----- Original Message -----
From: Julie Portland
To: 'Julie Portland'
Sent: Monday, October 08, 2007 7:46 PM
Subject: julie fast


Hello,



In honor of Mental Health Awareness month here in the United States, I thought a
series of newsletters on how to create a comprehensive treatment plan would be
timely.

Part 1 of 4 - The comprehensive treatment of bipolar disorder



The Power of a Comprehensive Treatment Plan



Current research states that 4-6% of the population of the United States has a
form of bipolar disorder. When you factor in the family, friends, coworkers,
teachers and health care professionals who are affected as well, the number of
people impacted by the illness reaches well over 25,000,000 people. Considering
that the world has a similar rate of bipolar disorder, the numbers are
staggering!



My Story



About two years after I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, I realized that
medications would not be enough to help me manage this illness. There were no
books on the market to help me find stability, so I created my own comprehensive
plan. This plan is now called The Health Cards Treatment System for Bipolar
Disorder. I also talk about comprehensive treatments in my other books: Loving
Someone with Bipolar Disorder, and Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder. I know that
I sound like a broken record sometimes. I always say, "You Must Have a
Comprehensive Treatment Plan!" This is true for people with bipolar disorder as
well as the people who care about them. It's the only way to manage this
illness successfully.



What Is a Comprehensive Plan?



A comprehensive plan recognizes that simply relying on medications to treat this
illness is not enough. It also understands that exercise alone is not enough
-diet is not enough- a stable relationship is not enough. In other words, the
illness is too complicated for a one step solution. What's needed is a plan
that recognizes the complexity of the illness and provides a clear and concise
system that is created by you and your support people for managing all of the
mood swings that come with bipolar disorder -with the ultimate goal of
preventing the mood swings before they take over a person's life. It took me
nine years to create the plan I write about in the Health Cards and my other
books. Because I now understand how to manage this illness, I no longer have a
life that's controlled by bipolar disorder. My plan makes sure that I have the
control and teaches the people in my life how to help me stay stable. This
doesn't mean I don't get sick. I do. Unfortunately, that's the nature bipolar
disorder. The difference between now and nine years ago is that I have hope and
I know what works to keep me stable.



A Simple Goal



My goal is to help people throughout the world find a plan that works for them.
If every person on this newsletter mailing list learns to manage this illness
more effectively, it's a really great start.



A Good Start



The comprehensive treatment of bipolar disorder is a large subject, so in these
newsletters I will give four effective and easy to implement ideas on how to
manage the illness more successfully. These can be added to any plan you already
have. Here are the tips:



1. Find Helpful Medications with Limited Side Effects

2. Regulate Sleep

3. Improve Relationships

4. Create a Written Treatment Plan

It's important to remember that a comprehensive plan is not something a person
with bipolar disorder has to do alone. The above ideas work better when family,
friends and healthcare professionals are involved in the process. This requires
a lot of communication, education and time, but the results are worth it. If
someone you care about has bipolar disorder, your role is very important which
is why you need to be a part of any plan that is set up to manage the illness.
On a side note, I truly understand how hard it is to love someone who won't get
help- this means that you have to create your own plan in order to take care of
yourself. And continue to learn about bipolar disorder and it's symptoms so that
you gain a better understanding of your loved one.



This first newsletter covers tips for managing bipolar disorder medications.



**



#1 Find Medications that Work for You-with Limited Side Effects



For many people with bipolar disorder, discovering the right combination of
medications is the most difficult and frustrating part of treating this illness.
I know that I spent many years trying to find meds that worked for me and when I
did, I became even more effective at managing the illness. It was hard for the
people in my life to see what the medications did to my mind and my body as I
was trying to find one that worked. It was harder for me to live through it!
I've now found a medication that works very well for me in certain areas. And
believe it or not, I have very few side effects. This can happen for you as
well.



Here are tips on how to make the process easier:



- Try Microdosing. Everybody processes medications differently. Our bodies
are very individual which is why some people can take a certain drug with no
side effects while others, like myself can have every single side effect listed
on the drug warnings. There is a way to get around this. My co-author Dr. John
Preston introduced me to something called microdosing many years ago. If your
body has trouble processing a medication at the recommended dose, you can start
with very small doses of the medication (microdosing) so that your body can
acclimate to the drug with limited side effects. This is what I did when I
started Lamictal- an anti convulsant used to treat depression, rapid cycling and
psychosis. It took six months for me to get to the right dose, but for the
first time in my life I was able to tolerate a drug. If you're someone who has
a lot of trouble with side effects, make sure you talk to your doctor about
microdosing.



- Understand the Medications You're Taking. I remember being on six medications
when I was first diagnosed. I had no idea what they were for. I just know that
they all seemed to make me more ill than I was before I took the medications.
This was because my doctor kept trying new medications - one on top of the other
-instead of working with me to find what really worked. I would never go
through this now. I know too much about medications and know what questions to
ask. It's important that people with bipolar disorder as well as the people in
their lives understand exactly why a certain medication is used.

There are four classifications of medications you need to understand:



Mood Stabilizers -- in general terms these include lithium and the
anticonvulsant medications such as Depakote, Tegretol and Lamictal. These are
the first medications used when a person is diagnosed with bipolar disorder.



Antidepressants: Prozac, Effexor, Zoloft, and Wellbutrin are commonly used
antidepressants . The most important thing to remember is that
antidepressants are not a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder. In fact,
they need to be used very carefully as they can cause mania and rapid cycling.
If you're on an antidepressant and have trouble with mania or rapid cycling, you
must talk with your doctor about the mania.



Anti psychotics: Zyprexa, Risperidone , Seroquel and Abilify are commonly used
anti psychotics. There is often a lot of confusion around antipsychotics as
people with bipolar disorder are not always educated to the fact that most
people with the illness have psychosis! These drugs are life savers for people
with severe mood swings as they not only suppress psychosis, but can also keep a
person out of a dangerous depression or manic episode.



Anti anxiety: And finally, there are the benzodiazepines (anti-anxiety
medications) such as Klonopin, Valium and Ativan. I know that Ativan is a
lifesaver for me. Unfortunately, these drugs can be addictive which is why the
amount prescribed is often limited.



If you are on any or all of these medications, you need to know why. If you're
a family member or friend, and you suspect that the person you care about is on
the wrong medications, educate yourself so that you can ask the right questions
and get them the help they need. My co-author Dr. John Preston has written a
fantastic book called The Medical Treatment of Bipolar Disorder that covers the
medications used to treat bipolar disorder in detail. It's available at
bipolarhappens.com. I feel that all people with the illness as well as their
family members need this book. It answers all of the questions that doctors
don't have time to answer. Take Charge of Bipolar Disorder also has an entire
chapter devoted to medication and side effect management.



- Reduce symptoms naturally. I found that the best way to live with bipolar
disorder medications is to take as few as possible with the smallest doses
possible. I'm not saying that you should decide what dosage to take. I'm
saying that the more you can reduce symptoms naturally, the less medications you
will need. This is the entire goal of The Health Cards. The more I can control
my symptoms on my own, the less need there is for heavy doses of medications.
This naturally leads to less side effects.



- Keep Trying. I found a medication that worked for me on my 23rd try. Hopefully
you will not have to go through this! But I'm so thankful that I kept searching
for something that would work. Doctors are so much more informed these days.
They seem to understand that side effects are not something we can simply live
with. Drug companies are working on creating medications with less side
effects-especially when it comes to weight gain. There will be new medications
on the market in the future, so there is always hope that you will find
something that works.



One Final Tip:



Accept that medications are the most effective treatment of bipolar disorder
symptoms. This may be difficult, especially if you don't believe in medications
or have a lot of trouble with side effects, but facts are facts. People who have
the right meds lead more stable lives. All comprehensive plans need medications
as a foundation. I'm proof that you can manage the illness without meds, but why
do this if you don't have to? It's far too difficult with less positive
results. Today, medications take care of about 50% of my symptoms when I watch
my triggers. I know for sure that my lows are not as low and my highs are not as
high because of the Lamictal. This makes it a lot easier for me to manage the
remaining symptoms.



Never Give Up!



No one really wants to take medications for the rest of their lives. I know
that I don't. But I'm willing to do it. The relief I get from the two
medications I can tolerate is a gift. Medications are very large part of my
treatment plan, and I know that using them along with my other strategies makes
my life a lot more enjoyable and stable. If you struggle, or you know someone
who struggles with the reality of medications, just remember my story. It took
me years to find a combination of medications that helps manage my symptoms. I
honestly didn't think medications would ever work for me, but I was wrong.
Never give up.



A Newsletter on Sleep



The next newsletter will explain why regular sleep is so essential to bipolar
disorder management. In the next week before you receive the information, watch
your sleep patterns - What makes it difficult to sleep? What makes you sleep too
much? The newsletter will help you find these answers in depth.

Julie


www.bipolarhappens.com



Be sure and visit the new blog for more tips and information about bipolar
disorder. www.bipolarhappens.com/bhblog



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=============================================

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Julie A. Fast best selling author of Take Charge of Bipolar
Disorder and Loving Someone with Bipolar Disorder is a critically acclaimed
six-time author, award winning bipolar disorder advice columnist, national
speaker, and sought after expert in the fields of bipolar disorder and
depression. Julie's work specializes in helping real people manage all aspects
of their daily lives and despite the complications that bipolar disorder
creates. Learn how to how to personalize a plan to help yourself or a loved one
find and create stability that ensures the quality of life that we all deserve,
visit: http://www.bipolarhappens.com
















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