Depression and bipolar disorder cause similar symptoms. Depression describes a state of overwhelming sadness and hopelessness that results in symptoms of irritability, restlessness, feelings of guilt, loss of interest, fatigue, insomnia and changes in eating habits. Bipolar disorder, also called manic depression, causes patients to alternate between depressive and manic episodes, in which patients feel overly happy but continue to exhibit irritability along with symptoms of fatigue, restlessness and insomnia. Because of the similarities, several types of medications can treat both depression and bipolar disorder.
Antidepressants
Since the levels of various chemicals in the brain, including dopamine, serotonin and norepinephrine, affect moods and can contribute to depression, medications that alter these chemicals belong to the classification of antidepressant medications. The oldest form of antidepressant, known as tricyclic antidepressants such as amitriptyline, imipramine and amoxapine, inhibit the reabsorption of serotonin, norepinephrine and to a lesser extent dopamine. This action results in an increased level of chemicals in the brain.
Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, known as SSRIs, include the medications fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline and citalopram. Serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, known as SNRIs, include duloxetine, venlafaxine and desvenlafaxine. These newer forms of medications all inhibit the reuptake, or reabsorption, of the specified chemicals therefore increasing brain levels. These two groups of antidepressants induce fewer side effects than the tricyclic antidepressants, making them more desirable.
Doctors prescribe antidepressant medications to treat depression and bipolar disorder. For bipolar disorder, an antidepressant successfully treats the depressive episodes but can increase the incidence of manic episodes, as described by the National Institute of Mental Health. Therefore bipolar disorder treatment should include both an antidepressant and a mood stabilizer medication such as lithium.
Antipsychotics
Antipsychotic medications, including olanzapine, aripiprazole, quetiapine and risperadone, also treat some cases of depression and bipolar disorder. For those with bipolar disorder, doctors prescribe olanzapine with an antidepressant to relieve the symptoms of severe mania. The National Institute of Mental Health also reports that quetiapine became the first atypical antipsychotic approved to treat bipolar depressive episodes.
In cases of depression, doctors often prescribe antipsychotic medications along with an antidepressant to increase the effectiveness of the antidepressant. This type of treatment strategy is known as augmentation, according to MayoClinic.com.
Anti-Anxiety Medications
Anti-anxiety medications include high potency benzodiazepines such as clonazepam, lorazepam, alprazolam and azapirone—a newer type of anti-anxiety medication. Patients with depression or bipolar disorder both experience difficulty sleeping. Taking benzodiazepines helps to alleviate this symptom and therefore adds to a complete treatment option.
