Expert: Ivan Goldberg, M.D. - 12/11/2008

Question
I am prescribed medications of Lamictal 200 mg in a.m. & 600 mg of Triliptal.  They are okay but I have been on them for some time. I had tried Litium and that drove me bonkers. Had to get off that stuff. It was terrible. Its not severe bi-polar and I would appreciate if there were natural remedies.

Answer
Hi Jerry . . .

Lithium comes the closest of all treatments for people with bipolar disorder to being "natural." As you may know lithium is a simple element and lithium carbonate, the form in which it is used as a medication, is found in nature and is just packaged by the manufacturer. As you discovered, the fact that something is natural, does not mean that it is good. There is nothing more natural than the sun and exposure to the sun is the chief cause of skin cancer.

Many of my patients take the combination of Lamictal and Trileptal and that combination often works well with minimal side effects.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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