PMID- 9169963
OWN - NLM
STAT- MEDLINE
DCOM- 19970812
LR  - 20190909
IS  - 0271-0749 (Print)
IS  - 0271-0749 (Linking)
VI  - 17
IP  - 3
DP  - 1997 Jun
TI  - The anticonvulsant lamotrigine in treatment-resistant manic-depressive illness.
PG  - 185-9
AB  - Anticonvulsants are used extensively in the treatment of bipolar disorder. 
      Treating depression in bipolar disorder can be difficult because of the limited 
      antidepressant effects of the standard mood stabilizers and the tendency of 
      antidepressants to induce mania or decrease cycle length. Lamotrigine is a new 
      anticonvulsant with few side effects that may have mood-stabilizing and elevating 
      effects. Its mechanism of action probably involves the inhibition of excessive 
      release of excitatory amino acids such as glutamate. Antiglutamatergic agents may 
      be antidepressant and mood stabilizing. A case series of 16 patients treated with 
      lamotrigine (dose range 50 mg to 250 mg, mean dose of responders = 141 mg) is 
      presented along with two case reports. All patients were considered 
      treatment-resistant bipolar type I or II. Patients were rated on average 5 weeks 
      after starting lamotrigine using a semistructured follow-up form that included 
      symptom rating, Clinical Global Impressions (CGI), and Global Assessment of 
      Functioning (GAF) scores. Eight of 16 patients were rated as "responders" (CGI < 
      or = 2) and had a mean increase of 16 in their GAF scores. Lamotrigine seems to 
      have antidepressant and mood-stabilizing effects, but this requires confirmation 
      in randomized, controlled trials.
FAU - Sporn, J
AU  - Sporn J
AD  - Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, USA. 
      spornj@A1.mgh.harvard.edu
FAU - Sachs, G
AU  - Sachs G
LA  - eng
PT  - Case Reports
PT  - Clinical Trial
PT  - Comparative Study
PT  - Journal Article
PL  - United States
TA  - J Clin Psychopharmacol
JT  - Journal of clinical psychopharmacology
JID - 8109496
RN  - 0 (Anticonvulsants)
RN  - 0 (Triazines)
RN  - U3H27498KS (Lamotrigine)
SB  - IM
MH  - Adult
MH  - Anticonvulsants/adverse effects/*therapeutic use
MH  - Anxiety/chemically induced
MH  - Bipolar Disorder/*drug therapy
MH  - Drug Resistance
MH  - Female
MH  - Humans
MH  - Lamotrigine
MH  - Male
MH  - Middle Aged
MH  - Triazines/adverse effects/*therapeutic use
EDAT- 1997/06/01 00:00
MHDA- 1997/06/01 00:01
CRDT- 1997/06/01 00:00
PHST- 1997/06/01 00:00 [pubmed]
PHST- 1997/06/01 00:01 [medline]
PHST- 1997/06/01 00:00 [entrez]
AID - 10.1097/00004714-199706000-00008 [doi]
PST - ppublish
SO  - J Clin Psychopharmacol. 1997 Jun;17(3):185-9. doi: 
      10.1097/00004714-199706000-00008.