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There is no cure for bipolar disorder, but there are several types of bipolar medication that can help manage the disease. The emphasis of the treatment treatment of bipolar disorder is on effective management over the long term of the illness.

In addition to bipolar medication, there are many psychological techniques to treat the disease, most importantly counseling and behavior modification.

Most people with bipolar disorder require a combination of bipolar medications, with little evidence supporting the idea that alternative or complementary treatments used alone work well for the long term treatement of the disease.

Bipolar medications called mood stabilizers are used primarily to prevent or lessen manic or depressive episodes.  Medications that are commonly prescribed for this purpose include lithium, andticonvulsants like valproic acid, carbamazepine, and lamotrigine.

Bipolar medication can also include antipsychotics for treatement of mania.  Quetiapine, olanzapine, and risperidone are these types of bipolar mediations.  Generally, mood stabalizing drugs are more effective at treating or preventing manic episodes, but some medications have a good track record of treating bipolar depression, including lamotrigine, fluoxetine, and quetiapine.

Bipolar medications, while necessary, do have side effects.  Lithium, for example may be associated with nausea and diarreha, memory problems, weight gain, and so forth. Lower doses have little to no side effects, and the higher the dose, the greater the risk of side effects.

Anticonvulsant medications commonly cause sedation, weight gain, electrolyte disturbances, or other side effects.  Bipolar medication that is an atypical antipsychotic can have side effects like sedation, weight gain, hyperglycemia, and restlessness.

Bipolar medication will work differently for each patient, and since bipolar disorder is episodic, it may be hard to tell which medications are having the desired effect.  For this reason, patients and doctors shouldn’t expect immediate relief, and shouldn’t expect full stabilization of moods for at least four weeks after starting bipolar medication.