Mood Stabilizers & Side Effects

Certain clinically diagnosed mood disorders such as bipolar disorder can cause a frequent change in moods. Lack of mood control can lead to high emotional stress and fatigue in a patient. Mental health professionals often prescribe mood stabilizers like Lithium to give mood balance, which can reduce some of the more serious symptoms that can include psychosis. Mood stabilizers, however, can have significant side effects.

Mood Stabilizers

• The term "Mood stabilizer" actually describes the effect of the medication rather than a specific type of medication such as anti-depressants. Mood stabilizers are not prescribed to treat minute-by-minute mood shifts. Rather, they are prescribed to add balance to intense mood shifts. Mood stabilizers mostly treat mania, a mood of high energy and desire to engage in sometimes dangerous energetic activities.

Lithium

• Lithium is a natural-occurring substance has long been prescribed as a mood stabilizer. Its properties are much like sodium's. Lithium works to help regulate sodium flow in cells. Unfortunately this can present side effects like extreme thirst, weight gain and frequent urination. At higher doses or long-term treatment, Lithium can become dangerous as it can cause kidney damage .

Atypical Antipsychotics

• Atypical Antipsychotics like Risperdal are also used to treated psychiatric conditions that involve mania such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. Most work by binding to serotonin and dopamine receptors. Both are neurotransmitters responsible for controlling mood and sense of well-being. A common side effect of atypical antipsychotics is weight gain. Patients who also have diabetes should monitor their weight while taking these medications. Drowsiness and reduction in sexual desire are also noted side effects.

Anticonvulsants

• Anticonvulsants are a medication type often used as a mood stabilizer. They often suppress the nervous system by controlling sodium levels in plasma membrane. An example would be Depakote, which is primarily prescribed to epilepsy patients. Epileptic patients often have brain cells that become over-stimulated, thus causing seizures. Depakote's ability to control the cell excitability also suppresses manic symptoms. Anticonvulsants like Depakote also have side effects related to the slowed-down nervous system. These include dizziness, nausea, fatigue and drowsiness.

Antidepressants

• Bipolar disorder patients are prescribed antidepressants in conjunction with mood stabilizers because they go through cycles of both mania and severe depression. They are designed to lift the patient's mood by controlling how mood-related neurotransmitters like serotonin are received by the brain. Some antidepressants can trigger mania in bipolar patients if taken incorrectly; others can increase suicidal thoughts in children.