Lamotrigine not to weight gain in patients ...

May 5, 2004 - The results of the analysis show that the presented today, long-term treatment with Lamictal (R) (lamotrigine) was not associated with significant changes in weight when used in patients with bipolar disorder compared to placebo. The results were presented at the 157th Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association (APA) in New York NY.

Data reported on the long-term effects of mood stabilizers on body weight. Weight gain is a problem for psychiatrists and patients in long-term treatment of bipolar disorder. It has been reported that side effects such as weight gain drug may have a negative impact on compliance. In fact, the membership is considered an essential part of long-term treatment of bipolar disorder.

Researchers evaluated data from retrospective weight of patients with bipolar I disorder in two studies of 18-month maintenance Lamictal, lithium, and placebo. The analysis showed that patients who received placebo and Lamotrigine, a small proportion of patients based clinically significant changes in weight and adverse events on the weight. In addition, no statistically significant difference was observed in weight between placebo and Lamictal during the study. For patients, the lithium, the study found that body weight increased with time and after a year of treatment, the patients had a moderate weight gain, but there was no statistically significant difference compared to placebo.

"This study shows that the weight gain is not part of the treatment of people with bipolar I disorder," said Gary Sachs, MD, associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Chief of the Bipolar Disorder Clinic and Research Massachusetts General Hospital. "This is good news concerned about weight gain on treatment of type I bipolar disorder for patients."

Lamictal has been approved by the Food and Drug Administration United States in June 2003 for the maintenance treatment of type I delay the time to occurrence of mood episodes (depression, mania, hypomania, mixed episodes) in patients for acute mood episodes with the treated standard therapy of bipolar disorder. The effectiveness of Lamictal in the acute treatment of mood episodes has not been established.

CONTEXT on bipolar disorder

Bipolar I disorder is characterized by the occurrence of one or more manic or mixed episodes and often people have one or more major depressive episodes; in bipolar II disorder, a person experiences one or more episodes of major depression and hypomania (a milder form of mania with less severe symptoms). If manic and depressive symptoms overlap for a period of time, an episode as "mixed". Typically is the predominant structure of the bipolar manic-depression.

Bipolar disorder is a chronic illness; Treatment well tolerated and effective maintenance is important for the management of the disease. Bipolar disorder is often misdiagnosed, often with depressive disorders. Inadequate treatment due to misdiagnosis, adverse effects on patients who may accelerate the natural course of the disease. If left untreated, may worsen the bipolar disorder and patients may often experience events.