Hey does anyone know any natural remedies for bipolar disorder? I’ve been bipolar for a year, maybe more now and the cycles are just getting so bad that it’s really starting to interfere with my quality of life, and I don’t reall have the money to go get a prescription for it (plus I hear psych meds can and have caused brain damage in some). So far I’ve heard valerian root, is there any other herb or something you can get over the counter that works? Anyone have any luck with valerian root?
Tim,
As an anesthesiology resident, I have very limited knowledge & interactions with psychiatric disorders. However, I am aware that they are nothing to play with. There are medications deemed relatively safe & effective in treating BiPolar d/o. Aand, since this obviously has significant effects on your quality of life, I would be very heistant to rely upon unproven, uncontrolled alleged remedies. The stake are simply too high.
Furthermore, alternative medicine & naturopathic treatments are not benign - they have their own set of risks that can equal or exceed the risks of mainstream medicine. In essence, there are no free rides - everything we do in medicine, be it mainstream or alternative, has to be assessed within the context of risks vs benefits.
So, were I to be you, I would consult with a mental health profession with you are comfortable & feel you can trust and ask him/her what they recommend.
If you’re in school go talk to your health department. You can see a doc and I’m sure they’d help with your prescriptions.
Or, you might try the county hospital and explain your financial situation.
Hi Tim,
I, too, have been diagnosed bipolar, so I understand some of your frustration with the meds issues. For a long time meds were my friends, enabling me to avoid the cycles that are so disruptive and wearing. But eventually my doses were increased to the point that they began to be debilitating in other ways. I grew so listless and tired that I didn’t do much besides sit and stare. Very hard on my job and my child.A major life event disturbed me to the point of utter hopelessness, at which point I just quit my meds. THAT was a horrible experience, even with medical supervision, but I did it. Accidentally, I found a mixture of supplements that works for me, although it is unorthodox, and certainly not considered a typical intevention even among naturopaths. I take 10-12000 mgs of L-arginine daily, and 300mgs of lithium orotate daily. I could not find any research to support lithium orotate as a viable alternative to pharmaceutical lithium; only anecdotal reports. But I can tell you that if I miss more than one dose, that hyper sensitivity starts to appear and I can feel a cycle event on the horizon. The only research I could find around arginine was concerned with CBF, no connection to mood disturbances. But, it works for me. I have been using this combination since June with no adverse effects and no cycling. Of course, maybe I wouldn’t have cycled anyway, but I doubt that as there have been many stresors in the interim that typically would have induced a depressive state.I have had my kidney and liver functioning monitored as there were some reports of liver damage from unmonitored lithium orotate, but so far I have fallen within normal values.
I was an assistant to an herbalist for about a year and can tell you that valerian root generally has been used to relieve anxiety; I do not think there is a history of using it for mood stabilization. Some cautions in choosing herbal supplements: if the company claims to harvest wild plants, what measures do they take to ensure there is no pesticide or other toxic chemical exposure? Is the dose standardized? Who has oversight for inspection of their labs? What are the contraindications? If their plants are commercially cultivated, what chemicals do they use? People use herbs because they do have bioactive properties, there is no doubt about that point. But, there are many cautions that a potential user must take because this industry is not well-regulated and is open to abuse.Two companies that have good records, as far as I have been able to determine, are Nature’s Sunshine and Urban Nutrition.You might want to consider finding a physician to work with you who also has training in either traditional chinese medicine or in complementary medicine, since you are just beginning to explore this area.A book you may want to read, “More Things Between Heaven and Earth”, author forgotten by me.
I can’t recommend anything to you in particular, because we are all so different. I do want to offer you comradeship. I am not so naive as to think my battle with this beast is over, but I am enjoying this prolonged period of peace. Let me know how your journey goes.
Sheryl
Sheryl, thank you for the detailed and helpful response, I’ve heard of lithium salt being a natural cure for bipolar but that’s about it as far as non-med lithium goes. I’ve never heard of a lithium salt though, so I’m not even sure it exists. I’ve switched medical plans since last month (ironically, active choice offers a lot more coverage then PPO) and I could afford medications now from a pyschiatrist or psychologist, since I only have a $10 co-pay for generic brand drugs and a $20 co-pay after a $100 deductible for brand name. The problem with meds though is like I said before, and it sounds like you had this problem too, I don’t want to become so reliant on them that they start to affect me…not much point in taking meds to improve your quality of life if it starts to deteriorate it in different ways over time.
That’s too bad about the valerian root, but oh well. If L-arginine has no connection to moods either, then maybe I’ll just try both of them for the hell of it and see if either works, it’s not like most herbs are that expensive anyways. I’ll make sure to stick to those two companies you mentioned, I definitely don’t want to have to deal with side effects since that’s why I’m trying to avoid conventional meds.
Thank you for your support though, being bipolar definitely sucks. I’ve only had one depressive cycle for three days in the past two weeks though so it’s atleast not being too bad right now. Hopefully it’ll stay that way until I find something. 
Hey Tim -
Check out this definition of Lithium Salts on wikipedia. Take it for what it’s worth, since there has recently been some controversy about the accuracy of Wikipedia entries, but it should help clear up for you what a “salt” is.
I recommend looking into Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). Google EMDR and also go to www.emdr.com to learn more. Very effective for mood disorders. I’ve been trained in EMDR Levels I and II.
Thanks for that info. Did not know EMDR was useful for mood disorders. I’ve referred a number of nursing students over the years to get EMDR for test anxiety, for which it seems very effective. I had it for PTSD and found it amazingly effective.
Kate