Divalproex sodium in substance abusers with mood disorder

Substance abuse is a common comorbid illness in patients with mood disorders. Little has been written about the pharmacologic treatment of patients with affective lability and co-occurring substance abuse, however. The following report will describe clinical experience using divalproex sodium in substance-abusing patients with mood disorder.

Twenty patients admitted to an intermediate-care inpatient substance abuse program were diagnosed with comorbid mood disorder (according to DSM-IV criteria) and treated with divalproex sodium in an open-label, naturalistic trial with no blind. All patients were followed clinically and were assessed using the Clinical Global Impressions scale (CGI) and laboratory studies.

Seven patients referred while on divalproex treatment continued to exhibit improved mood. Eleven others had at least 1 week of follow-up, and 10 of these also showed improvement. In 13 cases, divalproex was used safely with other psychiatric medications. Two patients complained of slight tremor, 1 of whom was also taking fluoxetine. Fifteen of 17 patients in whom biochemistry and hematology laboratory studies were completed had unremarkable results; 2 other patients had pretreatment abnormalities, which worsened over the course of treatment. Mean plasma valproate level was 58.53 microg/mL. Mean length of follow-up was 38 days. Mean period of abstinence prior to starting medication was 48 days. Some patients reported decreased cravings, and, by self-report, all patients remained abstinent.

This report suggests that divalproex sodium is efficacious and safe, both alone and in combination with other psychiatric medications, in treating substance-abusing patients with mood disorder.