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Oxcarbazepine treatment of refractory bipolar disorder: a retrospective chart review
S Nassir Ghaemi1, James Y Ko, Jacob J Katzow
1Bipolar Disorder Research Program, Cambridge Hospital, Cambridge, MA 02139, USA. ghaemi@hms.harvard.edu
Objective:
To determine if oxcarbazepine is effective as treatment for refractory bipolar illness in a naturalistic setting.
Methods:
All charts of out-patients treated with oxcarbazepine (n=13) were reviewed and clinical response assessed retrospectively using the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement (CGI-I) rating scale. All patients had failed treatment with at least one previous mood stabilizer.
Results:
Mild improvement was seen in 46% (n=6) and moderate improvement in 16% (n=2). Fifty-four percent (n=7) of the total sample discontinued treatment because of adverse effects.
Conclusion:
Oxcarbazepine may possess mild to moderate mood-stabilizing properties in this refractory, mostly depressed, bipolar sample. This naturalistic study is limited by its uncontrolled nature.
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