Anxiety disorders are one of
the most common mental illnesses in America, with over 40
million cases reported last year. Unfortunately, it is not
uncommon for anxiety disorders to be accompanied or triggered by
bipolar disorder. When this is the case, special care must be
given when devising a treatment plan for the sufferer. Bipolar
anti-anxiety medications should be recommended in most case,
along with regular therapy.
Understanding Bipolar/Anxiety
Treatments
As with most mental illnesses being treated with medication, the
bipolar anti-anxiety medication is just a part of the overall
treatment plan. These patients suffering from both disorders
tend to have an overall lower success rate in treatment than
when the conditions exist singly, unless supervised very closely
and monitored for changes. People suffering from both disorders
are more prone towards suicide and substance abuse, and should
be monitored accordingly.
Since the symptoms of either disorder can trigger the other, it
is imperative that both disorders be treated at the same time.
But special care must be given to the selection of medications
when treating these two conditions concurrently.
Bipolar Anti-Anxiety Medications
When both bipolar disorder and anxiety disorders are present,
medical treatment through prescription medications is almost
always necessary. It is always the doctors aim to stabilize the
mood of the patient through the use of bipolar anti-anxiety
medications. This is necessary since the introduction of the
normal anti-depressants that are prescribed for anxiety
disorders can trigger manic episodes in someone with bipolar
disorder if their mood has not been stabilized beforehand. Even
if care is taken to stabilize the patients mood before
prescribing anti-anxiety medications, it is not uncommon for
manic episodes to occur as a result.
Benzodiazepine, a form of tranquilizer, is sometimes used to
treat bipolar disorder with anxiety disorders. They seem to
treat the anxiety disorders symptoms without triggering manic
episodes caused by bipolar disorder. The biggest problem with
benzodiazepine is that, like any tranquilizer, it is extremely
prone to abuse, and is habit-forming. Withdrawal from
benzodiazepine can cause the disorders to return and even get
worse.
Often the treating doctor will find themselves needing to change
the patients bipolar anti-anxiety medications to different
combinations and dosages. Finding just the right treatment for
someone suffering from both conditions is difficult, and
requires close attention and frequent adjustments by the doctor.
Other Pieces of the Puzzle
While bipolar anti-anxiety medications are an important part of
a successful treatment plan, they are not the only thing that
needs to be done. Therapy is extremely important as well. The
medications help the patient get through day-to-day life, while
the therapy aims to combat the problem from it's roots. In all
cases, patients on a combination of bipolar anti-anxiety
medications and regular therapy were far more likely to
successfully combat their condition.
Contributed by: www.Positive-You.com/553/index.htm
