New Drug for Bipolar Mania
(Ivanhoe Newswire) May 6, 2003-- Researchers studying people suffering from acute episodes of bipolar mania say the drug ziprasidone is a safe and effective treatment for the condition.
Several medications are known to help people with bipolar mania cope with the symptoms of the disease. However, some patients fail to respond to treatment with any of the drugs, and others suffer too many unwanted side effects, particularly weight gain.
The antipsychotic drug ziprasidone has been found effective in treating people with schizophrenia without many of the side effects common among other drugs of its class. Investigators tested the medication in 210 patients with a recent manic or mixed episode of bipolar disorder. The study involved men and women over age 18 who were randomized to receive either ziprasidone in doses ranging from 40 milligrams to 80 milligrams twice daily or a placebo. All underwent standard psychiatric tests to gauge their symptoms before the study started and throughout the three-week trial.
Researchers found patients taking ziprasidone experienced rapid and sustained improvements when compared with those on placebo. Most people reported relief from symptoms within two days of beginning treatment. The drug was well tolerated and did not cause weight gain or any other significant clinical changes.
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SOURCE: American Journal of Psychiatry, 2003;160:741-748
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