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The increasing use of anticonvulsants in prophylactic treatment of bipolar disorder
Author(s) -
YANG YONGYI,
DENG HWEICHUANG,
WANG BIHWA
Publication year - 1998
Publication title -
psychiatry and clinical neurosciences
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.609
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1440-1819
pISSN - 1323-1316
DOI - 10.1046/j.1440-1819.1998.00405.x
Subject(s) - carbamazepine , bipolar disorder , lithium (medication) , medicine , prophylactic treatment , anticonvulsant , medical record , pediatrics , treatment of bipolar disorder , psychiatry , epilepsy , mania
The medical records of patients with bipolar disorders who received prophylactic drug treatments during three time periods from January 1983 to December 1984, January 1988 to December 1989, and from January 1993 to December 1994, were reviewed retrospectively. The percentage of lithium monotherapy sharply decreased from 96% (51/53) in the first study period to 51.9% (83/160) in the third study period. Carbamazepine monotherapy and combination of lithium and carbamazepine increased from 3.8% in the first study period to 45.6% in the third study period. These results suggest that anticonvulsants may become one of the major drug treatment strategies for bipolar disorder in the future.