9 Bipolar Supplements To Avoid

There are some Bipolar supplements to avoid because they can harm you more than benefiting you.

Bipolar disorder is a serious mental illness that can result in serious mood shifts and even lead to depression.

If you or a loved one has bipolar disorder then you already know how difficult it becomes to manage a manic episode.

Bipolar disorder also known as manic depression is a mental illness that includes sudden mood shifts and sudden different behaviors. It is directly linked to depression.

People suffering from Bipolar disorder may even have problems managing everyday tasks at work or school or even in daily routine tasks.

But bipolar disorder is not a very rare disease approximately 3% of the U.S population is suffering or had suffered from it.

Although there is no 100% cure to bipolar disease there are some diet and supplements which can help cope up with a bipolar disease but sometimes they may even have negative effects.

According to this study, your choice of diet and supplementation can even harm you more during bipolar disorder.

we will be discussing all those foods and so-called bipolar supplements to avoid if you have bipolar disorder.

There are so many supplements and foods that can help you cope with bipolar disorder but some supplements may have side effects so let’s discuss bipolar supplements to avoid.

Caffeine

Caffeine taken in more amounts even by a person who doesn’t have bipolar disorder may cause sleep insomnia which may cause anxiety may even lead to depression and manic depression in people with bipolar disorder.

This article published by the National Sleep Foundation confirms that caffeine can be a major cause of anxiety and irritation which is a direct cause of manic attack or manic depression.

Folic acid

According to the article published in The Conversation, folic acid which is recommended for the treatment of bipolar disorder can be bad for some patients.

Foods like grapefruit were used for this experiment as it is really high in folic acid.

Folic acid can react with other medications prescribed to you and may cause more harm than benefit.

This type of effect is very rare but they are possible.

Lithium

Lithium is the most popular and most advised supplement to treat bipolar disorder, it can help prevent bipolar disorder and can decrease suicide risk.

75% of people face the side effects of lithium even they are not a major side effect but if neglected they may cause other problems. These effects are more common when you have a history of other diseases.

Some common side effects of lithium are

• Drowsiness
• Poor memory
• Decrease in thyroid
• Hair loss
• Weakness
• Acne
• Bad concentration
• Unsteady walking
• Rapid heart rate
• Slurred speech

Although these side effects are treatable by altering the dosage of Lithium, you should consult your doctor if you have any of these side effects.

Sugar

Avoid those mass gainers and high sugary supplements they may be bad for you even if you don’t have bipolar disorder.

Sugar the root cause of so many diseases is also bad for people with bipolar disorder.

This article by The American Heart Association says that increased obesity can make your bipolar disorder treatment less effective. So keep an eye on your sweet tooth.

Salt

You should watch your salt intake while your medication for bipolar disorder includes lithium.

Before increasing or decreasing your salt intake you should consult with your doctor because a sudden increase or decrease in salt because it can cause a higher or lower level of lithium in your blood.

Tyramine

If you are prescribed MAO inhibitors than you should stay away from Tyramine.

MAO inhibitors are a special type of antidepressants, there is a reason why doctors recommend them at extreme conditions as they can cause problems for you in many ways such as

Some common Mao side effects are

• Insomnia
• Fainting
• Dizziness
• Dry mouth
• Blurred vision
• Loss of sexual desire
• Weight gain
• High blood pressure

Creatine

The most researched and most used supplement in bodybuilding is creatine and people claim that it has no side effect.

Well it is a miracle supplement for bodybuilding, is it good if you have bipolar disorder?

Although some researchers say that creatine may cause mood swings and it can increase anger in people but there has been no strong evidence to support them.

DHEA

According to Mental Health America DHEA should be used with caution with people who have bipolar disorder.

DHEA can cause irritation, exacerbate mania and it may cause aggression which is a triggering factor for manic depression.

Foods and supplements which have high-fat value should be avoided if you have a bipolar disorder history.

High fat in the body may result in obesity which can cause stress, aggression, and even bad eating habits which can trigger manic depression and obesity may even decrease the effect on your ongoing medications for your bipolar disorder.

Alcohol

Alcohol is a depressant and many people use it as a tranquilizer to deal with a tense social situation.

Alcohol and bipolar disorder have a direct link. Alcohol is one of the most common triggers for depression and anger which can result in manic depression.

Although there are so many supplements to help with bipolar disorder there are other Bipolar supplements to avoid which we had discussed above so you should try to avoid them as they can cause more harm than benefit.

Tips to help you with bipolar disorder

Getting fit and losing unwanted fat can really help you with deal with bipolar disorder.

As obesity can trigger your manic depression you should try to lose extra weight.

You can try intermittent fasting to lose weight.

Also if you are not comfortable following a particular diet to lose weight you use these tips and make small changes in your lifestyle and lose weight.

27 Best ways to Lose Weight without Exercise

Switching to a vegan or plant-based diet can help you with bipolar disorder.

Many people claim that a plant-based diet has helped them not only deal with depression and anger issues but also in many different health aspects too.

Here is a quick starter guide to help you with a plant-based diet What is Plant-Based diet : A beginner’s guide to Plant-Based diet

Start working out, it is really effective to cure depression and anger issues.

Working out is considered an antidepressant and so many claims it to be helpful to deal with depression.

A bipolar disorder a serious disease with a big number of population suffering from it.

Although there is no 100% complete treatment for bipolar disorder but supplements can help you deal with it.

But there are a number of bipolar supplements to avoid which we had discussed in this article.

Originally published at https://simplebodyfitness.com on June 11, 2020.