Mania Vitamins: Attention to Potency of Therapy

Thoughts on mania

Our brains feed on stimulation. New experiences, and ideas, and learning in general, are exciting.
But with mania, excitement comes without the counterbalance. So one cannot distinguish whether one idea is more relevant than another. And information can come so fast, that it cannot be integrated with past knowledge. Eventually, neurotransmitter pathways can be so overloaded that neurons do not have time to recover between messages.
Essentially, excitatory messaging and/or second-messaging predominate, excluding inhibitory activity needed to maintain useful function.

A severe enough mania can elude an arsenal of potent meds (even the more powerful herbs).
And even when you are able to suppress the mania, research is beginning to suggest that by attacking aggressively (perhaps, especially with substances not intrinsic to brain biochemistry) you may have set the stage for bipolar deterioration longterm.

Acute manias and vitamins
On the other hand, orthomolecular physicians are finding that nutrient therapies which nourish inhibitory mechanisms and normalize excitatory systems tend to work increasingly well with time, while usually proceeding gradually enough* to sidestep the above mania escalation and chronic repercussions.

See my posts here on inhibitory aminos, from June 21 to Aug 24, 2010, and also the outline of Mania and Stabilization info at the top of the Borage Books Nutrient Summary page.

* Nonetheless, in some cases, e.g., with violence or heart problems, a more rapid improvement may be necessary. See previous post on IV therapies.

Addressing root causes
Aside from resolving acute episodes,  ferreting out and addressing root causes (e.g., methylation imbalances, hormonal issues, pyroluria, problems with metal metabolism, etc.) is particularly important to long-term mood stability. See Ongoing Mood Stability, Biotypes, Toxicity, and Health at the bottom of the Borage Books Nutrient Summary page.

For further details, including contraindications, see my book, Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder.

Reminder: This information is presented for educational purposes only, and should not be construed as treatment recommendations. Treatments should be fine-tuned to individual biochemical requirements. Also note: sudden changes in medications can be disastrous. See:
http://naturalhealingforbipolardisorder.blogspot.com/2010/04/nutrient-approaches-for-bipolar-and.html
If you have concerns about meds, or if you need treatment for mania, bipolar, or any other medical condition, please consult a knowledgeable physician.

Bipolar Nutrients: Excessive Zinc and Oversedation

A case report (Murphy 1970),  pointed out by Dr. Pfeiffer, illustrates the sedative effects of large quantities of zinc:

A 16-year-old boy decided to use zinc for his health, but not knowing how much to take, he spread the equivalent of 12,000 mg. elemental zinc on a peanut butter sandwich.

Supplements commonly contain 10-30 mg. Pyrolurics (discussed soon, or for a starter, see ) are prescribed more (in some cases 100-150 mg, or higher), but only because they continuously neutralize and excrete zinc.
The boy consumed about a hundred times the pyroluric dose, and over a thousand times the dose most people need.)

Luckily, the peanut butter slowed zinc release and symptom onset.
What happened? He became dizzy, staggered, and his writing grew illegible. He mainly slept , and was increasingly difficult to waken over five to six days.

But as the zinc left his body, he recovered completely.

See Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder for more information on nutritional therapeutic approaches.

Nutrients and Bipolar Mania: Overview

Before proceeding further on nutrients and mania, here is a general overview of  investigational targets. 

Note: Only some of these would be relevant for any given individual. 

Minerals: magnesium glycinate, zinc, trace-mineral-dose lithium orotate, etc. May need to restrict copper and/or iron.
Inhibitory aminos: taurine (plus zinc), GABA (especially with histapenia or pyroluria), glycine (pyroluria). Perhaps, serotonin precursors.
B1, B3, B6, or other B vitamins.
Vitamin C. Other antioxidants.
Choline. Perhaps, omega 3 and/or GLA.
Kava (especially with histadelia), valerian (histapenia), theanine, skullcap, Bach Rescue Remedy, passion flower.
Moderate thyroid overactivity; support blood sugar and adrenal balance.
Treat histapenia, pyroluria, MT disorder, etc..
Attend to Candida, allergies, toxicity, malabsorption, immune, neurological, and other health issues.
Decrease stressors (e.g., quiet, darkened room; regular meals, sleep, etc).
Increase support with seasonal change and other stressors.

Important: These investigational targets should not to be construed as treatment directives. This material is presented for educational purposes only. 
 

Remember that therapy must be tailored to each individual's unique biochemical requirements, including contraindications. So if you need treatment for bipolar disorder, or any other medical condition, consult a knowledgeable physician. In some cases, this will be an orthomolecular or other nutritionally-oriented physician. 

For further info, see:"Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder," available from boragebooks.com

Orthomolecular therapies for mania: Introduction

One would ultimately want to heal key underlying causes, but until that process is completed, symptomatic approaches (e.g., stopping the mania) are often critical.

Orthomolecular therapies for mania involve:

1 Stabilizing nutrients, herbs and diet.
2 Biotype therapies, as relevant.
3 Attention to allergies/ environmental illness, Candida,  hormone balances, immune status, neurological function, and other health conditions, as relevant.
4 Moderation of mental and physical stressors
5 Medication changes only when indicated.

More to follow.

See Natural Healing for Bipolar Disorder, for detailed descriptions.

Antimanic Nutrient Adjustments

Typically, the stronger antidepressant nutrients and herbs would have been tapered around the time that depression ended (e.g., phenylalanine, korean ginseng, etc; perhaps tyrosine, serotonin, inositol, ginkgo, NADH, etc., depending on how strongly they influence mood in the individual.)

But even some nutrients, foods, and herbs which mainly support vibrant health and general stability (e.g., multiples, essential fatty acids, chlorophyll sources, vitamin D, etc.)  may need to be reduced some before an anticipated mania, or as it progresses, again, depending on individual reactions.

For a general overview, see:
http://boragebooks.com/bipolar_treatments.html