Breakthroughs in Bipolar Treatment

"We should continue to repurpose treatments and to recognise the role of serendipity" (Geddes & Miklowitz, 2013).That quote was from a recent review article in The Lancet, which did not hint at any impending pharmacological breakthroughs in the treatment of bipolar disorder. In other words, the future of bipolar treatment doesn't look much different from the present (at least in the immediate term). Bipolar disorder, an illness defined by the existence of manic or hypomanic highs, alternating with depressive lows, can be especially difficult to treat. And the mood episode known as a mixed state, where irritability, expansive mood, anxiety, and/or agitation occur simultaneously with depressive symptoms, is an under-recognized, moving-target diagnosis (Koukopoulos et al., 2013). Mood stabilizers such as lithium and divalproex have long been the first line pharmacological choices. But these don't always work, and polypharmacy seems to be the rule, rather than the exception.The spinning molecule above is haloperidol, a first generation antipsychotic drug developed in 1958 and approved by the FDA in 1967 as a treatment for schizophrenia. It's a dopamine blocker known for producing untoward extrapyramidal side effects, or movement disorders such as tremors and tardive dyskinesia. Nonetheless, haloperidol (Haldol®) is still the most effective drug for the acute treatment of mania, and fairly well tolerated (see HAL in the figure below). The second generation (atypical) antipsy...
Source: The Neurocritic - Category: Psychiatrists and Psychologists Authors: Source Type: blogs