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Bipolar husband, best OTC prescription?

I just learned my husband was diagnosed with bipolar (i believe type 1) about 5 years ago. I am supportive of him and want to make everything structured as correctly as possible for his life as I can. I can handle learning about how to interact with him during his many swings (he is a rapid cycler), but I know that medical help is the biggest part. However, for reasons I am keeping private, we are not able to seek professional medical treatment for him past counseling, but even then we cannot share that. I myself have had mood problems and have taken SamE and St. John's Wort, but I recognize that these OTC drugs can have bad results with bipolar people.

I would like to know what the best OTC for a rapid cycling bipolar type 1 patient would be. And please, I understand how severe it is but do not only respond to me with how I should get him to a professional. I will NOT tell you why but we CANNOT do that, and I need you to understand that. Please give me real assistance. If you really HAVE to tell me, fine, but note that your entire response will be disregarded if that is the entire content of it
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1551327 tn?1514045867
Ok this is advise with respect to what you requested.  I am type one and I am experiencing rapid cycling.  First question is (and you don't have to be specific) does he have a spiritual belief system that helps?  I have gotten involved with one that helps.  They come around and let me be manic without judgement.  Also have you ever heard of cbt?  There are things that can be very helpful in learning rhe personalities that go along with thw mood chamges so that you better understand who you are talking to when he varies on either side of the euthymic (balanced, normal) spectrum.  Once he is outside of that, as you likely know, how he feels, thinks, and behaves could seem as thought he is a completely different person.  All this can be accomplished without seeing a professional and I can help on here as well as my other friends that support this forum.  Of you want to make sure I get a message when you come on talk send me a private message and my email will show that you did.  That way you get a quicker response as I always monitpr my emails but I don't check here bit usually a couple to three times daily.  If you are interested in my help let me know.  I have studied extensively ways and practices that deal with this.
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He does believe in God, but he isn't going to a church. I don't believe I've ever seen him manic, I'm not quite sure what to look for, I know it can be different for each individual. I would very much like to connect with you on this, please let me know how to contact you.
973741 tn?1342342773
I'm not aware of any OTC products for bipolar disorder.  I guess you could go to a specialty store that has access to holistic medicine and see what they would suggest. Problem with that is that you are relying treatment on a person who works in a health food store which doesn't necessarily qualify them to give that advice.  There are the things you mentioned like St. Johns Wort for depression.  But probably nothing reliable or proven to work.

It must be really hard to have to keep this secret.  Hard on the person with bipolar and hard on their loved ones.  Sadly, there must be a stigma and shame still out there which I hope eventually changes.  You've really boxed out anyone from posting to you about the subject with threats to be discounted for speaking the reality of untreated bipolar disorder.  I guess like everything else, it's going to be on a spectrum with severity levels being different for each person who has bipolar and some can manage without treatment.  And there is traditional bipolar and the newer diagnosis of atypical disorder. Is one easier to deal with untreated (less dangerous) than the other?  Not sure.  but I hope circumstances that are holding your loved one back from true help change.  Bipolar is difficult to deal with but especially so when it has to be hidden.  I understand there are some jobs that once you are diagnosed with bipolar, you are in jeopardy of losing it.  I had a good friend lose her teaching job because she had about an hour of meltdown in the school and her bipolar diagnosis was revealed.  The meltdown did it but the subject of her having a mental health disorder as the cause of the meltdown didn't save her.  She can no longer be employed in that school district.  So, I'm empathetic to the idea of not wanting others to know.  

But I don't know anything OTC that will help.  Best of luck
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Thank you. It is extremely frustrating that I cannot get him professional help rn. I am a firm believer in therapy, I myself have been many times, but I cannot use that option unfortunately. I do understand that it going untreated is not good for anyone involved. If I could do it, I would. It hurts my heart that I can't, truly. I have been around those with BP, medicated and not medicated, all my life. Professional is an eventuality. I will get that to him when it becomes possible. It also hurts that I didn't know about this until after being MARRIED for 6 months, but I don't blame him. As you say, there's a stigma. It's exacerbated in his case, as he is african american; in the black community, it is even harder to talk about mental health treatment, which is extremely unfortunate. So even when the time comes where we CAN deal with it, I know I will have a hard time getting his cooperation.
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