Dealing With Bipolar Disorder
Page Highlights
- Read books about bipolar disorder or join a support group
- Share responsibility for helping your loved one
- Take time to relax and enjoy favorite activities
Ideas to Help You Cope
Dealing with family and relationship pressures caused by bipolar disorder is an ongoing process. Here are some ideas that may help you cope better.
- Ask your loved one’s doctor or therapist about ways you and your loved one can learn, together, about dealing with bipolar disorder. Besides reading books, you can also ask about family therapy or about joining a bipolar disorder support group1
- Share responsibility for helping your loved one. This approach can help prevent you from “burning out” or feeling resentful toward your loved one.1 Accept all the help and support you can get. Be creative about ways to share the responsibilities of caring for your loved one
- Try to have patience and understanding. When recovering from an episode of bipolar disorder, let your loved one approach life at his or her own pace, and avoid expecting too much or too little. Try to do things with your loved one, rather than for him or her. This will help your loved one regain self-confidence1
- Do not neglect your own health. This means getting doctor check ups, eating right, getting enough sleep and exercising
- Take time out to relax and enjoy favorite activities or hobbies. If you schedule a "date" to do something you enjoy, you may be more likely to follow through with your plans
- Try to see the humor in situations. Although this is not always easy, laughter is a great stress reliever
Where to Find Help
The information on this Web site should not take the place of talking with your
doctor or health care professional about how to manage and treat bipolar
disorder. If you have any questions about your condition, or if you would like
more information about SEROQUEL, talk to your doctor or pharmacist. Only you
and your doctor can decide if SEROQUEL is right for you.
Important Safety Information About SEROQUEL 
This is not a complete summary of safety information. Please discuss the full
Prescribing Information with your health care provider.
SEROQUEL is approved for depressive episodes and acute manic episodes in bipolar
disorder; long-term maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder in combination
with lithium or divalproex; and schizophrenia.
Elderly patients with dementia-related psychosis (having lost touch with
reality due to confusion and memory loss) treated with this type of medicine
are at an increased risk of death, compared to placebo (sugar pill). SEROQUEL
is not approved for treating these patients.
Antidepressants have increased the risk of suicidal thoughts and actions in
some children, teenagers, and young adults. Patients of all ages starting
treatment should be watched closely for worsening of depression, suicidal
thoughts or actions, unusual changes in behavior, agitation, and irritability.
Families and caregivers should watch patients daily and report these symptoms
immediately to the physician. SEROQUEL is not approved for patients under the
age of 18 years.
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High blood sugar and diabetes have been reported with SEROQUEL and medicines
like it. If you have diabetes or risk factors such as obesity or a family
history of diabetes, ask your doctor about checking your blood sugar before
starting SEROQUEL and regularly throughout treatment. If you develop symptoms
of high blood sugar or diabetes, such as excessive thirst or hunger, increased
urination, or weakness, contact your doctor. Complications from diabetes can be
serious and even life threatening
-
A rare, but potentially fatal, side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines
like it is neuroleptic malignant syndrome (NMS). Tell your doctor if you have
very high fever; rigid muscles; shaking; confusion; sweating; changes in pulse,
heart rate, or blood pressure; or muscle pain and weakness because treatment
should be stopped if you have NMS
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Another serious side effect reported with SEROQUEL and medicines like it is
tardive dyskinesia (TD)—uncontrollable movements of the face, tongue, or other
parts of the body. TD may become permanent, and the risk of TD is believed to
increase as the length of time on and the amount of these medications increase.
While TD can develop in patients taking low doses for short periods, this is
much less common. There is no known treatment for TD, but it may go away
partially or completely if treatment is stopped
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Before starting treatment, tell your doctor if you have high cholesterol or
have a history of, or are at risk for, seizures or a low white blood cell (WBC)
count. An eye exam for cataracts is recommended at the beginning of treatment
and every 6 months thereafter. Suicidal thoughts or actions may occur in
bipolar disorder and schizophrenia; tell your doctor if you have thoughts about
death or suicide. During treatment, tell your doctor if you feel dizzy or
lightheaded upon standing. Since drowsiness has been reported with SEROQUEL,
you should not participate in activities such as driving or operating machinery
until you know that you can do so safely. Avoid drinking alcohol while taking
SEROQUEL because SEROQUEL increases the effects of alcohol. Avoid becoming
overheated or dehydrated while taking SEROQUEL
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Common side effects: The most common side effects are dry mouth, sedation,
drowsiness, dizziness, constipation, weakness, abdominal pain, sudden drop in
blood pressure upon standing, sore throat, weight gain, sluggishness, high
blood sugar, nasal congestion, abnormal liver tests, and upset stomach
Talk to your doctor about prescription SEROQUEL.
Click here for full Prescribing Information, including Boxed Warnings.
You are encouraged to report negative side effects of prescription drugs to the
FDA. Visit www.FDA.gov/medwatch
or call 1-800-FDA-1088.
REFERENCES:
- Keck PE, Perlis RH, Otto MW, Carpenter D, Ross R, Docherty JP. The Expert Consensus Guideline Series: Treatment of Bipolar Disorder 2004. A Postgraduate Medicine Special Report. The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.; December 2004.