Effectiveness and tolerability of carbamazepine vs. oxcarbazepine as mood stabilizers

Background. Patients with bipolar illness or maniac-type schizoaffective disorder often present a variety of symptoms and mixed responses to treatment. Several anticonvulsants have been found effective in the treatment of mood disorders. In the early 70's, the clinical efficacy of carbamazepine in the treatment of acute mania was reported. Oxcarbazepine has been available in the United States since 2000. Both drugs display a different spectrum of properties and side effect profiles. Objective. To compare the effectiveness and tolerability of carbamaze-pine and oxcarbazepine in a naturalistic setting. Methods. A retrospective and concurrent chart review of all patients treated with carbamazepine or oxcarbazepine (n=33) as mood stabilizers between January and December 2002. The effectiveness was evaluated using the Positive And Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Tolerability was assessed according to side effects recorded on charts. Patients with charts that were not complete were excluded from this study. Results. There were no significant differences in efficacy between groups on positive (F=3.575, P=0.075), negative (F=2.641, P=0.121), or the general subscales (F= 1.111, P = 0.306) of the PANSS. Patients in both groups developed gastrointestinal upset and headache, but no significant differences in tolerability between the two therapies were found (chi(2) = 0.466, df = 1, P = 0.659) and (chi(2) = 0.195, df = 1, P = 0.367 respectively). Conclusion. In summary, the patient charts reviewed demonstrated that carbamazepine, as well as, oxcarbazepine are equally effective and tolerable as mood stabilizers.