Hostname: page-component-7c8c6479df-nwzlb Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-03-26T14:25:32.168Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Lamotrigine in bipolar affective disorder

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Denise Duncan*
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital Denmark Hill London SE5 8AZ
Harry W. McConnell
Affiliation:
Neurology Research Fellow, Institute of Psychiatry, London
David Taylor
Affiliation:
Maudsley Hospital, London
*
Correspondence
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.
Aims and method

The study aimed to assess the available data on the use of lamotrigine as a mood stabilising agent. We reviewed all published and unpublished data available to us through a Medline search from 1987–1998 and from our own files, which include reference materials presented at conferences as well as published reports.

Results

Most of the data found were derived from case reports or open trials. We could find no published double-blind, placebo-controlled studies. The data from initial open trials suggest that lamotrigine may be effective in bipolar disorder, but futher data are required before specific treatment recommendations can be made.

Clinical implications

At this early stage, there are too few data to recommend lamotrigine for first or second line therapy in bipolar disorder. However, initial reports are very promising and this agent may eventually be unequivocally shown to be useful in treating mania, hypomania, depression, rapid cycling and mixed affective states in people with bipolar disorder.

Type
Drug Information Quarterly
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © 1998 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

References

Calabrese, J. R., Fatemi, S. H. & Woyshville, M. J. (1996) Antidepressant effects of lamotrigine in rapid cycling bipolar disorder (letter). American Journal of Psychiatry, 153, 1236.Google Scholar
Endicott, J., Spitzer, R. L., Fleiss, J. L., et al (1976) The Global Assessment Scale: a procedure for measuring overall severity of psychiatric disturbance. Archives of General Psychiatry, 33, 766771.Google Scholar
Fatemi, S. H., Rapport, D. J., Calabrese, J. R., et al (1997) Lamotrigine in rapid-cycling bipolar disorder, Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58, 522527.Google Scholar
Fogelson, D. L. & Sternbach, H. (1997) Lamotrigine treatment of refractory bipolar disorder (letter). Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, 58, 271273.Google Scholar
Guy, W. (ed.) (1976) ECDEU Assessment manual for psychopharmacology: Publication ADM 76–338, pp. 217222. Rockville, MD: US Department of Health. Education and Welfare.Google Scholar
Hamilton, M. (1960) A rating scale for depression. Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry, 23, 5662.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Hennessey, M. J. & Wiles, C. M. (1996) Lamotrigine encephalopathy (letter). Lancet, 347, 974975.Google Scholar
Kusumakar, V. & Yatham, L. N. (1997a) Lamotrigine treatment of rapid cycling bipolar disorder (letter). American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 11711172.Google Scholar
Kusumakar, V. & Yatham, L. N. (1997b) An open study of lamotrigine in refractory bipolar depression. Psychiatry Research, 72, 145148.Google Scholar
Labbate, L. A. & Rubey, R. N. (1997) Lamotrigine for treatment-refractory bipolar disorder (letter). American Journal of Psychiatry, 154, 1317.Google Scholar
McKee, P. J. W. & Brodie, M. J. (1996) Lamotrigine. In The Treatment of Epilepsy (eds Shorvon, S., Dreifuss, F. & Fish, D.), pp 438443. Oxford: Blackwell Science.Google Scholar
Sporn, J. & Sachs, G. (1997) The anticonvulsant lamotrigine in treatment-resistant manic-depressive illness. Journal of Clinical Psychopharmacology, 17, 185189.Google Scholar
Walden, J., Hesslinger, B. & van Calker, D. (1996) Addition of lamotrigine to valproate may enhance efficacy in the treatment of bipolar affective disorder. Pharmacopsychiatry, 29, 193195.Google Scholar
Submit a response

eLetters

No eLetters have been published for this article.