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Patients with Bipolar Disorder must avoid caffeine, alcohol and illicit drugs, smoking, negative people, stress, antihistamines, and forgetting medications in order to find themselves high functioning.

In order to be high functioning, patients with Bipolar Disorder must comply with taking their doctor’s prescribed medications on a regular, daily basis as prescribed. Vitamins and herbs cannot be a replacement for the medications. Many herbs will even trigger manic or depressed episodes so patients must be careful with what they take. They should always consult with a doctor before taking any vitamin or herb.

However, there has been some research on the positive effects of some vitamins and herbs that can assist patients with Bipolar Disorder in achieving stability and high functioning status when the vitamins and herbs are taken in conjunction with their medications. These are:

Omega 3 Fatty Acids – 'fish oil'
Free Form Amino Acid Complex
L-Tyrosine
Taurine
Multivitamin or multimineral formula
Zinc
Pyridoxyl-5-phospate
Vitamin B Complex
Vitamin B12
Magnesium
Calcium
Vitamin C
If the patient is considering taking vitamins and herbs in addition to their medications, it is important that the patient does his research and consults with a doctor to find out the correct dose to take.

All high functioning patients with Bipolar Disorder know what to do if they do happen to find themselves in a manic or depressed episode. High functioning patients know the signs that an episode is coming on and take the appropriate steps to stop it before it is a full-blown manic or depressed attack. These steps are, first, to relax, remove themselves from any stressful situations, call their doctor immediately, follow the doctor’s orders, take any additional or extra medication the doctor prescribes, inform family and friends of the change in their mental health and the changes the doctor ordered, and follow all the aforementioned strategies in their daily lives such as eating properly, having a regular sleep pattern, and exercising. In most cases, high functioning patients with Bipolar Disorder can 'catch' an episode in this manner and avoid a complicated and devastating episode.

Bipolar Disorder is a treatable illness and patients can achieve high functioning status by following all the necessary and doctor-documented and recommended strategies to beating the illness. It may take some time, with experimentation with medications that all patients with Bipolar Disorder must go through, but high functioning can be achieved as long as the patient’s body accepts the medications and the medications work for the patient, and the patient follows the mental health beneficial tactics.

See your doctor your medication doesn't sound like its balancing you out..

11 years ago. Rating: 2
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