A study by researchers at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine has revealed that lithium is safe and effective for treating bipolar disorder in children, UPI reports.
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New study suggests that lithium – for years a go-to medication for adults with bipolar disorder – may be safely used in children with the condition, at least for the short term.As the researchers explained, lithium has always been the drug of choice for treating adults with bipolar disorder, which is characterized by extreme mood swings. However, a lack of significant data has prevented widespread use of the drug among children. They added that the findings indicate a scientific and reliable confirmation that lithium is safe and effective for children, and the evidence of the study can help doctors decide for the medication to prescribe their young patients with bipolar disorder.
“Lithium is the grandfather of all treatments for bipolar disorder, but it has never been rigorously studied in children”, said Robert Findling, professor of psychiatry and behavioural sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore, US. Out of the 81 patients, 53 patients were treated with a standard dose of lithium that was increased over time depending on the symptoms. The remaining 28 patients received a placebo throughout the eight-week study period.
Researchers used the Young Mania Rating scale to measure reaction to treatment.
Importantly, lithium was not associated with a significant weight gain (unlike commonly prescribed antipsychotic agents), and none of the patients experienced any serious side effects. EurekAlert reported that about 47 percent of the treated subjects scored “very much improved” or “much improved” in the rating scale in contrast to 21 percent from the group which received placebo. They were also asked about side effects and given a physical exam.
Additionally, those on lithium dropped almost six more points on average in the 60-point YMRS.
The lithium drug is one of the oldest drugs for bipolar disorder. Researchers stated that further analyses are now in progress to determine the long-term implications of lithium use in children’s.
Furthermore, the findings provided by this research only showed an improvement in the short term. The disorder usually begins during adolescence or young adulthood.
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The incidence of bipolar disorders in teens is quite alarming for medical experts as it has significantly led this population to other major psychological problems.
