Abstract
How do the tolerability and adverse-effect profiles of newer psychotropic drugs for bipolar disorder balance against their enhanced therapeutic benefits? The growing range of pharmacotherapy options across all phases of bipolar illness should, ideally, enhance the ability of clinicians to provide optimal treatments while considering differential adverse effects and drug tolerability. Such approaches help to increase medication adherence in patients who might otherwise discontinue treatment due to adverse effects. Clinically diverse, often significant adverse effects are evident with both older and newer drug therapies for bipolar illness. Most notably, problems related to gastrointestinal upset, weight gain, glucose dysregulation, sexual dysfunction, cognitive impairment, dermatologic reactions, and central nervous system effects are a potential liability with numerous compounds. Strategies exist for either minimizing or counteracting the adverse effects of most psychotropic agents. These include slow-dose escalations, preferential use of delayed-release formulations, and adjunctive treatments with additional agents. Clinical decisions to switch primary medications due to adverse effects-rather than treat through adverse effects-must reflect careful balancing of drug efficacy (benefits) versus side-effect liability (costs).
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 48-54 |
| Number of pages | 7 |
| Journal | Primary Psychiatry |
| Volume | 11 |
| Issue number | 9 |
| State | Published - Sep 2004 |
| Externally published | Yes |