Oxcarbazepine in the treatment of bipolar disorder: a review
Wetid Pratoomsri1, Lakshmi N Yatham, David J Bond
1Mood Disorders Centre of Excellence, University of British Columbia, Vancouver.
Objective:
To review the data on the efficacy of oxcarbazepine (OXC) in bipolar disorder (BD) and to provide recommendations for clinicians on the use of this medication in treating BD.
Method:
Using the terms oxcarbazepine and bipolar disorder, oxcarbazepine and mania, or oxcarbazepine and bipolar depression, we conducted a computer-aided search of MEDLINE for the years 1950 to 2005.
Results:
Case reports, retrospective chart reviews, open prospective studies, and double-blind studies reported the efficacy and effectiveness of OXC in treating BD. The data indicate that OXC has efficacy in treating acute mania and may be a useful add-on in treating acute bipolar depression and in BD prophylaxis. OXC is generally well-tolerated.
Conclusion:
We recommend using OXC as monotherapy or as add-on therapy in refractory mania, but we recommend it be used predominantly as an add-on treatment for other phases of BD in patients who have not improved with well-established treatments or in patients who have difficulty tolerating adequate dosages.
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