If I suffer from depression and bipolar disorder and use doctor prescribed depakoe and risperdal which I recently learnt reduce your life span by about one half. Im using these medication since about 6 years now and still have to use for some time again. How can I keep increasing my life span, what are some things that I can do, please, to ensure my long life? Thank you very much.

Dr. Santosh BangarPsychiatrist17yrs exp

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Regular mental and physical health check-ups and maintaining healthy lifestyle.  

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Dr. Saranya DevanathanPsychiatrist48yrs exp

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Dear Arti, At the outset, i will tell you about quality of life years. WHO mentions for this millennium, it is not death rate, but quality of life years that matters as outcome of treatment. Please think about 50 years of life with active interest or 100 years of cursing life daily. Both depakote and risperidone don't reduce your life span by themselves. They are NOT poisons - not even slow poison like cigarettes or sedentary life. Both of them cause weight gain that in turn causes sugar and cholesterol changes. Both these medical conditions lead to death earlier by their complications. It is very nice of you to think and ask doctors for long life. If you avoid weight gain itself, you will have your normal life span. Not gaining weight means healthy diet and very very regular exercise, along with regular depakote and risperidone. Over time risperidone dose can be reduced - depakote in the same or more dose. No need to tell about regular blood checks and prompt treatment of diabetes and dyslipidemia to prevent complications. 

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