According to the American Psychiatric Association's "DSM-IV-TR," mood disorders are classified into two categories, disorders with only depression and those with depression and mania, or intensely highs mood, known as bipolar disorder. Mood stabilizing medications aim to moderate the highs and lows. Often, mood stabilizers are combined with anti-depressants, depending on the individual. Sometimes, anti-depressants can cause a manic episode, so success with this combination varies.
Specifically, this refers to the mechanism of action the medication takes in the body as well as the observable difference in the symptoms being treated.
The National Institute of Mental Health notes that mood stabilizers a...
The medication does not necessarily work on depression alone but helps regulate mood shifts in people with mental illness. Mood stabilizers also include anti-seizure drugs that have been found to help maintain mood levels.
All medications carry the risk of serious adverse effects. Anti-seizure medications, used to treat bipolar disorder include Depakote, Depakene, Tegretol, Lamictal and Trileptal. While these drugs each carry unique risks, they s...
Mood stabilizer medications are termed as such for the intended effect they create in the individual taking the medicine. Few true mood stabilizers exist that the FDA has approved, however physicians use several medications off...
Deficiency in any one of these vitamins can contribute to mood swings, anxiety and depression. Although vitamin supplementation may not stabilize all mood fluctuations, it may provide some relief. Eating foods rich in mood-supp...
Mood stabilizers are medications intended to regulate both manic and depressive mood states that occur in individuals with bipolar disorder. Development of these medications began 40 years ago and they include drugs from many c...
According to the "Clinical Handbook of Psychotropic Drugs," mood stabilizers fall into three chemical classifications: lithium, anticonvulsants and tryptophan. Medications in each of these categories are used to treat mood diso...
Mood stabilizers are among the medications doctors prescribe to control and manage the symptoms of bipolar disorder. Before a medication receives approval as a mood stabilizer, it needs to meet certain criteria. It must either ...
Mood stabilizers are the medication of choice for bipolar disorder: they treat the highs (mania) and lows (depression) of the disorder. The medication is also used during the maintenance phase, where the patient has a normal mo...
Mood stabilizers are prescribed as medication for bipolar disorder, as they are effective in treating mania and minimizing the number of mood swings a patient has. When a mood stabilizer is combined with another medication, it ...
Mood stabilizers such as lithium and lamotrigine refer to psychiatric medications that treat changes in mood. Sometimes, individuals may experience extreme sadness followed directly by extreme happiness. In some cases, the mood...
It's controlled by environment, diet and vitamins. Changes in levels of neurotransmitters in the brain affect personality and mood. For example, low levels of serotonin have been linked to depression. Acetylcholine levels are ...
If you've been taking antidepressants for your bipolar disorder and you feel your mental state deteriorating, let your doctor know. It may be time to start taking a mood stabilizer.
