Biomedical subjects

Matthew Schumacher

Publications and source records attributed to Matthew Schumacher.

2 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2002

Olanzapine in diverse syndromal and subsyndromal exacerbations of bipolar disorders.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate effects of olanzapine in diverse exacerbations of bipolar disorders. METHODS: Twenty-five evaluable bipolar disorder [14 bipolar I (BPI), 10 bipolar II (BPII) and one bipolar disorder not otherwise specified (BP NOS)] outpatients received open olanzapine (15 adjunctive, 10 monotherapy). Thirteen had elevated (11 syndromal, two subsyndromal) and 12 depressed (four syndromal, eight subsyndromal) mood symptoms of at least mild severity, with Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) scores of at least 3. Only one had psychotic symptoms. RESULTS: With open olanzapine (15 adjunctive, 10 monotherapy), overall symptom severity (CGI-S) as well as mood elevation (Young Mania Rating Scale), depression (Hamilton and Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scales), and anxiety (Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale), rapidly decreased (significantly by days 2-3). Patients with the greatest baseline severity (CGI-S) had the greatest improvement. Fifteen of 25 (60%) patients responded. Time to consistent response was bimodal, with five early (by 0.5 +/- 0.3 weeks) and 10 late (by 7.0 +/- 1.9 weeks) responders. Early compared with late responders had 51% lower final olanzapine doses. Olanzapine was generally well tolerated, with sedation and weight gain the most common adverse effects. CONCLUSIONS: Olanzapine was effective in diverse exacerbations of bipolar disorders. The bimodal distribution of time to response and different final doses are consistent with differential mechanisms mediating early compared with late responses. Controlled studies are warranted to further explore these preliminary observations.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Gabapentin augmentation therapy in bipolar depression.

BACKGROUND: Gabapentin (GBP) may be useful in bipolar disorders, including as adjunctive therapy for bipolar depression, although controlled studies suggest inefficacy as primary treatment for mania or treatment-resistant rapid cycling. METHODS: We performed a 12-week trial of open GBP (mean dose 1725 mg/day) added to stable doses of mood stabilizers or atypical antipsychotics in 22 (10 women, mean age 38.4 years) depressed (28-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) > 18] bipolar (10 bipolar I, 12 bipolar II) disorder outpatients. Mean illness duration was 18.6 years, current depressive episode duration was 18.0 weeks. Prospective 28-item HDRS, Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) and Clinical Global Impression-Severity (CGI-S) ratings were obtained. RESULTS: Overall, HDRS ratings decreased 53% from 32.5 +/- 7.7 at baseline to 16.5 +/- 12.8 at week 12 (p < 0.0001). Twelve of 22 (55%) patients had moderate to marked improvement (HDRS decrease = 50%) with HDRS decreasing 78% from 27.9 +/- 6.2 to 6.2 +/- 4.5 (p < 0.0001). Eight of 22 (36%) patients remitted (HDRS > or = 8). In non-responders, HDRS decreased from 38.0 +/- 5.4 to 28.9 +/- 6.7 (p = 0.005). Ten of 13 (77%) mild to moderately depressed (baseline HDRS > 18 and <35) patients responded, while only two of nine patients (22%) with severe depression (HDRS > or = 35) responded (p < 0.03). Both groups, however, had similar, statistically significant HDRS decreases. GBP was well tolerated. CONCLUSION: Open adjunctive GBP was effective and well tolerated in patients with mild to moderate bipolar depression. This open pilot study must be viewed with caution, and randomized controlled studies are warranted.

Acetates↗