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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Author(s) -
Phicians Posraduate
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
infant mental health journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.693
H-Index - 75
eISSN - 1097-0355
pISSN - 0163-9641
DOI - 10.1002/imhj.21492
Subject(s) - citation , mental health , association (psychology) , associate editor , library science , psychology , computer science , psychiatry , psychotherapist
Sir: Over the past several years, the number of new anticonvulsants has increased considerably. As the number of new agents increases, so too does the reporting of off-label uses in psychiatric disorders. Interestingly enough, of all the anticonvulsants available in the United States, only valproate is U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved for use in acute mania. There are about 15 controlled studies demonstrating clinical utility of carbamazepine in the treatment of acute mania; however, it is not FDA approved for that use. 1 The following discussion will look at the off-label uses of the newer anticonvulsants in psychiatric disorders. Felbamate, introduced in the United States in 1993, was approved for treatment in Lennox-Gastaut syndrome and refractory partial-onset seizures. 2 In a recent MEDLINE search, there were no articles found describing the use of felbamate in psychiatric disorders. This is probably due to the possibility of aplastic anemia and hepatotoxicity associated with its use. 2 Also limiting felbamate’s use may be that neuropsychiatric side effects have been associated with felbamate. 3