LAMOTRIGINE IN THE TREATMENT OF RESISTANT BIPOLAR DISORDER

Antiepileptic drugs, such as carbamazepine and sodium valproate, are i ntegral to psychopharmacologic therapy over the last decades. Lamotrig ine is a new antiepileptic drug that acts on amino acid neurotransmitt ers/neuromodulators, most prominently, glutamine, which has been repor ted to have potential mood-stabilizing effects. The reports on this ef fect are limited and sparse, and systematic investigations have not be en published. Here we present two clinical cases representing atypical patient groups in which lamotrigine was successfully used as an add-o n therapy for resistant bipolar depression.