To print: Select File and then Print from your browser's menu

Title: Lamotrigine is Effective, Well Tolerated Maintenance Treatment for Bipolar Disorder

URL: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=R
Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12957721

Eur Neuropsychopharmacol 2003;13:Suppl 2:57-66. "Latest maintenance data on lamotrigine in bipolar disorder"
09/18/2003 01:52:00 PM
By Deanna M Green, PhD

Lamotrigine, an anticonvulsant, is a well tolerated treatment that prevents both manic and depressive mood episodes, and may be complementary to lithium in the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder. Optimal benefits can be achieved in the management of bipolar disorder with early and long-term treatment. One standard treatment is the use of lithium therapy to control mood episodes. However, recent studies have also implicated a role for lamotrigine in the treatment of hypobipolar depression and in a refractory variant of bipolar disorder accompanied by rapid cycling. Joseph R Calabrese at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, Ohio, United States, and colleagues evaluated the use of lamotrigine in the maintenance treatment of bipolar I disorder. The prospective study included 1315 patients (average age 43) with bipolar I disorder who were randomised to receive lamotrigine monotherapy (50 to 00 mg/day), lithium (serum levels 0.8 to 1.1 mmol/L), or placebo for 18 months. Efficacy was assessed by time to additional intervention for any mood episode. Overall, both lamotrigine and lithium significantly increased the time to intervention for any mood episode over that observed for placebo. Specifically, the average time to additional intervention was 28 weeks for lamotrigine, 26 weeks for lithium and 12 weeks for placebo. Further analysis revealed that only lamotrigine effectively prevented the need for intervention of a depressive mood. In addition, both lamotrigine and lithium were effective against manic episodes, though lithium was significantly more effective than lamotrigine. The adverse-event profile for lamotrigine was similar to that of placebo, while patients receiving lithium reported higher rates of diarrhoea and tremor than those receiving lamotrigine. Furthermore, more lithium-treated patients discontinued due to adverse events. The authors conclude that "lamotrigine is an effective and well-tolerated maintenance treatment for bipolar I disorder," and that lamotrigine and lithium have "potentially complementary mood stabilising properties."

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=R
Retrieve&db=PubMed&dopt=Abstract&list_uids=12957721

Copyright © 2009 P\S\L Consulting Group Inc. All rights reserved. Republication or redistribution of P\S\L content is expressly prohibited without the prior written consent of P\S\L. P\S\L shall not be liable for any errors, omissions or delays in this content or any other content on its sites, newsletters or other publications, nor for any decisions or actions taken in reliance on such content.