Pain Meds for Bipolar Treatment

Bipolar disorder is a psychiatric condition which is marked by shifts between the energy "poles" of depression and mania. There is an assortment of psychiatric medications that are used to treat the four variations of bipolar disorder, which differ in frequency, duration and severity. If painkillers are used as part of the treatment plan, they are prescribed to manage either the side effects caused by the medication, or a pre-existing medical condition.

Pain Meds for Bipolar Treatment

• Three classes of drugs are commonly used to treat the various forms of bipolar disorder: mood stabilizers (lithium, Depakote, Topamax), anti-psychotics (Zyprexa, Abilify, Risperdal) and anti-depressants (Paxil, Prozac, Zoloft) which are combined with mood stabilizers. While all of the classes have side effects, the antidepressant/mood stabilizer combination is most likely to produce side effects that would warrant painkillers. For example, mood stabilizers can cause joint and muscle pain, and antidepressants can cause persistent headaches.

  The risk of bodily harm increases when painkillers are added to bipolar medication regimens. Combining an over-the-counter pain medication like aspirin with the mood stabilizer Depakote can lead to excessive bleeding because both drugs are blood thinners. More severely, combining any of the MAOI (monoamine oxidase inhibitors) mood stabilizers with narcotic painkillers (OxyContin, Percocet, Percodan, Vicodin) can be life-threatening.

  Extreme caution should be used prior to combining bipolar and pain medications.
  If a patient has a pre-existing medical condition which requires pain medication, it is usually prescribed along with the psychiatric medication to prevent any dangerous drug interactions. Patients who are taking bipolar medications are highly discouraged from self selecting any form of pain reliever, including over-the-counter drugs, without consulting their prescribing psychiatrist.