Sections
Gabapentin | Pregabalin | Conclusion | References
Excerpt
Anticonvulsants have long been used in the treatment of certain
psychiatric conditions. As exemplified by the U.S. Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) indications for divalproex sodium, carbamazepine,
and lamotrigine in the acute and maintenance phases of bipolar disorder (Yatham et al. 2002), anticonvulsants are widely viewed as valid
alternatives to, and in some cases preferred over, the conventional
first-line psychopharmacotherapy choices of lithium and antipsychotics.
Early observations of enhanced general well-being in epileptic patients treated
with anticonvulsants, as well as various early hypotheses of kindling
and sensitization proposed as models of affective illness progression
(Weiss and Post 1998), have promoted controlled investigations
of anticonvulsant drugs as potential mood-stabilizing agents.