Many people who suffer from bipolar disorder take psychotropic drugs to stabilize their moods. New evidence emerged to suggest that supplementing a bipolar person's nutrition with certain minerals can have the same effects of drug treatment. The person with bipolar disorder cannot control extreme feelings of elation, or mania, and depression and fluctuates between the two. Often drugs have undesirable side effects and people opt not to take them. An untreated bipolar person risks suicide. Treating the disease with mineral supplements may prevent deaths.
Prevalence
Approximately 2.6 percent of the US adult population has bipolar disorder, according to the Agency for Health Research and Quality, or AHRQ. This translates to 5.7 million adults afflicted. Onset of the disease occurs at the median age of 25. Of those diagnosed with bipolar disorder, approximately 60 percent remain untreated, HealthyPlace.com reports.
Features
Vacillating between mania and depression, the person with bipolar disorder generally cannot control mood changes. Mania can present as anger, grandiosity, rapid speech and ideas, over-spending, sexual precociousness, reckless driving or gambling. When the pendulum swings in the opposite direction, the bipolar person experiences depression fraught with self-hatred, remorse or hopelessness. Suicide runs high in this population. An article in "The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry," Supplement 9 in 2000, reports an estimate that 25 to 50 percent attempt suicide at least once. The National Institute of Mental Health reports that at least one in five people diagnosed with bipolar disorder successfully commit suicide.
Traditional Treatment
The drug of choice, lithium--a mineral itself, comes with side effects. It has a 70 to 89 percent effective rate, but the majority of the patients taking this drug experience hand tremor, frequent urination, weight gain, lethargy, cognitive problems and diminished libido, according to AHRQ. Some stop taking lithium and never try another drug, while some try an anticonvulsant, an anti-psychotic or a benzodiazepine. These have their own variety of side effects and addicting properties.
Mineral Treatment
Early studies have shown promising results with minerals. Like lithium, these other minerals work in ways that regulate the mood. At the head of the list is calcium, which regulates nervous system impulses and has a role in producing neurotransmitters. Chromium picolinate offsets the carbs and sugar cravings of some anticonvulsants. Magnesium lowers blood pressure and has the same neuron properties as calcium. The minerals manganese and zinc can, needed in trace amounts only, offer some help with bipolar symptoms. Minerals may take the role of supplementation to drug therapy. In some cases, drug doses may be decreased with the benefits of minerals. The bipolar patient needs to consult with a physician.
Warnings
Because calcium and magnesium play the same role, one will suffice for beneficial effects. Magnesium can cause anxiety and insomnia, and it rapidly depletes during times of stress. Calcium, the better choice, can result in stupor if taken in excess. Because of its stimulant abilities, chromium should be taken cautiously. More than a trace of manganese or zinc can cause mental disturbance. Manganese in excess produces memory problems, ringing in the ears, fatigue and irritability.
References
- Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality: Bipolar Disorder:Bipolar disorder: the percentage of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder and treated with lithium who have evidence of a lithium serum medication level with 12 weeks of beginning treatment; 2007
- HealthyPlace.com: The Effects of Undertreated and Untreated Bipolar Disorder; 2008
- Psych Central: Minerals for Bipolar Disorder; 2008
- HelpGuide.org: The Bipolar Medication Guide: 2010
- "Journal of Clinical Psychiatry"; Suicide and Bipolar Disorder; 2000
