Side Effects Of Adolescent Bipolar Medication

The American Association of Family Physicians estimates that 1 percent of the U.S. population will meet the criteria for a diagnosis of bipolar disorder during their lifetime. That's about one-sixth the rate of depression. The average age at diagnosis is 18 to 24 years old and the side effects young adults experience from medications developed to treat bipolar disorder are serious. They must be considered when designing a plan that can help a teenager overcome this challenge.

Thyroid Disorders

Lithium was the first mood-stabilizing medication used for bipolar disorder and is still among the most effective medications for the prevention of suicide in high-risk groups of people with bipolar disorder, including adolescent males, according to psychiatrists Alberto Bocchetta and Andrea Loviselli at the University of Calgiari in Italy. Unfortunately, as this team confirmed, lithium has also been associated with the development of thyroid disorders including a decrease in thyroid function called hypothyroidism. But, about 17 percent of people with bipolar symptoms might have an undiagnosed and untreated thyroid disorder capable of causing bipolar symptoms, even without the use of Lithium. Dr. Ralph W. Kupka and a team of psychiatrists from the Netherlands presented this discovery in the February 2002 issue of Biological Psychiatry. For this reason, they recommend thyroid function testing before as well as during lithium therapy.

Polycystic Ovarian Disorder

Valproate acid or Depakote is another mood stabilizer used to treat bipolar disorder. For adolescent males it has raised no unusual safety concerns, but for young women it can cause polycystic ovarian syndrome by raising the level of the male hormone, testosterone. PCOS is a serious disorder with lifetime health implications including obesity, excess body hair and disruptions in the menstrual cycle, according to the National Institutes of Health. The most important side effect is metabolic syndrome, a combination of abdominal obesity, with a waist circumference exceeding 35 inches, high blood pressure and insulin resistance, a precursor to diabetes. Prescribing Metformin, a medication used to treat metabolic syndrome, at the same time as Depakote can decreased this risk but young women taking Depakote are still advised to avoid weight gain through diet and exercise.

Obesity and Diabetes

Atypical antipsychotic medications are commonly prescribed to treat bipolar disorder when it is associated with addiction, risk-taking behavior or an emotional disconnection between action and consequence. They are also used when a person with bipolar disorder experiences agitation. They include Seroquel, Abilify and Zyprexa and all are associated with a rapid weight gain pattern that can lead to obesity and diabetes. The consequence of these conditions is the formation of vulnerable plaque, a fat formation that causes inflammation in the arteries and can lead to heart attacks, according to the National Institutes of Health.
In the April 2010 issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Connecticut researchers conclude that prescribing Metformin along with these medications can significantly prevent obesity, but the risk of diabetes still remains high.

Suicide

There is a 15 percent lifetime suicide risk associated with bipolar disorder, with the most dangerous time for young men being the first nine days of treatment with antidepressants. According to the American Academy of Family Practice Physicians, having access to guns during this period is especially dangerous and driving at this time can lead to risk taking.
Dr. Steven Cuffe, writing in the October 2009 Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, noted that two to three children and adolescents out of 100 who are taking an antidepressant for any mood disorder will have either suicidal thoughts or take actions to harm themselves. Cuffe compares this with the 15 percent risk of untreated depression causing suicide attempts in children under 18.