Adjunctive tiagabine treatment of psychiatric disorders: three cases

Anticonvulsants which effectively treat complex partial seizures are noted to have mood stabilizing effects (carbamazepine, valproate, lamotrigine, gabapentin). Tiagabine, a novel GABA uptake inhibitor anticonvulsant with similar indications, was used as adjunctive therapy to control psychiatric symptoms in three patients--two with bipolar disorder and one with schizoaffective disorder, bipolar type. All three patients improved during adjunctive low dosage tiagabine treatment and no untoward side effects were noted. Clinicians are advised to consider this new anticonvulsant as a potential adjunctive agent in the treatment of bipolar and schizoaffective disorders. Controlled trials are indicated.