Second generation antipsychotics and mood stabilizers in the treatment of bipolar disorder: efficacy and safety.
2011
Abstract
The cornerstone of the treatment of bipolar affective disorder (BAD) of any stage is mood stabilizers. Recently, a growing body of evidence has been accumulated of the beneficial effect of second generation antipsychotics in various stages of BAD and these antipsychotics have been increasingly used in clinical practice.
The reasons are, apart from their efficacy, a more rapid onset of action and a different range of adverse effects in comparison with the classical mood stabilizers, such as lithium, valproate and carbamezapine. This communication summarizes the current knowledge on the efficacy, tolerance, and safety of the drugs used in BAD treatment.