Oxcarbazepine in the treatment of bipolar disorder: a review.

To review the data on the efficacy of oxcarbazepine (OXC) in bipolar disorder (BD) and to provide recommendations for clinicians on the use of this medication in treating BD. Using the terms oxcarbazepine and bipolar disorder, oxcarbazepine and mania, or oxcarbazepine and bipolar depression, we conducted a computer-aided search of MEDLINE for the years 1950 to 2005. Case reports, retrospective chart reviews, open prospective studies, and double-blind studies reported the efficacy and effectiveness of OXC in treating BD. The data indicate that OXC has efficacy in treating acute mania and may be a useful add-on in treating acute bipolar depression and in BD prophylaxis. OXC is generally well-tolerated. We recommend using OXC as monotherapy or as add-on therapy in refractory mania, but we recommend it be used predominantly as an add-on treatment for other phases of BD in patients who have not improved with well-established treatments or in patients who have difficulty tolerating adequate dosages.