MGH/McLean Residency Training Program in Psychiatry

Massachusetts General Hospital and McLean Hospital, Harvard Medical School

Edition Massachusetts General Hospital, 1999

PART 3 / CH 42

Mania: Acute Treatment

Paul Hammerness and Tim Kelly

TreatmentLithiumValproateTegretol
Mania typesAllMixed, rapid-cyclingMixed, rapid-cycling
Starting dose300mg BID/TID250mg BID/TID

(or load 15-30mg/kg PO on day 1)

100-200mg BID
Target serum

level

0.6-1.0 mEq/L50-120 mcg/mL6-12 mcg/mL
LabsLytes, TFT, CBC, EKG, U/A, betaHCGLFT, CBC, betaHCGLFT, CBC, TFT, EKG, betaHCG
Side effectsGI, thyroid, renal, neuro (sedation or tremor)GI, platelets, neuro (sedation or tremor)Rash, p450 auto-

Induction, sedation/

dizziness

Other agents: atypical neuroleptics (olanzapine is FDA-approved for mania, substantial evidence also supports risperidone); benzodiazepines (adjunctive), ECT

source: Schatzberg AF and Nemeroff CB (1998) APP Textbook of Psychopharmacology,

Psychosis: Acute Treatment

Tim Kelly

A. Atypical antipsychotics are emerging as first line treatment

· Numerous studies show these drugs to be at least as good as, and sometimes superior to, typical neuroleptics in most regards.

· Risk of EPS and tardive dyskinesia is significantly less.

B. Initiation of atypical agents

ClozapineOlanzapineRisperidone
Start25mg QHS5-10mg QHS0.5-1mg QHS
Titrate+25mg QD (inpatient) or QOD (outpatient)variable+0.5-1mg QD
Target200-500mg QD75% controlled with 5-15mg QDgenerally 3-4mg QD
Serum Level350-370 for rx-refractoryn/an/a
Side effectssee tablesedation, wt. gain, type 2 diabetes mellitus.

20mg: akathisia

sedation

hyperprolactinemia

>6mg: EPS

Benefitsbest for rx-refractory; may decrease suicide risklow EPS/TD;

no monitoring

low EPS at low dosages

source: Schatzberg AF and Nemeroff CB (1998) APP Textbook of Psychopharmacology,