Q. My brother seems to have a bipolar disorder which has affected him for over 15 years. ( He is 32 years old.) He does not admit to having a problem. He lives with my mom and she tracks and gets the brunt of his mood swings. He has not been able to keep a job for many years and seems to daily, weekly go into manic/ depressive states. Two and half years ago he had a kidney transplant. My question is: If he ever seeks help- can the meds he is taking for anti rejection, etc. be combined with the bipolar medication?

  A. A very good question. There are a number of medications that folks take to ward off organ rejection, and there are numerous antimanic medications that they are compatible with. Best thing to do is to check with your brother's doctor, if he chooses to get treatment. Overall, you should be safe with most of the medications out there fro bipolar disorder.

Prednisone, a drug often used to stop or delay organ rejection, can cause mania, so this is one that needs to be followed.

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