Posted by harryp on June 9, 2004, at 17:03:18
In reply to why are MAOI's good for bipolar depression ??, posted by linkadge on June 9, 2004, at 15:00:22
One needs to be cautious in using any AD with BP disorder, but I don't think the MAOI's are any more likely to provoke mania than other AD's. (I get the impression, but am not sure, that the SSRI's are actually the worst for provoking mania--sometimes in people who are not BP at all.)
AD's can often be used for BP if combined with lithium. Lithium is such an effective augmenting agent for the MAOI's (which are already among the best AD's)--that they probably have developed a good reputation for BP with a severe depressive component.
MAOI's also have an odd tendency to wear off and kick it quickly with dose adjustments. I have heard of one BP patient who took a MAOI and avoided mania by cutting back on the MAOI when she felt a possible manic episode coming on, and then resumed the normal dose when she felt the depressive cycle return--funky!
poster:harryp
thread:355165
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040608/msgs/355190.html