Anti-Convulsant Medications Anti-Convulsant Drugs Introduction
Some anticonvulsant medications can also help control severe mood changes. Examples include: Valproic Acid (Depakote, Depakene), Carbamazepine (Tegretol), Gabapentin (Neurontin), and Lamotrigine (Lamictil).
Valproate was FDA-approved in 1995 for treatment of mania. Newer
anticonvulsant medications, including lamotrigine (Lamictal),
gabapentin (Neurontin), and topiramate (Topamax), are being studied
to determine how well they work in stabilizing mood cycles. Anticonvulsant
medications may be combined with lithium, or with each other,
for maximum effect.
Borrowed from the field of neurology, these agents have been
used for years to stabilize psychiatric mood disorders. Using
this rationale, some anticonvulsants are also useful in treating
mood and impulsivity problems in brain-injured patients. Patient
responses to these medications tend to be highly individualized;
therefore, a trial and error approach must be taken to determine
if any single medication will have a positive effect. Like with
the antidepressants, effects of these drugs occur gradually, and
several weeks of treatment may be needed before response can be
Anticonvulsant drugs should never be discontinued without your
doctors supervision on how to safely discontinue taking them.
There are possibilities that discontinuing anticonvulsants
can cause seizures and other severe side-effects.
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