Mental health articles

mood stabilizers list While the antipsychotics are eff ective in the management of manic psychosis
and agitation, because of the risk of tardive dyskinesia there was a need to
fi nd other, safer medications. Long known to have calming eff ects, lithium
was found to have a salutary eff ect on manic patients and became commonly
used in the 1970s. Lithium, though, also has problems. Th ere is a narrow
range between the therapeutic dose and dangerous or lethal doses. Blood levels
therefore need to be monitored. Its level in the body may be aff ected by other medicines, food, or metabolic status. Th ere are numerous troubling side
eff ects, including possible kidney problems.
More recently, several medications originally used to treat seizures, including
Depakote, Tegetol, and Neurontin, have become common in treatment
of bipolar disorder. Th ese medicines also have general sedative eff ects, and
some have been used in other situations such as severe borderline disorder.
While free of some of the problems of lithium and the antipsychotics, they
pose diff erent diffi culties, such as possible endocrine and reproductive eff ects,
liver toxicity, and lowered blood counts. Another seizure medicine, Lamictal,
is the fi rst medication approved by the FDA for bipolar depression. It is associated
with dangerous skin complications, so must be dosed and monitored
carefully.

Tags: mood