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Prior to the 1970s Bipolar Disorders were unsuccessfully treated with antidepressants until the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) approved the use of Lithium. Some patients responded better with litium than with antiseizure drugs such as Tegretol (Carbamazepine) and Depakote (Valproate), or to a combination of such drugs. (Altamura et al., 2011; Bowden, 2011)
More than sixty percent of patients with mania improve with a combination of lithium, mood stabilizers and atypical antipsychotic drugs. In addition, most such individuals experience fewer new episodes as long as they continue taking the medications. (Gad et al., 2010) One study found the risk of relapse is 28 times greater when patients stop taking a mood stabilizer. (Suppes et al., 1991) Many clinicians use a combination of mood stabilizers and antidepressant drugs to treat bipolar depression. (Post, 2011; Vasquez et al., 2011)
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