Mangy recent reports on new mood stabilizers are reviewed.
Lithium is still the drug of choice and the most common treatment for bipolar patients, but some of its limitations have become more apparent. Alternatives to lithium are recommended for psychotic. Rapid cycling. Severely manic. Lithium
refractory.
Mixed state, early onset, no family history and organic brain damaged bipolar patients. Carbamazepine and valproic acid. Both alone and in combination with lithium, have been used increasingly over recent years. Combination treatment have clear
advantage over treatment with a single drug in the initial treatment of acute mania. The efficacy of the both drugs are comparable to lithium, but clinical features predicting responsiveness may be different for these drugs. Clonazepam and
lorazepam are
less effective than carbamazepine and valproic acid.and are also less used as a prophylactic drug because of their tolerance. Verapamil, clonidine, propranolol and tryptophan are also popular, but their effectiveness has not yet been adequately
confirmed.
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