Yes, there are things you may do that can help, Passion 222. One of them is to see an allergist and have extensive testing done for both foods and inhaled allergens. You may be surprised to find that you have food intolerances or sensitivities that you were not really aware of, and knowledge of that will help you begin correcting your diet to remove things that are bothersome for you.

The second thing you might consider is to do some research on the effects that sensitivities have for people who know what their intolerances are. For example, I've read years ago that bipolar patients have a severe grain allergy. That may very well be true for some of us. The only way you are going to know that, however, is to remove it from your diet and see how you get along. Two weeks without grains should be sufficient to let you know if you do have a sensitivity to gluten. (You don't have to be a Celiac patient to have a gluten intolerance; doctors used to think that you need a positive reaction on a blood test , but a sensitivity may show up negative; still, you'll find that you cannot eat wheat, barley, rye, or oats without digestive disturbance. (Some even have mental issues because of it.)

Dr. David Williams has just published a book about this and has lectured on the subject.

You may wish to add fatty acids to your diet--3,6,and 9-- to calm the brain. It is known now that fatty acids are helpful in reducing inflammatory conditions.

Bipolar illness is a chemical imbalance. It is also an inflammation of a portion of the brain that fires too rapidly, but doctors don't know yet why that happens. For some of us, it may very well be a cerebral allergy. That's the point in seeing an allergist.

There is much for you to learn. You need to be on a pharmaceutical grade quality multiple vitamin. In addition, you need to start drinking purified water. Water from almost any city system has been chemically treated, if not with chlorine, some other irritating chemicals to remove contaminants in the water.

Once you have done these things, come back and get more data on what else you need to do. Many here have good advice about what has been helpful for them. (I must add that we are not doctors and we can relate only to you the things that have worked for us; so we cannot diagnose or recommend a specific professional for you.)

You will find that you will be able to lower dosage (with your psychiatrist's permission) gradually, and one day you may not need more than a minuscule dose of one medication to maintain stability.

Read about the medication (a food med) called Deplin. It was a good one for me after all the acidic-reacting psychotropic meds seem to be difficult to manage. But then, we had all been told to remove alcohol, caffeine contained in coffee, tea, chocolate, and anything else such as soft drinks...even the artificial sweeteners may be triggers for some of us, and we avoided using them.

Take care, and post as you wish about your progress.