COMPARISON OF CARBAMAZEPINE AND LITHIUM IN THE PROPHYLAXIS OF BIPOLARDISORDERS - A METAANALYSIS

Background. This meta-analysis assessed the equipotency of carbamazepi ne and lithium prophylaxis in bipolar disorder. Method. We selected on ly randomised, double-blind, controlled studies comparing carbamazepin e with lithium from a manual and computerised search, and subjected th em to a quality inventory. Their statistical results were weighted by their quality score and combined. Results. Four studies met our criter ia, yielding, overall, P=0.15. This result is not straightforward beca use the studies showed significant heterogeneity (P<0.01). Conclusion. Differences in statistical power and sensitivity of outcome measure e xplain this heterogeneity and the conflicting results of the studies. Therefore, the prophylactic efficacy of carbamazepine remains question able.