While shifting from one mood to another may be common in adolescents, this also may be a sign a child is suffering from bipolar disorder. This condition, also called manic-depressive disorder, can affect you no matter what age you are. It can show as a sudden shift between happy, excited and manic periods, to sad, depressed and empty periods, each of which may continue for weeks or months, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are a variety of medications to treat bipolar disorder in adolescents.
Mood Stabilizers
Lithium, marketed as Lithobid and Eskalith, is a mood-stabilization drug. It is the most commonly prescribed medication for bipolar disorder, according to the Mayo Clinic. While researchers have yet to figure out exactly how it works, lithium works upon the central nervous system to gain more control of emotions. Dosing is at the physician's recommendation. Serious side effects of lithium may include confusion, weight gain, fainting, decreased memory, dizziness, tachycardia (rapid heartbeat) or bradycardia (slow heartbeat), blue discoloration of the toes and fingers, decreased awareness of surroundings, depression and abnormal excitement. See a doctor for any of these. An overdose of lithium may cause seizures, speech slurring, vision blurring, uncoordination, vomiting or nausea, and severe trembling.
Antidepressants
As with all of these types of medications, extra caution should be taken with antidepressants when prescribed for children. One medication has received approval for adolescent treatment from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, according to the Mayo Clinic: generically fluoxetine, sold under such brand names as Prozac, Selfemra, Rapiflux and Sarafem. In October 2004, the FDA proposed adding additional warnings to antidepressants for adolescents, according to the National Institute of Mental Health. Serious side effects from fluoxetine that should send you to consult your physician immediately include restlessness, a rash on the skin, pain in the muscles or joints, anxiety, chills, confusion, difficulty breathing, behavioral changes, tachycardia, irregular heartbeat and changes in mood. Other serious side effects include concentration difficulties, lethargy, agitation, continuous vomiting, blurry vision, irritability, hostility, high fever and depression, among others.
Anti-Seizure Drugs
There are some anti-seizure medicines that also are used to help control bipolar disorder. These include Lamictal (generic name lamotrigine), Depakote (divalproex) and Depakene (valproic acid). The most well-known of these, Depakote, can induce such serious side effects as mental confusion, headaches, euphoria or dysphoria, depression, depersonalization, urine or stool that contains blood, shortness of breath, nausea, trembling, nervousness, moods that change rapidly and anxiety, among others.
