Authors: Yatham L, et al. Title: Lamotrigine but not lithium prevents or delays depressive episodes in bipolar I disorder. Reference: European Neuropsychopharmacology. The Journal of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology 2003;13 (Suppl 4):S266. Purpose: To compare the incidence of relapse/recurrence of depression in lithium- and lamotrigine-treated patients with that of patients receiving placebo. Study design: Assessment of two clinical trials. Follow up: 18 months. Patients: 638 patients (463 currently or recently depressed, 175 currently or recently manic). Treatment: Lamotrigine, lithium, or placebo. Results: Of recently manic patients, fewer lamotrigine-treated patients required intervention for depression compared with placebo-treated patients. The time to intervention was significantly greater with lamotrigine, but not lithium, and there were fewer reported depressive events with lamotrigine compared with placebo. In recently depressed patients, the time to intervention was also significantly greater withlamotrigine, but not lithium, compared with placebo.
