Weight gain and bipolar disorder meds

Is there a medication for bipolar disorder that won’t cause weight gain?

The majority of  medications that are used to treat BPD cause weight gain. The only ones that do not cause significant weight gain are the anticonvulsants, but they are not always effective. In addition, the anticonvulsants have other adverse effects like sedation, excess fatigue and drowsiness. BPD is a very difficult disorder to treat because the patients are often non compliant and have other associated disorders. My advice is take the drug given to you by your doctor and if it works, stay with it. In many cases, what works in one patient does not mean it will work for you. 

There is no way around the side effects of antipsychotics; every single medication used to treat mood and behavior disorders is associated with side effects. To avoid weight gain, eat less and walk more.

Seroquel for bipolar disorder

I have been prescribed seroquel for my bipolar disorder. Is this drug effective?

In the last decade, several atypical antipsychotics like seroquel have been used to treat bipolar disorder. These drugs are very effective for mood stabilization. These agents also dampen the extremes of mania or depression. Other drugs in the same class include risperidone, aripiprazole and ziprasidone. All of them are equally effective.  the major problem with these drugs is the side effects like weight gain and loss of libido.

Lithium and alcohol

I am on lithium for my bipolar disorder, can I drink alcohol?

You can drink anything you want, even piss. But I should I warn you,  Lithium is not the medication you want to mess around with. The drug is very finicky and can cause serious side effects. I highly recommend you not take alcohol when you are on lithium. Dehydration can easily lead to toxicity of lithium. The adverse effects of lithium are progressive and not reversible. If you want to drink alcohol, then you better tell your doctor to start you on some other medication for your BPD. Lithium is a great drug but it can easily cause severe adverse effects if you fool around with it.

Herbs for hair growth

What are the common herbs touted to help hair growth?

He Shou Wu also known as Fo Ti is widely sold in many health food stores. It is chiefly used by many Orientals to increase hair growth. As far as clinical evidence is concerned, this herb is a big rip off. There is zero evidence that it can even grow one single hair strand, not even on the arse.

Pygeum (Pygeum Africanum) is another herb that is hyped up to grow hair. The vendors of this herb recommend a pill a day and claim that hair loss can be prevented. Even though it has been widely used in china, there is no clinical evidence or even one scientific study to show that it works.

Panax Ginseng is the most well known herb and widely sold for the treatment of many medical disorders including hair loss. The vendors of this herb claim that Panax ginseng increases blood supply to the scalp and increase nutrition to the scalp. There is a lot of publicity given to this herbs ability to increase hair growth- in reality, it does absolutely nothing.

Panax ginseng is found in many hair tonics and shampoos manufactured in Asia. For the consumer, Panax ginseng grows as much hair on the scalp, that you would get by washing your hair with urine.

Other herbs commonly sold for hair growth in health food stores include Dong Quai (Chinese Angelica), Stinging nettles, Saw palmetto, gingko Biloba, and green tea extracts. Each and every one of these herbs is hyped up to grow hair back in a few weeks. Ads like having a full head of hair with herbs are common

So what about the real facts?

There is not one individual in the entire universe that has grown hair after using these herbal products. At the very best, a few individuals have grown 1-2 strands of hair on their pubis or the anal area. There is no clinical study showing that use of such herbal products can grow hair. In all cases, herbs are just as useless as all the drugs for hair growth. In simple words, herbs and drugs for hair growth should be considered a scam, until proven otherwise.

For all consumers, remember there is no drug or herb that will bring back your hair. If you have no money and no hair, learn to live with a bald head or wear a hat. For those who have money and no hair, try getting hair transplant- expensive, painful and sometimes works.

Finally, in the end, remember, it is not what is on your scalp that is important. But what is in-between your ears (at least this is what some women who love bald men claim).

What causes bed wetting?

 What causes bed wetting at night?

Bed wetting is a complex issue in the adult and can have multiple causes. Unlike children, some adults with bed wetting also have a problem with day time wetting. There is some evidence that adult bed wetting may have a genetic link. If one has either one or both parents who have had a problem with bed wetting, the chances are much higher that you will also be affected with this problem.

In some adults the hormone that controls urine production (ADH) may be absent or secreted in low amounts. Absence of the hormone ADH causes the kidney to constantly pass urine in the bladder. Other individuals may have a very sensitive bladder. As soon as the bladder starts to fill with urine, it sends signals to the brain to empty it. This leads to frequent urination and bed wetting. 

There are other individuals who have been involved in trauma and develop over activity of the bladder muscle. This causes the bladder to spontaneously contract and empty the bladder. Two substances which are commonly found to increased bladder over activity are caffeine and alcohol.
Medications like the diuretics for the treatment of blood pressure can also cause bladder muscle over activity and lead to spontaneous passage of urine. 

Other medications that can lead to bedtime wetting include the anti-psychotics like risperidone and thioridazine.  

Other common causes of secondary enuresis may include diabetes mellitus, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, neurological disorders (like stroke), anatomical abnormalities of the bladder or ureter, prostate cancer, benign prostatic hypertrophy and obstructive sleep apnea.  Adult bed wetting in rare circumstances can also be caused by emotional stress or severe anxiety.
Unlike children, adults with bed wetting need a thorough examination to rule out a cause which can be treated.

How common is bed wetting in adults?

Bed Wetting in Adults

There are at least 2-4 percent of adults who involuntary void urine during sleep. These numbers are a gross under estimate because many adults do not brag about peeing in bed at night. Nocturnal enuresis (Bedwetting) is the unintentional urination that occurs at night. Nocturnal bed wetting in adults is generally classified into two categories- primary and secondary.
With primary nocturnal bed wetting, the condition most likely starts in childhood and progresses into adulthood. In these individuals, nocturnal enuresis is not a daily occurrence but occurs at least 1-4 times every few months.

The secondary onset bed wetting almost always starts off at an older age; the individual may have had no problem in childhood but suddenly the bed wetting starts in adulthood. In some cases, the child may have bed wetting and achieved bladder control but relapses later in adulthood.

Bed wetting is not a recent problem in humans; it has been reported in the archives as early as 1500 BC. Although much is known about bed wetting in the child, the problem has been less studied in the adult.

Imipramine for bed wetting

How long is one treated with imipramine for bedwetting?

The dose of imipramine is based on the body weight. The drug is also given to adult patients with bed wetting but only if there is no evidence of any heart problems like congestive heart failure, history of palpitation or strokes. Because the drug can lower seizure threshold, it is usually not given to patients with such a history.

Tofranil is available as tablets of 10 mg, 25 mg and 50 mg.

In most cases, patients are treated for 3-6 months and then the drug is weaned slowly by decreasing the dosage every few weeks. Relapses are quite common when the drug is discontinued. Even though tofranil is widely prescribed with modest results, it frequently has to be discontinued because of persistent side effects.