An Open-Label Prophylaxis Study of Lithium Plus Extended-Release Carbamazepine (ERC-CBZ) Combination for Rapid Cycling Bipolar Disorder

by Sriram Ramaswamy, MD; David Driscoll, PhD; and Lynette M. Smith, PhD Dr. Ramaswamy is with the Department of Psychiatry, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska, and the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Driscoll is with the VA Nebraska-Western Iowa Health Care System, Omaha, Nebraska. Dr. Smith is with the College of Public Health, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, Nebraska. Funding/financial disclosures: This work was supported by an investigator-initiated grant from Shire Pharmaceuticals. Keywords: carbamazepine, lithium, rapid cycling, bipolar disorder Innov Clin Neurosci. 2017;14(9–10):3 Dear Editor: Rapid cycling bipolar disorder involves the occurrence of four or more episodes of mania and/or major depression within a year and is characterized by a treatment-refractory course with high morbidity. As rapid cycling patients often do not respond well to lithium monotherapy, mood stabilizer combinations have been recommended for long-term treatment.1 Positive findings have been reported in rapid cycling patients treated with lithium combined with mood stabilizers such as carbamazepine as compared to monotherapy.2,3 Extended-release carbamazepine (ERC-CBZ) has important advantages over immediate-release carbamazepine, including reduced fluctuations in serum carbamazepine levels and a decrease in CNS side effects.4 Our objective was to evaluate the safety and efficacy of lithium plus ERC-CBZ for prophylaxis i...
Source: Innovations in Clinical Neuroscience - Category: Neuroscience Authors: Tags: Current Issue Letters to the Editor bipolar disorder carbamazepine Lithium rapid cycling Source Type: research