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Comparison of carbamazepine and lithium in the prophylaxis of bipolar disorders. A meta-analysis
1Clinique des maladies mentales et de l'encéphale, Hôpital Sainte Anne, Paris, France.
Background:
This meta-analysis assessed the equipotency of carbamazepine and lithium prophylaxis in bipolar disorder.
Method:
We selected only randomised, double-blind, controlled studies comparing carbamazepine with lithium from a manual and computerised search, and subjected them to a quality inventory. Their statistical results were weighted by their quality score and combined.
Results:
Four studies met our criteria, yielding, overall, P = 0.15. This result is not straightforward because the studies showed significant heterogeneity (P < 0.01).
Conclusion:
Differences in statistical power and sensitivity of outcome measure explain this heterogeneity and the conflicting results of the studies. Therefore, the prophylactic efficacy of carbamazepine remains questionable.