Medications Used for Bipolar and Trichotillomania
Bipolar disorder is characterized by a mood instability that ranges from extreme euphoria to crippling depression. These swings can last for months, causing duress to the patient and his family. If left untreated, the condition usually worsens and may result in suicide. Trichotillomania is characterized by the impulse to pull or rip hair from the body. There is a tenuous connection between bipolar disorder and trichotillomania, but both rarely occur in the same patient.
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Antidepressants
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Antidepressants are the only type of drug prescribed for trichotillomania, and they seem to have very little effect. Usually, cognitive therapy is most effective. Also, there is limited data that proves antidepressants are effective in people with bipolar disorder, though they were once used.
Mood Stablizers
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Most people with bipolarism take mood stabilizers. Doctors usually prescribe lithium, which helps regulate the swing between mania and depression.
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Anti-Seizure Medicine
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Medicines such as valporic acid, divalproex and lamotrigine are used for people who are caught in major mood swings to help stop the violent fluctuation.
Atypical Treatment
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Sometimes the anti-seizure medicines don't work, and medicines such as olanzapine and risperidon are used. The FDA has approved one medicine, quetiapine, to treat both the manic and depressive sides of bipolar disorder.
Anxiety Medications
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In people with bipolar, anti-anxiety medicines like benzodiazepines are prescribed to help patients who have trouble sleeping.
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