Anticonvulsant Drugs and Mental Health Treatment
Psychiatric Drugs-Types
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Lamictal. One of many anticonvulsant drugs originally created for use in treating epilepsy, now with a strong market for bipolar disorder and other mental health disorders.
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Anticonvulsant medications were originally developed to treat seizures, but they were found to help control moods as well. They are used as mood stabilizers also. Anticonvulsants are often called antiepileptic drugs (abbreviated "AEDs") or antiseizure drugs (abbreviated "ASDs").
One anticonvulsant commonly used as a mood stabilizer is valproic acid, also called divalproex sodium (Depakote). For some people, it may work better than lithium. [6] Other anticonvulsants used as mood stabilizers are carbamazepine (Tegretol), lamotrigine (Lamictal) and oxcarbazepine (Trileptal).
Anticonvulsants:
Depakote/Depakene (sodium valproate, valproic acid, divalproex sodium)
Gabitril (tiagabine)
Lamictal (lamotrigine)
Neurontin (gabapentin)
Tegretol (carbamazepine)
Topamax (topiramate)
Trileptal (oxcarbazepine)
Keppra
Anticonvulsants during pregnancy, birth defects:
Published studies have found that women taking anticonvulsant medications during pregnancy run a substantially higher risk of having a child with birth defects. This is of serious concern to the bipolar community, since some of the epilepsy medications involved in this study are also used as mood stabilizers, and women who take any of these drugs for migraine headaches should also be aware of the findings.
Anticonvulsant Drugs Sources:
1. Anticonvulsants. (June 5, 2009). Wikipedia Org. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anticonvulsant
2. Bipolar Disorder: Anticonvulsants. (Retrieved June 25, 2009). About.com. http://bipolar.about.com/od/anticonvulsants/Anticonvulsants.htm
3. What medications are used to treat bipolar diosrder? (June 15, 2009). NIMH. http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/mental-health-medications/what-medications-are-used-to-treat-bipolar-disorder.shtml
