Bipolar patients treated with antiepileptics attempted suicide at
the same rate as patients who received no medication or lithium according to Robert D. Gibbons, PhD, of the University of Illinois at Chicago, and colleagues. Gibbons has served as a forensic psychiatry expert witness for the US Department of Justice, Wyeth, and Pfizer. Patients
with bipolar disorder who take antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) do not have
an increased risk of committing suicide, despite FDA warnings to the
contrary, results of a new study showed.
The researches wrote "Despite
Food and Drug Administration reports regarding increased risk of
suicidality associated with AED treatment, the current study reveals
that, as a class, AEDs do not increase risk of suicide attempts in
patients with bipolar disorder relative to patients not treated with an
AED or lithium."
For more, see medpagetoday.com.
