INTRODUCTION Bipolar disorder, with mood swings between depression and mania, may affect up to 1.5% of adults, and increases the risk of suicide and disability. Most people improve over time, but two thirds may have residual dysfunction, and at least 40% may have recurrent episodes. METHODS AND OUTCOMES We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: Wha...

This case indicates that synergism may occur between lithium and spironolactone, which might be clinically useful in patients resistant to lithium or in whom low dose lithium is advisable. Moreover, this case also indicates that spironolactone alone may maintain a manic patient in remission. Further research is needed to assess the mode of action of spironolactone alone or in combination with l...

---------------------------------------------------RECENT MAJOR CHANGES-------------------------------------------------­ Indications and Usage, Schizophrenia/Adolescents (1.1) 08/2007 Indications and Usage, Bipolar Mania/Pediatrics (1.2) 08/2007 Dosage and Administration, Schizophrenia/Adolescents (2.1) 08/2007 Dosage and Administration, Bipolar Mania/Pediatrics (2.2) 08/2007 -----------------...

Results and conclusions For treatment of acute mania lithium, valproate and carbamazepine are more effective than placebo but they have no superiority over antipsychotics. There is evidence from RCTs that second generation antipsychotics (SGA) are more effective than placebo. Haloperidol may be more effective than SGA in treatment of acute mania. Combination of antipsychotic and mood stabiliser...

INTRODUCTION The development of treatment guidelines emerged as an important element so as to standardize treatment and to provide clinicians with algorithms, which would be able to carry research findings to the everyday clinical practice. MATERIAL AND METHOD The MEDLINE was searched with the combination of each one of the key words 'mania', 'manic', 'bipolar', 'manic-depression', 'manic-dep...

OBJECTIVE To assess open-label adjunctive topiramate in the treatment of outpatients with unstable bipolar disorder (BD). METHOD Outpatients with DSM-IV-defined BD (I or II) exhibiting mood instability were enrolled in this 16-week, open-label, multicentre study. Topiramate was added to existing mood stabilizers and other psychotropic treatments. The primary effectiveness measure was the Clin...

Lithium, an effective treatment for mania and the prevention of recurrent episodes of both mania and depression in patients with manic depressive illness, exerts multiple biochemical effects. However, any clinically relevant site of action of lithium must occur at therapeutic concentrations attained in the brain of patients and must account for the lag period accompanying onset of action as wel...

OBJECTIVE To determine the predictive validity of some of the commonly employed models of mania and depression using standard drugs i.e. lithium (70 mg/kg) and lamotrigine (5 mg/kg) in male Wistar rats. METHODS The depression facet of bipolar disorder was evaluated using forced swim test, tail suspension test, and chronic mild stress test. The models used to evaluate the mania facet of bipola...

BACKGROUND The weight-gain caused by many psychotropic drugs is a major cause for poor compliance with such medications and could also increase cardio-vascular morbidity among psychiatric patients. Recent reports have shown that the anticonvulsant topiramate causes weight loss in various patient groups. The drug has also shown effectiveness in open trials as a mood stabilizer in patients with a...