Review article
Antiepileptics as Mood Stabilizers
Alma Mihaljević-Peleš
Marina Šagud
Miro Jakovljević
Abstract
The field of bipolar affective disorders
research now faces immense methodological challenges,
some of which have only recently become obvious. It has
become more clear that bipolar affective disorder should be
viewed longitudinally rather than in terms of individual
episodes. As result of these methodological challenges, there
have been far a few mood stabilisers approved for use in bipolar
disorder. Lithium was the gold standard of treatment for
bipolar disorder, but a number of studies over the past several
decades has shown that many drugs with antiepileptic
properties are effective in the treatment of some patients with
bipolar affective disorder, especially for those whose disorder
inadequately responds to lithium, and those who are intolerant
of treatment with lithium. These antiepileptic agents
include two generations of drugs: carbamazepine and valproate
as first generation, and lamotrigine, gabapentine and
topiramate as second generation of mood-stabilising
antiepileptic agents. In this article, we review the pharmacological
properties and their efficacy in the treatment of bipolar
disorder. We also summarise issues such as predictors of
response, use of these agents in combination with other
antiepileptics and psychotropics.
Keywords
antiepileptics; bipolar affective disorder
Hrčak ID:
19967
URI
Publication date:
25.9.2002.
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