Divalproex Not As Good As Lithium At Preventing Suicide In Bipolar Patients

[Andrew]

DIVALPROEX NOT AS GOOD AS LITHIUM AT PREVENTING SUICIDE IN BIPOLAR PATIENTS

As a treatment for bipolar disorder, divalproex, the most commonly prescribed mood stabilizer in the U.S., is not as effective as lithium at preventing suicide, new research suggests. A number of reports have suggested that lithium therapy reduces the risk of suicide in patients with bipolar disorder. In a head-to-head study of the two therapies in more than 20,600 patients, researchers found people on the newer drug attempted suicide, and succeeded, far more frequently than did those on lithium. Fifty-three people committed suicide during the study period, and 338 were hospitalized for attempting to take their own life. The rate of suicide was 2.7 times greater in patients taking divalproex than in those taking lithium. Suicide attempts were nearly twice as frequent, as well. The findings were reported in the Sept. 17 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

[Mariela]

I recently switched from lithium to depakote. It was a desaster. I'm back on lithium. (The reason for switching was that sometimes I forgot to take the pills and the doctor thought I wasn't comfortable with lithium because I once told her that I gained weight after starting on lithium.)