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Bipolar Disorder/treatment of racing thoughts due to bipolar

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Expert: - 3/28/2010


Question
I've been in treatment for biplor 13 years.  I work, I have a home, I am married.  The thing I hate the most that is so annoying are the racing thoughts.  I do alot of driving, my job as social worker is stressful, challenging and emotional. I find I have a short memory and forgetting things easily.  What can I do to minimize racing thoughts?

Answer
Hi, May . . .

Racing thoughts are a frequent complaint of people who have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder. My approach to controlling racing thoughts is to stop all antidepressants and to prescribe a combination of lithium, carbamazepine (Tegretol) and divalproex (Depakote). This combination may be slow to become effective and should be tried for a minimum of 6 to 12 months.

Although risks are involved, the above may be supplemented with antipsychotic medication and/or lamotrigine (Lamictal) in some instances.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html
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Bipolar Disorder

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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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