Topiramate (TPM) is one of the novel antiepileptic drugs and exhibits a wide range of mechanisms of action. Efficacy of TPM has been demonstrated in partial-onset seizures and primary generalized seizures in adults and children, as both monotherapy and adjunctive therapy. More recently, TPM has been proposed as an add-on treatment for patients with lithium-resistant bipolar disorder, especially...

Accumulating evidence suggests that at least some novel anticonvulsants may have mood-stabilizing properties. This paper reviews the literature for empirical studies of this topic. Lamotrigine has the most evidence in favor of its efficacy, with two double-blind studies in which it was more efficacious than placebo in the treatment of bipolar depression. However, it is associated with a 1/1000 ...

Background: Although a number of studies have assessed the management of mania in routine clinical practice, no studies have so far evaluated the shortand long-term management and outcome of patients affected by bipolar mania in different European countries. The objective of the study is to present, in the context of a large multicenter survey (EMBLEM study), an overview of the baseline data on...

Only ash remains after fire is gone. Metaphorically mania is the fire and depression its ash (Koukopoulos & Ghaemi 2009). What is the reason, when there is just fire without ash? Unipolar mania has been described in the literature. Different terms have been used like recurrent mania, chronic mania and persistent mania. But these are scarce diagnoses in psychiatric routine. This topic has got li...

Objectives. Many patients with bipolar disorder suffer from metabolic disorder. Lovastatin is effective for treating major depression. This double-blind randomized placebo controlled clinical trial investigates whether lovastatin is a useful adjuvant to lithium for treating mania. Methods. Fifty-four patients with bipolar disorder-manic phase were randomly allocated into lovastatin or placebo g...

Introduction Prophylactic treatment during bipolar disorder aims to prevent recurrences and improve the functional level. Objectives Our aim was compare clinical effectiveness of lithium versus sodium valproate in prophylactic type 1 Methods Retrospective, longitudinal, comparative study conducted among 162 patients followed for hospitalized at Psychiatry A department Razi Hospital. The Alda sc...

The use of lithium carbonate for the treatment of bipolar disorder in older adults is decreasing at a significant rate. This change in prescription pattern is occurring at a time when all evidence-based treatment guidelines and systematic reviews still recommend lithium as a first-line treatment for bipolar disorder. Despite having the strongest evidence base for effectiveness, lithium does pos...

Case Report Mrs O, aged 42 years, presented with a third episode of bipolar illness (diagnosed according to DSM-IV criteria for mania) of 45 days duration; it was abrupt in onset, with the precipitating factor being malarial fever that was treated with tablet chloroquine for 4 days. Her history revealed that the first episode of mania occurred 4 years earlier and that she was treated with carba...

LITHIuM, the lightest metal, has an atomic weight of seven and closely resembles sodium chemically. The ion is toxic and there are no therapeutic uses for lithium salts. Good (1903) quoted investigations of nearly twenty years previously in animals, where intravenous lithium salts depressed the heart's action and caused a fall in blood pressure. The dose of lithium salts necessary to stop the h...