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Oxcarbazepine treatment of refractory bipolar disorder: a retrospective chart review
Author(s) -
Nassir Ghaemi S,
Ko James Y,
Katzow Jacob J
Publication year - 2002
Publication title -
bipolar disorders
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 2.285
H-Index - 129
eISSN - 1399-5618
pISSN - 1398-5647
DOI - 10.1034/j.1399-5618.2002.40104.x
Subject(s) - oxcarbazepine , refractory (planetary science) , bipolar disorder , clinical global impression , mood , adverse effect , medicine , mood stabilizer , rating scale , psychology , psychiatry , epilepsy , carbamazepine , physics , alternative medicine , pathology , astrobiology , placebo , developmental psychology
Objective:To determine if oxcarbazepine is effective as treatment for refractory bipolar illness in a naturalistic setting.
Methods: All charts of out‐patients treated with oxcarbazepine (n=13) were reviewed and clinical response assessed retrospectively using the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI‐I) rating scale. All patients had failed treatment with at least one previous mood stabilizer.
Results: Mild improvement was seen in 46% (n=6) and moderate improvement in 16% (n=2). Fifty‐four percent (n=7) of the total sample discontinued treatment because of adverse effects.
Conclusion: Oxcarbazepine may possess mild to moderate mood‐stabilizing properties in this refractory, mostly depressed, bipolar sample. This naturalistic study is limited by its uncontrolled nature.