文档介绍：Making sense of
lithium and other
mood stabilisers
Making sense of lithium and other mood stabilisers
What should I know before taking these drugs? 4
Which drugs are mood stabilisers and what are they used to treat? 8
How do I know which type of medicine might be suitable for me? 10
How long will I have to take the medication? 10
Lithium
What is lithium? 12
When is lithium prescribed? 13
What sort of tests should I have if I am taking lithium? 13
What dose should I be on? 15
Will lithium affect any other medicines I might be taking? 16
What else do I need to know about taking lithium? 17
How long does lithium take to work? 19
What are the side effects? 19
How long will I have to be on lithium for? 23
What's the best way to withdraw? 24
2
Anticonvulsants
Which anticonvulsant drugs are used as mood stabilisers? 25
When are anticonvulsants prescribed? 25
Valproate semisodium 26
Carbamazepine 28
Lamotrigine 31
Asenapine 34
Mood stabilising drugs during pregnancy, childbirth
and breastfeeding
What are the risks of taking anticonvulsants during pregnancy? 36
What are the risks of taking lithium during pregnancy? 37
Are there alternatives to taking lithium during pregnancy? 39
What are the risks of taking mood stabilisers while breastfeeding? 41
Children and mood stabilisers 41
Useful contacts 42
3
Making sense of lithium and other
mood stabilisers
This booklet is for people who are taking mood stabilising
drugs, their friends, family or carers. It explains what the
drugs do, and their benefits and drawbacks in the treatment
of bipolar disorder (manic depression), recurrent depression,
and similar mood disorders.
Note: This booklet uses the term 'mood stabiliser' because this is
the term preferred by mental health service users who take these
types of drugs. The NICE (National Institute of Health and Clinical
Excellence) guidelines on the treatment of bipolar disorder use
'anti-manic' for