Posted by SLS on June 12, 2005, at 6:51:00
In reply to Depakote may HELP bipolar depression!!!!!!!!!!, posted by bipolarspectrum on June 11, 2005, at 19:55:47
> Check this out babblers:
I don't doubt that valproate can effect a robust antidepressant effect for some people. For them, it is the right drug. I noted that the population they tested were bipolar I. My guess is that bipolar I is more amenable to the antidepressant effects of both lithium and valproate - more so than of bipolar II. Just a guess. The majority of bipolars here at PB seem to be type II. This might account for the disparate clinical impression between the study and the population here, who often have representatives who feel more depressed on valproate.
Valproate tickled my brain once and produced an antidepressant effect, so I believe it does have that potential.
- Scott
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> Divalproex in the treatment of bipolar depression: a placebo-controlled study.
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> Davis LL, Bartolucci A, Petty F.
>
> Veteran's Affairs Medical Center (151), 3701 Loop Road East, Tuscaloosa, AL 35404, USA. lori.davis@med.va.gov
>
> BACKGROUND: The treatment of bipolar disorder in the depressed phase is complicated by a tendency for conventional antidepressant drugs to worsen the course of the illness by precipitating a manic episode or increasing cycle frequency. Thus, the potential antidepressant efficacy of mood stabilizers, such as divalproex, which is an effective treatment for the manic phase of bipolar disorder, is of considerable interest. METHODS: The clinical efficacy of divalproex (valproate, Depakote) was tested in an 8-week, double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized clinical trial in 25 outpatients with bipolar I depression. The primary outcome measure was the 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression, and secondary measures included the Hamilton Rating Scale for Anxiety, the Clinician Administered Rating Scale for Mania, and the Clinical Global Impression scale. RESULTS: Using repeated measures ANOVA with last observation carried forward, divalproex was more effective than placebo in improving symptoms of depression (p = 0.0002) and symptoms of anxiety (p = 0.0001) than placebo. LIMITATIONS: The sample size was small, and most patients were male. CONCLUSIONS: These pilot results indicate that divalproex is effective in reducing the symptoms of depression and anxiety in bipolar I, depressed phase. These positive results support the need to perform a larger, multisite study of divalproex treatment for bipolar depression.
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poster:SLS
thread:510184
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20050611/msgs/511360.html