Listen I am not trying to hammer you on amphetamine psychosis or mania but I am trying to present more balanced information. Yes, bipolar patients must be closely monitored for manic episodes when first starting stimulants like amphetamines. This may mean more frequent visits but you will know pretty quickly whether or not you can tolerate them. Thats one of the great things about amphetamines for people that need them- you will know much sooner if there is a problem or if they work than something like an antidepressant. I also have found that Bipolar I patients are more prone to amphetamine side effects. This is just my own layman's experience with other people. I have bipolar II and I have been on amphetamines for going on 15 years with only 1 dose increase that followed a procedure that changed my absorption rate.
You seem to imply that getting an rx for stimulants is simple and no big deal. We are in the midst of an opiate crisis/epidemic with Meth on the rise again so maybe that is your experience but no way is amphetamine use or abuse (prescribed, not street meth) anything like the opiate epidemic. I am also an alcoholic and I nearly died. I promise you that alcohol kills more people than amphetamines. I know you are not comparing the two but my point is that some people like to point the finger at certain medications spreading misleading information or at least presenting a biased view of it in order to scare someone away from considering it or maybe its for other reasons I do not understand. I really cant figure out why its acceptable to freak out over amphetamines (not saying this is you) yet people have no issues with say tylenol. 3 days of tylenol increases your liver enzymes by like 25%. Thats an OTC pain reliever that doctors always toss at you. Have you read the side effects profile? Have you heard about the under-reported blood pressure effects between ibuprofen, aleve and tylenol? I am just saying that everything can be a risk. But not every controlled substance puts someone on the brink of mania. I just think we should be more discriminate with how we talk about medication.