Diet is an important part of managing bipolar disorder, and there are several foods that must be avoided because of possible interactions with the medications. Serious side effects can be the result of mixing something as simple as grapefruit juice with the wrong bipolar drug. In addition, you have to be careful with supplements and vitamins that can interfere with drugs.
Avoid Caffeine
Caffeine is a dangerous substance in the hands of a person with bipolar disorder. It is difficult for them to control, and it can interfere with their sleep patterns. Furthermore, caffeine is not recommended for people who are taking benzodiazepines which are common drugs used to control mania in bipolar individuals.
Avoid Grapefruit Juice
Grapefruit juice may seem to be safe and healthy, but people on some bipolar medications have to avoid it. If you are taking anticonvulsants and benzodiazepines, then drinking the juice with your medication could lead to serious complications. You may experience a toxic buildup of the medications.
Avoid High-fat Meats
High-fat meats are another dangerous item for people with bipolar disorder because they can lead to several problems. In addition to the obesity issues, these types of meats can interact with some bipolar medications and affect how long the body takes to absorb the drugs.
Avoid Foods with Tyramine
Tyramine is an amino acid that is found in several types of foods and has been linked to affecting blood pressure. You can find it in ripe bananas, fermented cheeses, aged meats, soy sauce, fava beans and other products. If you are taking monoamine oxidase inhibitors (MAOI), then eating these items could lead to hypertension. Drug interactions are a serious issue for people with mental health problems, so it is important for friends and family to stay vigilant and help them with their diets.
Lana Bandoim is a freelance writer and editor. Her work has been published on websites ranging from Yahoo! News to Technorati.
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Thanks for this, I have a friend that has bipolar disorder.
Your welcome Elisabeth.
My friend learned she was bipolar this year…. I am forwarding this to her, thank you for putting the info out there.
Thanks for sharing it with your friend..now lets just hope she will read it 🙂 I’ve known many bipolar people who were very hard to deal with when they were manic.
This is good info; my uncle is bipolar.
This is a great article. I don’t think many people realize the affect foods has on medication and diseases!
Very interesting, I wasn’t aware that there were foods that should’ve been watched out for. Informative as well.
This is really fascinating…I had no idea that there were foods you couldn’t have with this type of disorder!
Interesting. I’d love to see the research on these foods and their impact on bipolar disease.
Thanks for all of the informative info. I didn’t know a lot of these. The only one I know about is the grapefruit juice one.
This is a very interesting post. Never knew about avoiding these foods.
thanks for the very helpful and informative post.
I did not know about the Tyramine, in fact I have never even heard of it.
I drink coffe rarely, didn’t like grape, seldom eat meat, but often eat ripe bananas ._.
Thanks for info.
Thank you for sharing this, I am bipolar and I am always looking for ways to help my days be a bit better. I never knew these foods could affect it.
never knew you have to avoid foods for bipolar disorder
Wow!! How interesting– I knew about the grapefruit, but not so much about the other items. We have two children in our family that we are being careful with and this gives more reason too. THank you for this review
This is amazing find for me. I have a family member who has this, I can atleast pass on the information, so Thank You for finding this out for us.
Good info, I was just reading about deficiencies that can contribute to BP. Zinc, B6 and Biotin. Good to know about things to avoid. Take some away, add some good, it’s a delicate balance.
These foods should be avoided by more then just bi-polar patients. Caffeine and Grapefruit juice causes problems with other medications as well not just bipolar meds.
Thank you for this article. I had no idea diet had any affect on bi-polar disorder. I have a close family member who takes medication for it and I’m going to share this with him.
Cheryl, I wish your family member well. If not having a just a couple of these foods helps someone…it’s worth it!
Interesting, I don’t have or know anyone with the disorder, but I never knew these facts. Great article, thank you for sharing.
Your welcome Kathleen Kelly.
Thanks for the info. I am not bi-polar but have a step granddaughter who is and I will pass this information on.
I’m sure it will help her Irene. Bipolar is a hard disease to control. If foods can be part of the solution, that is an easy beginning.
this is a very informative post. i wish i could get my mental health under control
Ac it’s hard to do that without having a mental health professional guide you. Have you seen anyone to begin your journey?
This is some information I did not know. Thank you so much for sharing
I love sharing new info!
Thanks for sharing! I never knew foods had any impact. I’m definitely going to share this.
Thanks for Sharing Kristen Schwarz!
This fascinates me, I don’t have Bipolar but I do have Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so maybe these are relevant to me
Try it for 6 weeks, keeping a diary every few days, that should help figure out if it’s helped. Also your may want to read “Grain Brain” by Dr Perlmutter. He cites lots of experiences with his neurology clients and some research studies showing that gluten can negatively affect various emotional and mental issues. I’m not sure if he mentions PTSD, but it’s interesting reading nonetheless, and relevant to the gluten intolerance issue.
Very interesting article. It seems this day and age we have to be very careful with our diets and health.
So true Halona Lee Luna!