Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-g7gxr Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-18T11:08:45.348Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Anticonvulsants as mood stabilisers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Extract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

Recent research has highlighted the fact that a significant number of patients with bipolar affective disorder have a poor outcome (Cole et al, 1993). The most common poor outcome is the development of rapid or ultra-rapid cycling, but mixed states, prolonged depression and severe mania are also associated with poor outcome. It is estimated that approximately one-third of patients with bipolar affective disorder do not respond fully to lithium and a significant number of patients discontinue lithium (Post, 1990) which may itself cause further problems.

Type
Research Article
Copyright
Copyright © The Royal College of Psychiatrists 1999 

References

Bowden, C. L., Brugger, A. M., Swann, A. C. et al (1994) Efficacy of divalproex vs lithium and placebo in the treatment of mania. Journal of the American Medical Association, 271, 918924.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bowden, C. L., Janicak, P. G., Orsulak, P. et al (1996) Relation of serum valproate concentration to response in mania. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 765770.Google Scholar
Brown, D., Silverstone, T. & Cookson, J. (1989) Carbamazepine compared to haloperidol in acute mania. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 4, 229238.Google Scholar
Brown, D., Boden, P., Singh, L. et al (1996) Mechanisms of action of gabapentin. Reviews in Contemporary Pharmacotherapy, 7, 203214.Google Scholar
Calabrese, J. R., Woyshville, M. J., Kimmel, S. E. et al (1993) Predictors of valproate response in bipolar rapid cycling. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 13, 280283.Google Scholar
Cole, A. J., Scott, J., Ferrier, I. N. et al (1993) Patterns of treatment resistance in bipolar affective disorder. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 88, 121123.Google Scholar
Denicoff, K. D., Blake, K. D., Smith-Jackson, E. E. et al (1994) Morbidity in treated bipolar disorders: one-year prospective study using daily life chart ratings. Depression, 2, 95104.Google Scholar
Dimond, K. R., Pande, A. C., Lamoreaux, L. et al (1996) Effect of gabapentin (Neurotin) on mood and well-being in patients with epilepsy. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 20, 407417.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dubovsky, S. L. & Buzan, R. D. (1997) Novel alternatives and supplements to lithium and anticonvulsants for bipolar affective disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58, 224242.Google ScholarPubMed
Emrich, H. M. (1990) Studies with oxcarbazepine (Trileptal) in acute mania. International Clinical Psychopharmacology, 5, 8388.Google Scholar
Ferrier, I. N. (1998) Lamotrigine and gabapentin – alternatives in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Neuropsychobiology, 38, 192197.Google Scholar
Field, M. J., Oles, R. J., Lewis, A. S. et al (1997) Gabapentin (neurontin) and S-(+)-3-isobutylgaba represent a novel class of selective antihyperalgesic agents. British Journal of Pharmacology, 121, 15131522.Google Scholar
Granneman, G. R., Schneck, D. W., Cavanaugh, J. H. et al (1996) Pharmacokentic interactions and side-effects resulting from concomitant administration of lithium and divalproex sodium. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 57, 204206.Google ScholarPubMed
Greil, W., Ludwig-Mayerhofer, W., Erazo, N. et al (1997) Lithium versus carbamazepine in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorders – a randomised study. Journal of Affective Disorders, 43, 151161.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Joffe, R. T. (1991) Carbamazepine, lithium, and life course of bipolar affective disorder (letter). American Journal of Psychiatry, 148, 12701271.Google Scholar
Kishimoto, A. (1992) The treatment of affective disorder with carbamazepine: prophylactic synergism of lithium and carbamazepine combination. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 16, 483493.Google Scholar
Leach, M. J., Marsden, C. M. & Miller, A. A. (1986) Pharmacological studies on lamotrigine, a novel potential antiepileptic drug: II. Neurochemical studies on the mechanism of action. Epilepsia, 27, 490497.Google Scholar
Maitre, L., Baltzer, V. & Mondadori, C. (1984) Psychopharmacological and behavioural effects of antiepileptic drugs in animals. In Anticonvulsants in Affective Disorders (eds Emrich, H. M., Okuma, T. & Muller, A. A.) pp. 313. Amsterdam: Elsevier Science.Google Scholar
Maes, M., Calabrese, J., Jayathilake, K. et al (1997) Effects of subchronic treatment with valproate on L-5-HTP-induced cortisol responses in mania: evidence for increased central serotonergic neurotransmission. Psychiatry Research, 71, 6776.Google Scholar
Maj, M., Del Vecchio, M., Staace, F. et al (1984) Prediction of affective psychoses response to lithium prophylaxis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandanavia, 69, 3744.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McElroy, S. L., Soutullo, C. A., Keck, P. E. et al (1997) A pilot trial of adjunctive gabapentin in the treatment of bipolar disorder. Annals of Clinical Psychiatry, 9, 99104.Google Scholar
Messenheimer, J. A. (1995) Lamotrigine. Epilepsia, 36, S87S94.Google Scholar
Nemeroff, C., DeVane, C. & Pollock, B. (1996) Newer antidepressants and the cytochrome P450 system. American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 311320.Google Scholar
Okuma, T. (1993) Effects of carbamazepine and lithium on affective disorders. Neuropsychobiology, 27, 138145.Google Scholar
Onady, A. A. & Calabrese, J. R. (1989) Carbamazepine auto- and hetero-induction complicating clinical care. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 9, 387388.Google Scholar
Post, R. M. (1990) Non-lithium treatment for bipolar disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 51, 916.Google Scholar
Post, R. M., Uhde, T. W., Putnam, F. W. et al (1982) Kindling and carbamazepine in affective illness. Journal of Nervous and Mental Disease, 170, 717731.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Post, R. M., Leverich, G.S., Rosoff, A.S. et al (1990) Carbamazepine prophylaxis in refractory affactive disorders: a focus on long-term follow-up. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 10, 318323.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Post, R. M., Weiss, S. R. B., Chuang, D.-M. (1992) Mechanisms of action of anticonvulsants in affective disorders: comparison with lithium. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 12, 23S35S.Google Scholar
Post, R. M., Ketter, T. A., Denicoff, K. et al (1996) The place of anticonvulsant therapy in bipolar illness. Psychopharmacology, 128, 115129.Google Scholar
Prien, R. F., Himmelhoch, J. M. & Kupfer, D. J. (1988) Treatment of mixed mania. Journal of Affective Disorders, 15, 915.Google Scholar
Reimann, W. (1983) Inhibition by GABA, baclofen and gabapentine of dopamine release from rabbit caudate nucleus: Are there common or different sites of action? European Journal of Pharmacology, 94, 341344.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Ring, H. A., Trimble, M. R., Costa, D. C. et al (1992) Effect of vigabatrin on striatal dopamine receptors: evidence in humans for interactions of GABA and dopamine systems. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 55, 758761.Google Scholar
Ryback, R. & Ryback, L. (1995) Gabapentin for behavioural dyscontrol. American Journal of Psychiatry, 152, 1399.Google Scholar
Ryback, R., Brodsky, L. & Manufasi, F. (1997) Gabapentin in bipolar disorder (letter). Journal of Neuropsychiatry, 9, 301.Google Scholar
Schaff, M., Fawcett, J. & Zajecka, J. (1993) Divalproex sodium in the treatment of refractory affective disorders. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 54, 380384.Google Scholar
Shuaib, A., Mahmood, R. H. & Wishart, T. (1995) Neuroprotective effects of lamotrigine in global ischemia in gerbils: a historical, in vivo micro-dialysis and behavioural study. Brain Research, 702, 199206.Google Scholar
Shukla, S., Godwin, C. D., Long, L. E. B. et al (1984) Lithium–carbamazepine neurotoxicity and risk factors. American Journal of Psychiatry, 141, 16041606.Google Scholar
Small, J. G., Klapper, M. H., Milstein, V. et al (1996) Comparison of therapeutic modalities for mania. Psychopharmacology Bulletin, 32, 623627.Google Scholar
Solomon, D. A., Ryan, C. E., Keitner, G. I. et al (1997) A pilot study of lithium carbonate plus divalproex sodium for the continuation and maintenance treatment of patients with bipolar I disorder. Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58, 9599.Google Scholar
Stanton, S. P., Keck, P. E. & McElroy, S. L. (1997) Treatment of acute mania with gabapentin (letter). American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 287.Google Scholar
Sussman, N. (1997) Gabapentin and lamotrigine: alternative agents for the treatment of bipolar disorder. Primary Psychiatry, August, 2542.Google Scholar
Swann, A. C., Bowden, C. L., Morris, D. et al (1997) Depression during mania. Treatment response to lithium or divalproex. Archives of General Psychiatry, 54, 3742.Google Scholar
Trimble, M. R. (1996) Anticonvulsant-induced psychiatric disorders. The role of forced normalisation. Drug Safety, 15, 159166.Google Scholar
Upton, N. (1994) Mechanisms of action of new antiepileptic drugs: rational design and serendipitous findings. Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, 15, 456463.Google Scholar
Warsh, J. J. & Li, P. P. (1996) Second messenger systems and mood disorders. Current Opinion in Psychiatry, 9, 2329.Google Scholar
Videbech, P. (1997) MRI findings in patients with affective disorder: a meta-analysis. Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 96, 157168.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.