Pregnancy and Being Bipolar

Hi,
I have had 2 children and am bipolar. I weaned off my meds and then waited until I had an episode unmedicated to see if I could handle it.(under dr supervision) Bipolar varies in severity and presentation from person to person.I had learned other ways to help manage my mood swings such as better nutrition, exercise and meditaton and prayer. I made it though the episode without major damage and my husband and I learned more coping skills. We had two children and when the 2nd was 3 years old I resumed my meds cause the mood swings were becoming more severe with perimenopause.

remember that any articles you read are great resources, but the very nature of bipolar and it's variance of severity make it crucial that you talk with your psych and OB to find a solution for you!

Hi M.,
I have a bipolar son that was diagnosed at age 14, he is 15 now and we are still trying to stablize him on meds that work. Go to this site, it is full of wonderful information, and has a quiestion answer forum with experts on the subject, you can also connect with community members that are or have been through this. It is one of the best supportive and informational sites that I have found so far.

http://www.healthcentral.com/bipolar/

If you would like to contact me I live in Salida, by Modesto ca, I am at ____@____.com

Talk to your Dr. and Psychiatrist about going off of your meds for pregnancy, and let then know you are trying to get pregnanct. Alot of meds, you can be pregnant on, like Paxil etc. They have different categories of what is safe and what isn't. Before you go off of your med's and get pregnant take the precautions and talk to your Dr. Maybe you can switch your meds. There are other things you can do. Your body will react, so it is wise you are waiting a few years and addressing your desire now. Good luck and God bless.

Hi M.,
While I do not have bipolar disorder, I have worked in the mental health field (not as a doc, just to be clear). I would strongly suggest asking your psychiatrist and OB work together to wean you off of any meds you are taking that are not okay during pregnancy and get you on to something that you can take while pregnant. There are antidepressants that you can take, though you'll want to make sure that your body reacts well to them and that they have some therapuetic effect for you before you try to conceive. If possible, also have your therapist (assuming you see one) and close family/friends be on the lookout for signs of either mania or depression. Write an agreement ahead of time regarding what steps you want them to take if they see any evidence that you are going into a manic or depressive stage. Even sign the agreement. It could help to see that agreement in the moment. I wish you the best!

I personally haven't had to deal with this issue, but I did recently read a personal essay about it in one of my favorite magazines Brain, Child. I checked the site and you can read it, it's titled Between Depression and a Hard Place. Here's the link-
http://www.brainchildmag.com/toc/indexwinter09.asp Good luck-

Hi M.,

I have seen some great changes in individuals with bipolar through some nonevasive health products. There are so many things we can do naturally to get our health in balance so we do not have to live on medicine.

If you are interested in learning more let me know and I will share.

Have a great day.

N. Marie

Hi M.-

I have had patients in your situation. As you know, being bipolar is a very real metabolic condition and going off one's medication is not to be done lightly. I suggest that you research natural neurotransmitter supplements. Many of my patients have been successful (whether pregnant or not) in gradually substituting amino acids for their pharmaceutical meds. Amino acids are the real precursors (building blocks) of your natural occurring biochemicals. I would recommend the book "The Mood Cure" by Dr. Julia Ross for very complete information. Of course, please check with your primary doctor and/or psychologist to make sure this is safe for your situation.

I hope this helps.
-L.

M.,

did you know that ther are parasites, fungus, and bacterias that cause bipolar , depression and schitzophrenia?

In the old days people suffering from syphilis were said to 'go mad.' Sypillis is caused by a spirochette baceria.

There is another spirochette bacteria called Borrelia b. that causes rage in people (you may have heard in the news lately of the monkey who injured the womans face, or the man who shot the priest? Both of the agressors suffer from LYME disease, a chronic infection with bacteria.

There are worm parasites that reside in the gut that can affect serotonin levels. 90% of your serotonin is in your gut. (serotonin is responsible for your anger, aggitation, mood, sleep, sex impulses, metabolism, and pain signals)
Blastocystosis is one, Archiacanthocephala is another. many peope have worms and don't know it. You can get them from your dogs, cats, other people, water, infected beef, dreid beans and rice, and track them in on your shoes. Some live in dirt and come into us through our bare feet.

Ststemic yeast infections can also cause aggression and grouchy behavior.

SAMENTO is an antibacterial that will help with Borrelia B, but you need to take it several times a day for a long time (1-2 months for each year infected)
Wormwood, black walnut and ground cloves help deworm humans (we should deworm every 6 months) indeed, in the 1930's and before, deworming people was common practice by doctors.
You can look online for human dewormers.

Another thing i would do is take Potassium iodine 20 mg every day.

And fulvic acid, ( follow bottle) every day.

once a month bentonite clay .

these three things will help rid your body of toxins and parasites. Heavy metal and chemical toxicity supressees the immune systems capacity to fend off the bad things and allows them to florish.

I hope you contact a doctor about this before you try to get pregnant. My sister has sever depression and when she took herself off her medication, it was horrible! You have to wean yourself. Talk with you doctor on the best way to do this, since it could take 3+ months to get pregnant.
Best of luck,
C.