Discontinuing lithium maintenance treatment in bipolar disorders: Risks and implications

Bipolar Disorders

Volumn 1, Issue 1, 1999, Pages 17-24

  Baldessarini, Ross J ^a,b,d   Tondo, Leonardo ^a,b,c   Viguera, Adele C ^a,b  

^a HARVARD MEDICAL SCHOOL   (United States)

^b MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL   (United States)

^c UNIVERSITY OF CAGLIARI   (Italy)

^d MCLEAN HOSPITAL   (United States)

Author keywords

Bipolar disorder; Depression; Drug discontinuation; Lithium; Mania; Suicide

Indexed keywords

LITHIUM; TRANQUILIZER;

ARTICLE; BIPOLAR DISORDER; DRUG ADMINISTRATION; HUMAN; PSYCHOLOGICAL ASPECT; RECURRENT DISEASE; SUICIDE ATTEMPT; TIME;

ANTIMANIC AGENTS; BIPOLAR DISORDER; DRUG ADMINISTRATION SCHEDULE; HUMANS; LITHIUM; RECURRENCE; SUICIDE, ATTEMPTED; TIME FACTORS;

EID: 0033188534     PISSN: 13985647     EISSN: None     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1034/j.1399-5618.1999.10106.x     Document Type: Review

References (34)

1. Tohen M, Shulman KI, Satlin A. First-episode mania in late life. Am J Psychiatry 1994; 151: 130-132.
2. Faedda GL, Baldessarini RJ, Suppes T, Tondo L, Becker I, Lipschitz D. Pediatric-onset bipolar disorder: a neglected clinical and public health problem. Harvard Rev Psychiatry 1995; 3: 171-195.
3. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L, Suppes T, Faedda GL, Tohen M. Pharmacological treatment of bipolar disorder throughout the life-cycle. In: Shulman KI, Tohen M, Kutcher S, eds. Bipolar Disorder Through the Life-Cycle. New York: Wiley, 1996; 299-338.
4. Angst J, Sellaro R, Angst F. Long-term outcome and mortality of treated vs. untreated bipolar and depressed patients: a preliminary report. Int J Psychiatr Clin Pract 1998; 2: 115-119.
5. Wyatt RJ, Henter I. An economic evaluation of manic-depressive illness. Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 1995; 30: 213-219.
6. Baldessarini RJ. Drugs and the treatment of psychiatric disorders: antimanic and antidepressant agents. Chapter 19. In: Hardman JG, Limbird LE, Molinoff PB, Ruddon RW, Gilman AG, eds. Goodman and Gilman's The Pharmacological Basis of Therapeutics, 9th edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 1996; 431-459.
7. Johnson RE, McFarland BH. Lithium use and discontinuation in a health maintenance organization. Am J Psychiatry 1996; 153: 993-1000.
8. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L. Does lithium still work? Evidence of stable responses over three decades. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1999; in press.
9. Suppes T, Baldessarini RJ, Faedda GL, Tohen M. Risk of recurrence following discontinuation of lithium treatment in bipolar disorder. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1991; 48: 1082-1088.
10. Suppes T, Baldessarini RJ, Faedda GL, Tondo L, Tohen M. Discontinuing maintenance treatment in bipolar manic-depression: risks and implications. Harvard Rev Psychiatry 1993; 1: 131-144.
11. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L. Effects of lithium treatment in bipolar disorders and post-treatment-discontinuation recurrence risk. Clin Drug Investig 1998; 15: 337-351.
12. Faedda GL, Tondo L, Baldessarini RJ, Suppes T, Tohen M. Outcome after rapid vs. gradual discontinuation of lithium treatment in bipolar mood disorders. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1993; 50: 448-455.
13. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L, Floris G, Rudas N. Reduced morbidity after gradually discontinuing lithium in bipolar I and II disorders: a replication study. Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154: 551-553.
14. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L, Faedda GL, Suppes TR, Floris G, Rudas N. Effects of the rate of discontinuing lithium maintenance treatment in bipolar disorders. J Clin Psychiatry 1996; 57: 441-448.
15. Waters B, Lapierre Y, Gagnon A, Cahudhry R, Tremblay A, Sarantidis D, Gray R. Determination of the optimal concentration of lithium for the prophylaxis of manic-depressive disorder. Biol Psychiatry 1982; 17: 1323-1329.
16. Gelenberg AJ, Kane JM, Keller MB, Lavori PW, Rosenbaum JF, Cole K, Lavelle J. Comparison of standard and low serum levels of lithium for maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. N Engl J Med 1989; 321: 1489-1493.
17. Rosenbaum JF, Sachs GS, Lafer B, Kane JM, Keller MB, Gelenberg AJ. High rates of relapse in bipolar patients abruptly changed from standard to low plasma lithium levels in a double-blind, controlled trial. Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the New Clinical Drug Evaluations Unit (NCDEU). Boca Raton, FL: US National Institute of Mental Health, 1992.
18. Jensen HV, Plenge P, Mellerup ET, Davidsen K, Toftegaard L, Aggernæs H, Bjorum N. Lithium prophylaxis of manic-depressive disorder: daily lithium dosing schedule versus every second day. Acta Psychiatr Scand 1995; 92: 69-74.
19. Viguera AC, Nonacs R, Cohen LS, Tondo L, Murray A, Baldessarini RJ. Risk of discontinuing lithium maintenance in pregnant vs. nonpregnant women with bipolar disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1999; in press.
20. Cohen LS, Friedman JM, Jefferson JW, Johnson EM, Weiner ML. A re-evaluation of risk of in utero exposure to lithium. JAMA 1994; 271: 146-150.
21. Cohen LS, Rosenbaum JF. Psychotropic drug use during pregnancy: weighing the risks. J Clin Psychiatry 1998; 59 (Suppl 2): 18-28.
22. Tondo L, Jamison K, Baldessarini RJ. Antisuicide effects of lithium. Ann NY Acad Sci 1997; 836: 339-351.
23. Tondo L, Baldessarini RJ, Hennen J. Lithium and suicide risk. Primary Psychiatry 1999; in press.
24. Baldessarini RJ, Jamison KR. Effects of medical interventions on suicidal behavior: summary and conclusions. J Clin Psychiatry 1999; 50 (Suppl 2): 117-122.
25. Tondo L, Baldessarini RJ, Hennen J, Floris G, Silvetti F, Tohen M. Lithium treatment and risk of suicidal behavior in bipolar disorder patients. J Clin Psychiatry 1998; 60: 405-414.
26. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L, Hennen J. Effects of lithium treatment and its discontinuation on suicidal behavior in bipolar manic-depressive disorders. J Clin Psychiatry 1999; 60 (Suppl 2): 77-84.
27. Baldessarini RJ, Tondo L. Antisuicidal effect of lithium treatment in major mood disorders. In: Jacobs D, ed. The Harvard Medical School Guide to Assessment and Intervention in Suicide. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass, 1998; 355-371.
28. Post RM, Leverich GS, Altshuler LL, Mikalauskas K. Lithium discontinuation-induced refractoriness: preliminary observations. Am J Psychiatry 1992; 149: 1727-1729.
29. Maj M, Pirozzi R, Magliano L. Nonresponse to reinstituted lithium prophylaxis in previously responsive bipolar patients: prevalence and predictors. Am J Psychiatry 1995; 152: 1810-1811.
30. Tondo L, Baldessarini RJ, Floris G, Rudas N. Effectiveness of retreating with lithium after its discontinuation in biopolar I and II disorders. Am J Psychiatry 1997; 154: 548-550.
31. Coryell W, Solomon D, Leon AC, Akiskal HS, Keller MB, Scheftner WA, Mueller T. Lithium discontinuation and subsequent effectiveness. Am J Psychiatry 1998; 155: 895-898.
32. Baldessarini RJ, Suppes T, Tondo L. Lithium withdrawal in bipolar disorder: implications for clinical practice and experimental therapeutics research. Am J Ther 1996; 3: 492-496.
33. Viguera AC, Baldessarini RJ, Hegarty JM, Van Kammen D, Tohen M. Risk of discontinuing maintenance medica tion in schizophrenia. Arch Gen Psychiatry 1997; 54: 49-55.
34. Viguera AC, Baldessarini RJ, Friedberg J. Risks of interrupting continuation or maintenance treatment with antidepressants in major depressive disorders. Harvard Rev Psychiatry 1998; 5: 293-306.