PsychRights: Mood Stabilizers

PsychRights^®
Law Project for
Psychiatric Rights

"Mood Stabilizers"

PsychRights has not yet been able to compile research on the so-called "mood stabilizers" in any sort of comprehensive fashion. However, we were able to acquire some research about the dangers of Valproic Acid, which is the chemical name for Depakote and similar brand name drugs.

FDA Drug Safety Communication: Aseptic meningitis associated with use of Lamictal (lamotrigine), August 12, 2010.
Anticonvulsant Medications and the Risk of Suicide, Attempted Suicide, or Violent Death, by Elizabetta Patorno, MD, MPH; Rhonda L. Bohn, MH, ScD; Peter M. Wahl, MLA, MS; Jerry Avorn, MD; Amanda R. Patrick, MS; Jun Liu, MD, MS; and Sebastion Schneeweiss, MD, ScD, Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 303, No. 14: 1401-1409 (2010)
A Double-Blind,. Randomized, Placebo-Controlled T rial of Divalproex Extended-Release in the Treatment of Bipolar Disorder in Children and Adolescents, by Karen Dineen Wagner, M.D.. Ph.D., Laura Redden, M.D., Ph.D., Robert A. Kowatch, M.D., Timothy E. Wllens, M.D., Scott Segal, M.D.. Kik1 Chang, M.D., Patricia Wozniak, Ph.D., Namita V. Vigna, Ph.D., Wallo Abi-Saab, M.D., And Mario Saltarelli, M.D., Ph.D., Journal of American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Vol. 48, No. 5: 519-532 (2009) This study concluded, "The results of the study do not provide support for the use of divalproex ER in the treatment of youths with bipolar disorder, mixed or manic state."
Information for Healthcare Professionals: Risk of Neural Tube Birth Defects following prenatal exposure to Valproate, December 3, 2009.
Depakote ER "Label" (2007)
Valproic Acid Treatment: "Other Considerations," August 27, 1999, by James W. Hawkins, MD
Reversible Dementia and Apparent Brain Atrophy During Valproate Therapy, by Oscar Papazian. MD, Elizabeth Cadiaalcs. MD, Israel Alfonso, MD, Ricardo Archila, MD, Michael Duchowny, MD, and and Jean Aicardi, MD, FRC, in ·Annals of Neurology Vol 38 No 4: 687-691, October 1995.
Antiepileptic drugs and apoptotic neurodegeneration in the developing brain, by Petra Bittigau, Marco Sifringer, Kerstin Genz, Ellen Reith, Dana Pospischil, Suresh Govindarajalu, Mark Dzietko, Stefanie Pesditschek, Ingrid Mai, Krikor Dikranian, John W. Olney, and Chrysanthy Ikonomidou, PNAS, Vol. 99, No. 23:15089-15094 (2002)
Valproate-induced Encephalopathy: Assessment with MR Imaging and 1H MR Spectroscopy, by Sargon Ziyeh, Thorsten Thiel, Joachim Spreer, Joachim Klisch, and Martin Schumacher, Epilepsia Vol 43, No. 9, 1101-5, 2002.
Valproic Acid-Induced Hyperammonemic Encephalopathy: MR Appearance, by Mark D. Baganz and Peter E. Dross, American Journal of Neuroradiology, AJNR 15:1779- 1781, Oct 1994 0 195·61 08 /94 /1 509-1779.
Reversible Pseudoatrophy of the Brain and Mental Deterioration Associated with Valproate Treatment, by Renzo Guerrini, Anna Belmonte, Raffaello Canapicchi, Claudia Casalini, and Emilio Perucca, Epilepsia, 39(1):27-32, 1998.
Pseudoatrophy of the Brain with Valproic Acid Monotherapy, by Richard S. McLachlan, Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences, 1987; 14:294-296.