The medications used to treat bipolar are not designed to numb the person. The goal of medication therapy is to normalize and stabilize the nervous system to allow it to work as it was designed.
Some information on mood stabilizers:
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At this moment in medical history, successful bipolar treatment has to be grounded in medications. You will want to find out the medications that are available and understand their different advantages, so that you can discuss them with your doctor and help choose the ones that suit you best. ......
MOOD STABILIZERS
Most of the medications that have been proven to help bipolar disorder belong to this class of medications called "mood Stabilizers." Mood stabilizers reduce all bipolar symptoms by working directly on the brain cells that cause bipolar disorder, and they are the only bipolar treatment known to prevent manic or depressed episodes from occurring. Mood stabilizers stop the flow of unnecessary thoughts, help to remove the mental "fog", and clear the mind. They reduce distractibility and thus improve attention. Mood stabilizers can control mood, minimize anxiety, and agitation, and decrease the frequency and severity of angry episodes. Mood stabilizers allow your nervous system to function the way it was meant to so that you can become your most natural self.
What do mood stabilizers do in the brain?
All the medication in this class stabilize parts of the brain cell membranes (sodium channels) to keep brain cells firing at the normal rhythm. There is also some scientific evidence that carbamazepine, valproate, and lithium salt can help protect and/or grow new, healthy brain cells in adults. Moood stabilizers, especially carbamazepine, are often used after brain injury as part of the recovery process. The full implications of these findings are not yet appreciated.
How do you decide the optimal dose of bipolar medication?
I try to encourage a good working relationship with my patients where we both participate equally in making decisions. We discuss our progress and where we want the treatments to go and we make decisions accordingly. Often, patients can recognize the problems that bipolar disorder causes them and want to help raise their own medication dose to the optimum level. For patients who have not yet learned to recognize their disease symptoms, I make the lion's share of the decisions at first and try to draw them into the treatment as soon as possible.
The Bipolar Handbook Wes Burgess, M.D., Ph.D. |
I have found that partnering with my psych doc helps me to achieve the best results from medication for me. I in no way seek to be numb. I spent 20 years numbing myself with alcohol. I did experience some numbness with a mood stabilizers but spoke with my psych doc and the medication was changed. Problem solved, no more numbness. This is my experience.
I do understand no longer wanting to feel numb. I think that most bipolar seek to find that place between numbness and insanity. I wish you the best with your decision and do hope you find that place.