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Mood Disorders

Does a naturopath dr have the same knowledge as a psychrist when treating Bipolar1? Thank you in advance, Crystal
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I forgot to mention. I use to work for a general practionier and when he gave patients physicals, he would rouintly add Vit D to the bloodwork panel. He said many people are deficient in Vit D.
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My Thyroid got messed up from the psyc meds about 5 yrs ago. I am on Thyroid med. Luckily my psyc dr and my primary dr know each other and are just a few miles apart. I feel safe with us all working together. As for herbs, I am much too scared to even go there. You never know what the interactions could be with these psyc meds. I know for a fact I couldn't survive without psyc meds, it's just finding the right one or ones to keep me stable. I won't be taking any vitamins (other than B which I already take) until my bloodwork comes back. No need to take supplements your not sure you even need. I would like to take as few pills as possible. Thanks for responding. Crystal
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Interesting.  My psychiatrist had me get a whole bunch of bloodwork when I mentioned I hadn't had any in a while.  Most came back normal, including my thyroid, but it turned out I was vitamin D deficient.  She said she sees that a lot in her depressed patients, and there's some literature on an association.  Of course, a vitamin D deficiency might be just from depressed people not going outside enough to synthesize any vitamin D.  She also has me taking a B complex.  I also started lamictal and wellbutrin, because supplements alone are not enough in the vast majority of cases.  Fish oil can help, but it has its downsides.  CrazyMeds has an entry on it with advantages and disadvantages I think.  Thyroid can be really important in mental health, and I'm surprised your psychiatrist wasn't monitoring it if it's a known side effect of one of your meds.

Anyway, this just goes to show that some psychiatrists do know more than just psych meds.  Maybe it's because she's fairly young.  Maybe you should talk to your psychiatrist about your concerns, especially since you do have some deficiencies and some drugs are known to cause decreases in certain vitamins (I think folate is a big one).  It'll be much easier for everyone if fewer people are involved in prescribing you drugs/supplements, and they should all talk to each other to make sure no unintended interactions happen.  

I would be careful about super high dose vitamins and supplements--there is such a thing as too much of a good thing, and it's perfectly possible to get vitamin poisoning.  Also keep in mind that herbal supplements are really poorly regulated in the US, and some may not contain what they say they do, and may even contain contaminants like mercury.  Try to find out if a reputable third party has done quality testing on any herbal supplements you use.  And remember: anything that works has side effects.  Some side effects suck more than others, but you can't avoid all of them.
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Anne, it's okay.
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I only learned about the supplements that can help Bipolar about a yr and a half ago. It was for a physical with a new dr in the state I was in at the time. I didn't realize he worked on both the physical and mental aspects of his patients until my appt. I already new I had a Thyroid problem that was caused by my Bipolar meds. The doctors are still having a difficult time finding the right fix for my Thyroid. This can effect your mood among many things. Back to this new dr. I learned that I was very low on Vit D and very, very low, he said,  on Vit B. He also recommended Fish Oil with no mercury in it. I didn't realize how much all of these things could help my Bipolar. Obviously doing these things can only help me. But it's a little overwhelming and sometimes a bit hard to understand. And now to find out there is yet another one that can effect your Bipolar to be tested for, well, it's a lot for me to take in. There could be more as I am just becoming my own researcher. My psyc dr never told me about these things. So I believed the Bipolar meds were the only answer. So for me it looks like I need to implement additional things in addition to meds to help me since meds alone are not an answer for me. I wish they were, it would make it easier. If we're not told these things, how are we suppose to know. Diff dr know diff things. My psyc dr knows psyc stuff and the GP nows vit stuff and Thyroid, yet for Mental Illness it would be nice to have someone know both since they obviously work hand in hand for some people like me. Hope this helps some people. I am still learning.
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574118 tn?1305135284
about deficiencies in B and the sort, I've done many blood tests and showed normal. I really wish there is a clear factor in diet that affects my bp. i adore fish and can eat plenty of it indefinitely. this shows that the fish salt and oil make a difference to the extent that i prefer not to wash my hands after eating fish to keep the odor of fish. surely there is something in fishes not just omega3 that makes me stable. unfortunately al;though doctors tell you to eat fish twice a week now they tell not to do it due to mercury contamination. so they ask to revert to krill etc...

i really wish i can substitute my risperidone and seroquel my natural food. My 1st mistake was to consult pdocs from start, they are igniorant and greedy and all they do is to subject you to trial and error with sided effect drugs
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Sorry I misunderstood you, Crystal
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I never said in my post or comment that I didn't believe in psyc meds. I have been on them a very long time. With yrs of trial an error, we are still searching for a med and combo's that will keep me stable. I have learned however that certain deficiencies can interfer with getting better. I also learned that certain psyc meds can cause a deficiency in certain areas. It is good to find out what your deficient in regardless of your med regimen as this can only help one to get better. I would like to note, everybody is different when it comes to responding to meds. Some respond great while others have a harder time figuring out what works or are med resistant. I will keep gaining the knowledge that I need to get better and to be stable.
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Psychiatrists specialize, and have had a lot of training, in disorders of the brain. Naturpath specializes in knowing about herbs, vitamins and such. They do not have specialized training in mental health. Unlike Crystal, I believe in the effectiveness of psychiatric medications. Psychiatrists who stay up to date in research also know that fish oil can be helpful for some people.
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Avatar universal
Thanks Stormbear. Someone recently told me that they don't have the same knowledge as med dr. I already take Vit B injections monthly. I just started on Deplin which is a breakdown of folic acid. Research that if you can, it is suppose to help. I am currently awaiting my blood test results to see where my deficiencies are and I will act according. I'm just learning just how much these deficiencies effect Mental Illness. I also just learned that some of the psyc med negatively reduce your ( I-methyl folate ) (the breakdown of folic acid) which is important in Mental Illness. I am also going to be tested for glutamate. Thanks again, Crystal
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1985196 tn?1402190098
Hello, i'm not sure if they have the same Knowledge but i spoke with a lady in the naturpath store about Bi polar and Schizoaffective which i've been diagnosed with and she told me her mother also diagnosed  with the Bi polar part takes fish oil and a muli B vitamin ( strong dose ) and Niacin B3 (flushed) and she's been stable for some time with her other treatments of medication and therapy regular exercise and a good healthy diet , hope it's of some help and best wishe's
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