Mood-Stabilizing Drugs: How They’re Used in Treatment for Mental Health

Mood-stabilizing drugs are psychiatric medications that are used to treat various mood disorders, such as bipolar disorder. Mood-stabilizing drugs include anticonvulsants, antipsychotic medications, and others. Along with therapy, these medications can help reduce condition symptoms and lead to improved condition management. 

Resurgence Behavioral Health is a leading behavioral and mental health treatment center. Our licensed and experienced clinicians can prescribe medications for patients who need them. We offer comprehensive treatment programs that include inpatient and outpatient therapy. We can treat co-occurring disorders and dual diagnoses, provide medication-assisted treatment, and help patients achieve recovery goals. 

A mood disorder can involve symptoms that impact all important aspects of a person’s life and health. Mood-stabilizing drugs can help patients become more stable and able to focus on other therapeutic modalities that support recovery. If you need treatment for a mood disorder or mental health disorder, your individualized treatment plan at Resurgence Behavioral Health could include mood-stabilizing medications. 

Mood-Stabilizing Drugs Definition:

Mood-stabilizing drugs help stabilize symptoms related to mood disorders. These drugs include things like lithium, anticonvulsants, and antipsychotics. They are often prescribed to individuals who have bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, and personality disorders. Sometimes, they are prescribed antidepressants to stabilize patients’ moods and mental health. 

Mood swings can impact a person’s interactions with others, sleep, and judgment. Medications can support mood stabilization, but it’s important to have an accurate diagnosis first. At Resurgence Behavioral Health, our clinicians can provide you with condition management and support for mood stabilization. 

Common Types of Mood-Stabilizing Drugs

The three common types of mood-stabilizing drugs include mineral, anticonvulsant, and antipsychotic. Common medications include lithium, valproic acid, lamotrigine, olanzapine, lurasidone, and aripiprazole. Each medication is associated with side effects that range from mild to severe. Always report the presence of side effects to your physician. Additionally, mood stabilizers may be prescribed together or with other medications like antidepressants. 

How Mood Stabilizers Drugs Work?

Mood stabilizers work by reducing mood swings and promoting healthy mood states. Specifically, they reduce the activity of some neurotransmitters in the brain, rendering them less excitable. The result is an improvement in mood stability. When chemicals associated with certain neurotransmitters act abnormally, mood stabilizers can quell that behavior and stabilize the action of these neurotransmitters. 

Disorders Treated with Mood Stabilizer Drugs

Bipolar disorder is the mood disorder most commonly treated with mood-stabilizing drugs. However, clinicians also prescribe them for mental health conditions that involve mood swings. These medications may even improve the efficacy of antidepressants, making them helpful for treating depression. In bipolar disorder, they can help prevent the manic and depressive phases that characterize the condition. They can also minimize the mood effects associated with these phases. Since each individual’s mind is different, some mood stabilizers may work better for some in certain cases. Your clinician will recommend the ideal medications for you and monitor your recovery while taking them. 

Benefits of Mood Stabilizers in Mental Health Care

Mood stabilizers can be prescribed on their own to treat a mood disorder, or they may be prescribed along with an antidepressant. It’s up to your clinician to recommend the ideal medication for you based on your condition and symptoms. These medications can bring greater stability to your mood, which can reduce the chaos that is sometimes an effect of severe mood swings. Mood stabilizers may also improve the effects of antidepressants. If your condition involves erratic moods or extreme moods, you might be a candidate for mood-stabilizing drugs. Your clinician will recommend the ideal drug and dosage for your needs. 

Mood Stabilizers Drugs: Potential Side Effects and Management

Mood stabilizers are associated with a range of side effects. These effects may be mild or severe. Common side effects associated with mood-stabilizing drugs include:

• Nausea.
• Vomiting.
• Fatigue.
• Confusion.
• Diarrhea.
• Tremors.
• Headache.
• Weight gain.
• Vision problems.
• Decreased libido.
• Sensitivity to sunlight.
• Rapid heartbeat.
• Dizziness.

If you experience side effects when taking mood stabilizers, you should alert your clinicians. Some symptoms may dissipate with time. If symptoms increase in severity, you may need emergency health care. Depending on the severity, physicians may adjust the dosage or change medications to treat side effects. 

Integrating Mood-Stabilizing Drugs with Other Addiction Treatments

Generally, medication alone is not adequate treatment for mental health conditions. A drug isn’t a cure for mental illness; it can also reduce symptoms. Additional therapies are necessary to help people deal with many different aspects of their disorder. Treatment today empowers people to manage their condition using strategies developed by clinicians. During psychotherapy like cognitive-behavioral therapy or dialectical behavior therapy, for instance, patients learn to identify problematic thoughts, emotions, and behaviors so they can more effectively control them. Medications such as mood stabilizers can help, but they can’t manage the condition for individuals. 

Finding the Right Mood Stabilizer Drug for You

You can find the ideal mood-stabilizing drugs for you by relying on your licensed clinicians at Resurgence Behavioral Health. If your condition and symptoms require the prescription of a mood stabilizer, our clinicians can prescribe them. Medication is only one part of the condition-recovery process. However, medications can promote the psychological stability necessary for clients so that they can focus on their subsequent therapies and experience relief from unstable thoughts, emotions, and behaviors. Depending on your symptoms, physicians will prescribe medications that can provide relief. In some cases, they can even eliminate symptoms. Keep in mind, however, that these medications improve condition management; they cannot provide a cure for mood disorders like bipolar disorder.

Explore Treatment Options at Resurgence Behavioral Health

If you are experiencing symptoms of a mood disorder, contact Resurgence Behavioral Health. We can evaluate your symptoms and condition carefully to recommend the ideal treatment course. Your treatment may include a prescription for one or several medications. If doctors prescribe one or more mood-stabilizing drugs for you, expect them to counsel you about their safe use as well as the side effects you may experience. The dose and prescribing duration of these medications will depend on your needs. 

A mood disorder can wreak havoc with your personal and professional life. Errant mood swings, poor judgment, and unstable thoughts can disrupt a person’s life and relationships. By enrolling for treatment at Resurgence Behavioral Health, you can get help managing your condition. Mood-stabilizing drugs and therapy may be the key to optimum condition management. Our clinicians will provide you with empathetic care, evaluate your condition, and recommend the best treatment for you. 
Call Resurgence Behavioral Health at 855-458-0050 to learn more about our California rehab addiction treatment center and mental health recovery programs. We accept many different forms of health insurance and can provide alternative financing options, too. We can treat you whether you need inpatient or outpatient treatment because our treatment center offers comprehensive recovery. We can treat you no matter where you are in your recovery journey. Contact us to hear about our enrollment process so you can get started on your recovery path as soon as possible.

Josh Chandler
After growing up in Chicago and North Carolina, Josh chose to get help with substance use disorder and mental health in California because of the state's reputation for top-tier treatment. There, he found the treatment he needed to achieve more than five years of recovery. He's been in the drug and alcohol addiction rehab industry for four years and now serves as the Director of Admissions for Resurgence Behavioral Health. Josh remains passionate about the field because he understands that one phone call can alter the course of a person's life.

Research | Editorial