How can this be??

I just went to a link provided by one of the moderators in another post

http://www.helpguide.org/mental/bipolar_disorder_medications.htm

And (to my surprise) read this-

 

Antidepressants have traditionally been used to treat episodes of bipolar depression. However, mounting evidence suggests that they aren’t effective. A major study funded by the National Institutes of Mental Health concluded that antidepressants don’t work any better than sugar pills in treating the symptoms of bipolar depression. If you are taking a mood stabilizer, there is no treatment benefit to adding an antidepressant during a depressive episode. (!!!!!)

There are also serious safety concerns regarding the use of antidepressants for bipolar disorder treatment. First, antidepressants can trigger mania in people with bipolar disorder. Second, there is evidence that antidepressants may worsen the course of bipolar disorder over the long-term. Many experts believe that over time, antidepressant use in people with bipolar disorder has a mood destabilizing effect, increasing the frequency of manic and depressive episodes.

Because of the risks, antidepressant therapy for bipolar disorder should be limited. If an antidepressant is prescribed for a severe episode of depression, it should be discontinued once symptoms are under control. Antidepressants are not recommended for maintenance therapy.

That is shocking to me. I have been suffering with bipolar for 7 yrs now and am constantly trying to stay knowledgable about this stuff, but this is the first I have ever heard that antidepressants don’t work any better than sugar pills in treating the symptoms of bipolar depression. If you are taking a mood stabilizer, there is no treatment benefit to adding an antidepressant during a depressive episode.

Well when IS there a benefit to using an antidepressant if not during depression??!!! Then further down that is contradicted when it goes on to say -Because of the risks, antidepressant therapy for bipolar disorder should be limited. If an antidepressant is prescribed for a severe episode of depression, it should be discontinued once symptoms are under control. Antidepressants are not recommended for maintenance therapy.

But if as it said before that that-antidepressants don’t work any better than sugar pills in treating the symptoms of bipolar depression. If you are taking a mood stabilizer, there is no treatment benefit to adding an antidepressant during a depressive episode.

No wonder there is so much trial and error involved w/ getting better!!

 

All that I know is that I can't take antidepressants because I am a rapid cycler and they make me cycle more rather than help me at all. Rapid cyclers cycle rapidly enough as it is so antidepressants just make people like me worse. I had never heard what they are saying above though. I agree with Serafena, don't believe everything you hear and talk with your doctor first. I keep up with information too and I hadn't heard or read that yet.

Missflip

I can see how that could be.

I always thought I was just a person with panic disorder and OCD and continued taking SSRIs with relief only in the social anxiety aspect and the OCD aspect.

However, the SSRIs left me either hypomanic or extremely irritable depending on the hour. It got so frequent that I would have a different mood per 20 minutes sometimes.

My new psych. is trying to get me up to a level of lamictal and then decrease the SSRI.

I feel great on the lamictal and klonopin that I take, then a few hours after I take my SSRI I feel like everything is coming apart.

Thing is, you have to wean yourself so slowly off the SSRIs because of the weirdo jolty feelings and headaches.