Bipolar Disorder
treatment with natural supplements, fish oils, herbs natural therapy for bipolar
disease - do vitamins help?
Bipolar disorder is a long-term illness with a variable course. Some of the
symptoms may include mania, an excessively elevated, expansive, and irritable mood;
hypersexuality; decreased need for sleep; rapid speech; racing thoughts; increased
activity and agitation; occasional delusions. It may also include periods of depression
and other symptoms such as excessive guilt; anhedonia (absence of pleasure); or thoughts
of death.
Natural Therapies
for Bipolar disorder
We are slowly beginning to discover that natural supplements may play a
role in the therapy of bipolar disease. Much has yet to be learned, but there
are at least two nutrients that offer some hope:
It's quite possible that one of the biochemical abnormalities in bipolar
disorder is a higher amount of omega-6 fatty acids and a shortage of omega-3
fatty acids. If this is the case, Fish oils may help.
Fish-Oil-Fisol.
Choline, a
nutrient that converts into phosphatidylcholine, has shown to be beneficial in
bipolar disease, particularly those who are prescribed lithium.
We are not aware of any other natural supplements that
have been tested and found consistently effective in the treatment of bipolar
disorder. See
depression
for more info.
Caution
Some nutrients and herbs have a stimulant effect and (hypothetically) may aggravate
bipolar disorder or induce mania.
These include SAM-e, ginseng, St. John's wort and others of a stimulatory
nature.
Bipolar disorder study
Lower high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased omega-6
polyunsaturated fatty acids in first-degree relatives of bipolar patients.
Sobczak S. Department of Psychiatry & Neuropsychology,
Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
Psychol Med. 2004 Jan;34(1):103-12
Lower serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased ratio
of omega-6/omega-3 fatty acids have been reported in unipolar and bipolar
depressed patients. Changes in cholesterol and fatty acids have been suggested
to affect membrane viscosity and consequently serotonergic neurotransmitter
expression. The goal of this study was to investigate whether lower baseline
cholesterol and increased omega-6 and lower omega-3 fatty acids are present in
healthy first-degree relatives of bipolar patients compared with controls and
whether these changes were associated with neuroendocrine responses to an i.v.
tryptophan challenge or mood. Baseline cholesterol, fatty acids and mood
were determined in healthy first-degree relatives of patients with bipolar
disorders (N = 30) and healthy matched controls (N = 15) (parallel-group
design). Prolactin and cortisol were measured following tryptophan infusion.
First-degree relatives showed significantly lower plasma high-density
lipoprotein cholesterol and increased total omega-6 fatty acids in
phospholipids. Lower total omega-3 and higher total omega-6 fatty acids in
phospholipids were positively correlated with peak prolactin response to
tryptophan. Lower total omega-3 fatty acids in phospholipids and cholesteryl
esters were associated with lower mood. Abnormalities of lower
plasma high-density lipoprotein cholesterol and increased total omega-6 fatty
acids in phospholipids in these subjects are in agreement with findings in
bipolar and major depressed patients. Changes in fatty acids show an association
with central serotonergic parameters. It is suggested that these abnormalities
in cholesterol and fatty acids may constitute a trait marker for bipolar
disorders.
Oral choline decreases brain purine
levels in lithium-treated subjects with rapid-cycling bipolar disorder: a
double-blind trial using proton and lithium magnetic resonance spectroscopy.
Lyoo IK. Brain Imaging Center, McLean
Hospital, Belmont, MA, USA.
Bipolar Disord. 2003 Aug;5(4):300-6.
Oral choline administration has been reported to increase brain
phosphatidylcholine levels. As phospholipid synthesis for maintaining membrane
integrity in mammalian brain cells consumes approximately 10-15% of the total
adenosine triphosphate (ATP) pool, an increased availability of brain choline
may lead to an increase in ATP consumption. Given reports of genetic studies,
which suggest mitochondrial dysfunction, and phosphorus (31P) magnetic resonance
spectroscopy (MRS) studies, which report dysfunction in high-energy phosphate
metabolism in patients with bipolar disorder, the current study is designed to
evaluate the role of oral choline supplementation in modifying high-energy
phosphate metabolism in subjects with bipolar disorder. METHODS: Eight
lithium-treated patients with DSM-IV bipolar disorder, rapid cycling type were
randomly assigned to 50 mg/kg/day of choline bitartrate or placebo for 12 weeks.
Brain purine, choline and lithium levels were assessed using 1H- and 7Li-MRS.
Patients received four to six MRS scans, at baseline and weeks 2, 3, 5, 8, 10
and 12 of treatment (n = 40 scans). Patients were assessed using the Clinical
Global Impression Scale (CGIS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YRMS) and the
Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) at each MRS scan. There were no
significant differences in change-from-baseline measures of CGIS, YMRS, and HDRS,
brain choline/creatine ratios, and brain lithium levels over a 12-week
assessment period between the choline and placebo groups or within each group.
However, the choline treatment group showed a significant decrease in purine
metabolite ratios from baseline (purine/n-acetyl aspartate; purine/choline
compared to the placebo group, controlling for brain lithium level changes.
Brain lithium level change was not a significant predictor of purine ratios.
The current study reports that oral choline supplementation
resulted in a significant decrease in brain purine levels over a 12-week
treatment period in lithium-treated patients with DSM-IV bipolar disorder,
rapid-cycling type, which may be related to the anti-manic effects of adjuvant
choline. This result is consistent with mitochondrial dysfunction in bipolar
disorder inadequately meeting the demand for increased ATP production as
exogenous oral choline administration increases membrane phospholipid synthesis.
Bipolar disorder questions
Q. Are there any findings regarding bipolar disorder and pregnenolone? I read a
testimonial which related a side effect of rapid mood swings. I do not currently
take pregnenolone. If one has a predelection for mood swings would it be a good
idea or a bad idea to use it?
A. Pregnenolone is a powerful hormone and should only be used when
all other options have failed. There are other options for bipolar disorder that
should be tried first.
Home - Tribulus terrestris extract
What is a good amount of fish oil to take for a person
with bipolar mania manic disorder?
A. A natural therapy with fish oils may begin with 2 capsules a day
and gradually increased to between 5 and 10 capsules depending on the response.
This form of natural therapy for those with bipolar symptoms using herbs and vitamins
has not been studied in detail.