A comparison of patient-rated burden and incidence of side-effects: lithium versus valproate

The purpose of the study was to determine if patients receiving valproate perceived a lesser burden than patients receiving lithium, and to determine the incidence of side-effects. Psychiatric inpatients with an affective component to their illness, receiving either lithium or valproate, were asked to complete several questionnaires, one of which was a newly developed visual-analogue scale to assess patient-rated level of burden. The scores were analyzed by Student's t-test, and were also used to determine if any correlations existed. Twenty-nine patients were analyzed, and the patient-rated level of burden was found to be 1.4± 1.3 for lithium and 1.2± 1.6 for valproate; (P=0.1, not significant). The mean numbers of side-effects reported were 12.3 ± 6.7 for lithium and 18.7 ± 13.4 for valproate; (P=0.1). No correlation relationships were detected. We concluded that there was no difference in level of burden, and that burden scores could not be correlated with any variables. Similar studies should be conducted to assess patient preferences, with the hopes of increasing compliance and minimizing rehospitalizations.