The brain disorder termed bipolar affects about 5.7 million adults in the United States, with about 2.6 percent of those 18 years of age and older. Most bipolar patients show symptoms of cycling depression and euphoria at about age 25 according to the National Institute of Mental Health. A combined treatment of counseling, lifestyle options and medications prescribed for bipolar patients can help sufferers lead more normal lives.
Quetiapine
Physicians prescribe the antipsychotic medication quetiapine more often than any other bipolar medication in 2008 with more than 11.5 million prescriptions written according to Real Mental Health. Quetiapine works by altering brain chemicals. Drugs.com states doctors have used it for schizophrenia treatments and major depressive disorders as well as bipolar disorder.
Topiramate
Topiramate is the second most commonly prescribed medication prescribed for bipolar disorder and acts as both an anticonvulsant for epilepsy sufferers as well as a mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder patients. Doctors wrote about 7.9 million prescriptions for topiramate in 2008 states a report by Real Mental Health. As with other mood stabilizers, topiramate helps level off the highs and lows bipolar disorder patients undergo.
Lamotrigine
The third most commonly prescribed medication for bipolar disorder in 2008 was lamotrigine, which acts as both mood stabilizer and anticonvulsant medication. Real Mental Health pegs lamotrigine at 5.6 million prescriptions in 2008 in the U.S. and describes the action of the medication as slowing the cycles between depression and mania as a maintenance drug. The site also states the drug proves most effective in less serious, Type II Bipolar Disorder cases and does not prove effective with Type I Bipolar Disorder where acute episodes indicate hospitalization.
Aripiprazole
Aripiprazole works as an antipsychotic medication used in treatment for bipolar mania and schizophrenia. It was the fourth most likely prescribed medication in the Real Mental Health list of bipolar medications prescribed in 2008, with 5.2 million prescriptions written.
Risperidone
Risperidone acts as an antipsychotic medication in bipolar treatment with about 4.6 million prescriptions written for the drug in 2008. Real Mental Health states that physicians should not prescribe risperidone for elderly dementia patients because of high mortality rates associated with that population.
Divalproex Sodium
Divalproex sodium in the extended release form was prescribed for bipolar patient use about 4 million times in 2008. But Real Mental Health lists the combined divalproex sodium and extended release versions of the mood stabilizer and anticonvulsant medication as having been prescribed a total of 6.4 million times.
Other Bipolar Medications
Other medications prescribed for bipolar disorder patients in the listing from 2008 include 3.8 million prescriptions of the antipsychotic olanzapine, 2.3 million prescriptions of the antipsychotic ziprasidone and 1.1 million prescriptions of the antidepressant paroxetine.
