Long-term risperidone treatment in bipolar disorder: 6-month follow up
Abstract
Antipsychotic agents, such as clozapine and risperidone, have been reported to be beneficial in the treatment of some bipolar patients. Many bipolar patients experience 'breakthrough episodes' of mood disorder, with mania or depression recurring despite adequate ongoing levels of one or more mood-stabilizing medications. There are no controlled studies of breakthrough episodes, and there is little open experience to guide clinicians in pharmacotherapy of breakthrough episodes. This report describes the outcome of adjunctive risperidone treatment in breakthrough episodes of bipolar disorder. We assessed the outcome of openly adding risperidone to the medication regimen of 12 outpatients with bipolar disorder, type I, who suffered breakthrough episodes despite adequate maintenance medication (lithium, valproate, or carbamazepine, or a combination of these). Prospective ratings were made at each clinical visit using the Clinical Global Impressions and Global Assessment of Functioning scales. Patients received risperidone for a mean of 6.0 months (23.96 weeks, range 0.5-72 weeks) at a mean dose of 2.75 mg/day (range 1-4.5 mg/day). Four patients discontinued medication (two because of lack of efficacy at weeks 6 and 64, and two beca...Continue Reading
Citations
Pharmacotherapy of bipolar disorder: the role of atypical antipsychotics and experimental strategies
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