I am taking medicine for bipolar disorder for the last one year. Medicine names are lamitor od 100, ventab xl 75, qutan sr 100, flunil 20 once in a day. After taking all these medicines my mood swings 3 month in down mode then again three months in up mode. Can't I will be normal for the whole year or do I need to change any medicine.

Dr. Saul PereiraPsychologist48yrs exp

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Bipolar does have cycles and they range from short periods to fairly long periods. That is why it is called bipolar i.e. there are two extreme poles. If you have been on the same medication and dosage (which is unlikely) then you do need to review the treatment. Even so, if all other symptoms are absent, then it is a good sign that the medication is good for you. It can be a crippling disease if not treated and if treated early the prognosis is good. Comply with all the medical prescriptions and work in tandem with a counselor for a long time and learn coping skills and techniques to handle the daily challenges you will face. There are certain adaptations that will suit you during the elation phase and there are certain behaviors that are required during the depressed phases. In the meantime you can do certain things that will give you benefits anyway. Emotional therapy will alleviate a lot of the problems faced in this condition because it is a mood disorder. You need to particularly look at your levels of anger both for its reasonableness and to express it in appropriate manner. I suspect that much of this anger may have origins in early childhood that you may never be aware of now. Talk to your parents and explore that angle. This information will help the counselor too. Also you will need to check whether there is any genetic factor involved. You must exercise regularly, eat healthily and sleep normally too. If your motivation and cooperation is good much can be achieved. You must have a time-structured schedule filled with interesting and reasonable activities and it must be monitored for compliance and delivery. The reason I say this is that many times you will be inclined to have grandiose notions and confidently believe that you can do without the medication. This will set you back many months in the treatment and delay and sabotage the recovery: forewarned you are forearmed. If this combination of medication with therapy is maintained for at least three years without any episodes or breakdowns, it is possible to taper the medication in consonance with the doctor. Bipolar is characterized by two extreme poles i.e. feeling very high (mania) and suddenly feeling very low (depression). You can ask the doctor for the symptoms he noticed in you for a personal understanding. 

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