ADJUNCTIVE TREATMENT WITH GABAPENTIN IN BIPOLAR PATIENTS DURING ACUTE MANIA

Objective: In this clinical trial, we studied the effects of adjunctive treatment with gabapentin in controlling the symptoms of acute mania in patients admitted with bipolar disorder. Method: Sixty patients with bipolar disorder (30 men and 30 women) admitted in the acute phase of mania were categorized as case and control groups, each holding 30 patients. Both groups were treated with lithium for 6 weeks and the case group received an adjunctive treatment with 900 mg gabapentin simultaneously. All patients were evaluated at the beginning and the end of the trial using Young's Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and two groups were compared for improvement in acute symptoms. Findings: The final score of YMRS was significantly improved in the case group compared to the control group (p = 0.00). The improvement of YMRS score was not significantly different between men and women and between different age groups. Conclusion: Adjunctive treatment with gabapentin is effective for controlling symptoms of acute mania. (Int'l. J. Psychiatry in Medicine 2012;43:261-271)