Therapeutic and prophylactic effects of carbamazepine in bipolar disorders

It has been demonstrated in open trials as well as double-blind controlled trials that carbamazepine has therapeutic as well as prophylactic efficacy on bipolar disorders. Antimanic effect will be achieved with 400 to 1200 mg/day at blood levels of 6 to 12 micrograms/ml. Antidepressant effect is less certain. Prophylactic effect may be achieved with 200 to 600 mg at blood level of around 6 micrograms/ml. Incidence of adverse reaction is relatively low. Its usefulness as antimanic and prophylactic treatments for affective illness may rank with lithium treatment, and it is recommended particularly in cases which do not respond to lithium treatment.