Lithium safe, effective for bipolar disorder in children

To date, the researchers are now conducting another study to see the long-term implications of lithium to young patients. However, the researchers noted that the findings only show that the drug is for short-term use. The findings suggest that doctors can now more confidently add lithium as a treatment option for this vulnerable population. According to the researchers of the study, published Monday in the journal Pediatrics, almost one percent of adolescents suffer from this condition and that their main objective was to reduce, if not to completely eradicate, the cases reported.

Lithium is one of the oldest drugs for bipolar disorder, a chronic brain condition marked by spontaneous, seesawing bouts of abnormally high moods and depression.

The medication is commonly prescribed for adults to control mood swings. Until now, scientists had not tested the drug in young people. The drug has been a well-established prescription for adults to stabilise mood extremes for decades, while prevented for use in young patients.

“Lithium is the grandfather of all treatments for bipolar disorder, but it has never been rigorously studied in children”, says Robert Findling, M.D., M.B.A., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Thus, many child patients have been treated with medications used for schizophrenia, which may carry harsher unwanted side-effects.

A new study finds that Lithium is safe and effective for treating children with bipolar disorder. The research included 81 patients with bipolar disorder from nine different academic medical centers across the U.S. Their age ranged from 7 to 17, and they were equally split between genders. For up to eight weeks of treatment, 53 received lithium at a standard dose that was increased over time if symptoms demanded it, while the other 28 were being treated with a placebo. They were also asked about side effects and given a physical exam.

It was determined that subjects who had taken lithium had experienced a significant improvement in their condition.

With the analysis, they found out that the lithium-treated individuals had gone significantly better than those in the placebo group in the course of eight weeks.

With lithium, patients’ scores on the YMRS dropped on average six points more than those not receiving the drug.

Moreover, in contrast with other treatments like olanzapine and risperidone, lithium caused no major weight gain, and there were no other significant adverse effects either.

The researchers examined the safety and effectiveness of lithium for children through a randomised, placebo-controlled prospective study.