What Are The Most Effective Bipolar Drugs Other Than Lithium?
7th March 2010 by Depressed No CommentsBipolar disorder is an illness that has an impact on the lives of hundreds of thousands of people in this country. Fortunately, medications are available that can help most of them live normal lives. The most popular medication prescribed for bipolar disorder is lithium. But there are two others as well that most people should be aware of - valproate and carbamazepine.
Valproate
Currently, in this country, the 2nd most popular drug prescribed for bipolar 1 disorder is valproate. Lithium, while effective, does have many potential side effects. And the growing success of valproate seems to be mainly a response to the concern of lithium’s side effects. Even with doctors that prefer lithium as a first choice, valproate is almost always the strong second choice. In addition, while it has a good track record, lithium is not always 100% effective for treating bipolar disorder. In these cases, valproate is often considered a good alternative treatment.
Even though both drugs, lithium and valproate, seem to be very effective in the treating of bipolar disorder, there have been no head to head clinical trials between the two so a definitive conclusion cannot be reached. However, because valproate is less stressful to the human body, this may be a natural drug preference for some.
A second concern with using valproate is that while it has been proven to be effective against bipolar mania, it has been less effective against bipolar depression.
Carbamazepine
In Europe, carbamazepine, introduced in the early 1960s, is the second most popular drug used for treating bipolar disorder. Although, studies have proven it to be effective for bipolar disorder, it has not been approved worldwide.
And as with the drug valproate, carbamazepine while effective for treating bipolar mania, has also been less effective at treating bipolar depression.
Lithium, valproate and carbamazepine are the three most popular drugs used today to fight common symptoms of manic depression. But, there are many others in the marketplace as well. Some may be less effective, but they also will probably cause less side effects for the patient. Finding the right one for yourself will usually involve your doctor experimenting with different drugs until he finds the right one.
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