Olanzapine is superior to lamotrigine in the prevention of bipolar depression: a naturalistic observational study.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Bipolar disorder is a highly recurrent disease and has great impact on the function of patients. Depressive symptoms consist of more than 50% of life time during the illness and may lead to self harm or suicidal behaviors. Little is known about the antidepressant effects of olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, as monotherapy despite its indication for preventing manic episodes. In contrast, lamotrigine, a mood stabilizer, has been proven to be effective in preventing depression in patients with bipolar disorder. However, no studies have compared the efficacy between lamotrigine and olanzapine in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. This enriched naturalistic study was implemented to assess the effectiveness of olanzapine and lamotrigine as monotherapy in the

SUBMITTER: Pan PY 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4035822 | biostudies-literature | 2014 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature