Outcomes and length of treatment with carbamazepine extended-release capsules in bipolar disorder.

Background: This analysis was a retrospective chart review evaluating the relationship between outcomes and length of treatment with carbamazepine extended-release capsules (CBZ-ERC) (Shire, Wayne, PA, USA) in bipolar disorder.

Methods: The medical records of adult patients (>or=18 years) meeting DSM-IV criteria for bipolar disorder who were treated with CBZ-ERC for 30 days or less, 31 to 180 days, and more than 180 days were reviewed in this study.

Results: There were significant differences in mean Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) scores at the best office visit among the three treatment groups. The mean CGI-I scores for the 31- to 180-day (2.3+/-1.1) and >180-day (1.8+/-1.0) groups were significantly lower than the mean score for the 180-day group was significantly lower than that of the 31- to 180-day group (p=0.0027). Significantly fewer patients in the 31- to 180-day (5.4%; p=0.0039) and >180-day groups reported nausea (4.8%; p=0.034) when compared to the <30 day group.

Conclusions: The results of this study indicate that future controlled studies are warranted to further explore the safety and efficacy of CBZ-ERC as a long-term therapy for bipolar disorder.