24loquitas

Posts: 170
Member

I was wondering if anyone has had success with herbal remedies? I'm tired of gaining weight and I don't feel much different on meds. I'm concerned for my overall health and I want to try something less toxic. I currently on Lithium 900. Went up to 1200 mg but felt even more Blah. Sometimes I doubt my diagnosis..or maybe just a mild case of bipolar. My docs papers say I have Bipolar 1. I don't know anymore...

03/23/2012 11:51 AM Top

uppitywoman

Posts: 42362
Group Leader
I'm an Advocate

Have you ever tried Abilify? It is weight neutral for me. In fact, I was able to diet and lose weight on it. It is also very effective in controlling mania. The only problem I see with herbals is that they are not tested by the FDA and despite what labels say, testing by labs have shown that amounts of the product vary widely from one brand to another even when they say they contain the same amount. It was on the national news one evening. I usually watch ABC, that's probably where I saw it. However, there are people who do take them and probably here at this site and I'm sure they will weigh in.

With God, all things are possible

My blog:

http://uppitywomantwo.blogspot.com

Bipolar I

10mg Abilify--400mg Lamictal-90mg Cymbalta--25mg Ambien CR--200mg Topomax--30mg Temazapam--1mg Ativan as needed.

Please note that I am not a psychiatrist or psychologist. My opinions are personal only. This site is not intended to be a substitution for professional care, nor is anyone here qualified to make diagnoses.

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03/23/2012 01:17 PM Top

yellowclocks

Posts: 181
Member

Gotta weigh in quickly and say that Abilify is NOT weight neutral for me. I'm taking such a tiny dose, but it still gets me starving all the time.

I do take some herbal supplements - mostly stuff my mom gets from Eastern doctors - but I use them as extras, not as a mainstay.

"If I knew how to write letters I would write you a long one, but four or five years ago I turned into an idiot..." -Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Bipolar NOS :: Lamotrigene 50 mg :: Citalopram 5 mg :: Aripiprazole 1.25 mg :: Bupropion 10 mg :: Lithium 75 mg :: Trazodone 37.5 mg

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03/23/2012 01:26 PM Top
Catbaloo Posts: 4737 Group Leader	I agree with uppity on this one. So called "natural" supplements are not tested. There are no studies for them the way there are for drugs produced by pharma companies. They are not controlled by the FDA the way real medicines are. Frankly, you don't know what you are getting when you buy supplements. With real medicines, you know what you are getting and you know that it has been proven to work. Just my two cents. My opinions are just opinions, and should be taken as such. I am not an expert on medicines or BP disorder. Previous discussions I participated in: Has anyone seen the Fairies.... Thursday almost Friday Anxiety meds

03/23/2012 02:02 PM Top

Cthebird

Posts: 2609
Senior Member

If herbal remedies actually worked for bipolar disorder then some company out there would probably be selling it for $600 per 30 pills.

They say fish oil is good for the moods, but it never did anything for mine. Hopefully it lowered my triglycerides, though.

If you doubt your diagnosis then I would sit down and have a strong talk with your pdoc. I too have bipolar 1 disorder and there isn't a doubt in my mind that I have it. And type 1 too.

Bipolar 1, Simple Partial Seizures, and migraines

Psychiatric meds:

Lithium ER (900 mg)*Tegretol XR (1400 mg)*Lamictal (100 mg)*Geodon (160 mg)*Navane (5 mg)*Seroquel XR (100 mg)*Klonopin (.5 mg)

Ativan 1 mg "as needed" (I rarely take it.)*Seroquel regular 50 mg "as needed" (Only if I'm getting elevated.)

Other meds:

Propranolol (40 mg)*Levothyroxine (150 mcg)

My mix is side effect friendly for me.

Previous discussions I participated in:
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03/23/2012 04:24 PM Top
lj80 Posts: 354 Member	Herbal will be the same as all other meds. You'd have to take so much with trial and error that it would just not be worth it. If you spokde to 10 different people who do herds they would have 100 different ideas. The right herds would work and I'm sure you could find some help real quick if you got lucky. I found out last year that I have Irlen Syndrome and it can cause some major brain activity that will over work everything. I've had my lenses for over a year now and my head aches are gone and my mood has never been better. If you go to herbs you'd have to work with one person and follow it very closely. I wouldn't want to stop taking the meds but we've finally got a combo that works. Seroquel made me gain a ton of weight the first time and when the doc wanted me to take them again I said if I gain weight it won't happen. So far so good. somedays every minute is a battle.....but I can only take it one minute at a time... 250mg Lamictal 50mg Seroquel 500mg Naproxen Previous discussions I participated in: I think my Husband is bi-polar anyone else have super senses? My "value system" shattered

03/23/2012 04:39 PM Top

chev1

Posts: 429
Member

I too am sick of meds, but realise Im still in the early stages and have got a strong chance of finding something that works for me. My mum is always at me about what these medications are doing to my body and has suggested going natural. I dont think she would b as concerned if I found something that worked, its the chopping and changing she worries about. If you do decide to go down the path of trying herbal remedies, please keep us posted on how you go Smile

Good luck with it all.

"A friend told me that I was delusional. I almost fell off my unicorn"

"Everyone you meet comes with baggage. Find someone who loves you enough to help you unpack"

Bipolar II
Prozac 40mg
Lamictal 2oomg

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03/23/2012 05:19 PM Top

sarahtroy

Posts: 12236
Group Leader
I'm an Advocate

Bipolar is an organic brain disease that causes the brain to deteriorate over time unless one is properly medicated. I don't want to leave my brain unprotected by going off my medications.

Bipolar II, Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Panic Attacks, Agoraphobia & PTSD; Alcoholic in recovery since 3/21/07.

Aplenzin 522mg; Pristiq 200mg; Lamictal 400mg; Geodon 160mg; Ativan 1mg TID; Deplin 15mg; Xanax PRN; Metoprol 100mg.

• "Don't give up 5 minutes before the miracle happens."
• "My little dog - a heartbeat at my feet." ~Edith Wharton
• "Be kind, for everyone you meet is fighting a hard battle." ~Ian MacLaren (Usually mis-attributed to Plato)
• "And the day came when the risk it took to remain tight inside the bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." ~Anais Nin

My support and advice is not a replacement for medical diagnosis, treatment, or professional medical advice.

Previous discussions I participated in:
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help me

03/23/2012 06:16 PM Top
JennyT	Like Uppity said, you never know what you're getting. I've read studies that find that within capsules in the SAME BOTTLE herbal supplements can vary tremendously.

03/23/2012 06:30 PM Top

hythloday

Posts: 329
Member

I'm not bipolar but my wife is and she's quite fond of the idea of herbals. You and she are both adults and you'll do what you want, but I'll tell you what I told her: any herb that's potent enough to do what antidepressants and antipsychotics do is going to have similar downsides. There's an assumption that herbs are safer or better for you, but that's just not the case. Herbs are just as dangerous as any pharmaceutical, it's just that no one tracks herbs the way pharmaceuticals are tracked.

Previous discussions I participated in:
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