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Updated: Jun 4, 2026

Developing a Rat Model for Bipolar Disorder
Published on: May 2, 2025
Bipolar medication use and adherence to antiretroviral therapy among patients with HIV-AIDS and bipolar disorder
James T Walkup1, Ayse Akincigil, Sujoy Chakravarty
1Institute for Health, Health Care Policy, and Aging Research, Rutgers University, 30 College Ave., New Brunswick, NJ 08901, USA. jaywalks@aol.com
Objective:
The study examined relationships between adherence to bipolar medication and to antiretroviral therapy, measured by medication fills, among patients with diagnoses of bipolar disorder and HIV infection.
Methods:
A retrospective study was conducted of Medicaid claims data (2001-2004) from eight states, focusing on antiretroviral adherence. The unit of analysis was person-month (N=53,971). The average observation period for the 1,687 patients was 32 months. Analyses controlled for several patient characteristics.
Results:
Patients possessed antiretroviral drugs in 72% of the person-months. When a bipolar medication prescription was filled in the prior month, the rate of antiretroviral possession in the subsequent month was 78%, compared with 65% when bipolar medication was not filled in the prior month (p<.001). Odds of antiretroviral possession were 66% higher in months when patients had a prior-month supply of bipolar medication.
Conclusions:
Bipolar medication adherence may improve antiretroviral adherence among patients with bipolar disorder and HIV infection.
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