FRIDAY, Oct. 26 (HealthDay News) -- Divalproex sodium (Depakote) appears to be effective in improving symptoms of bipolar I disorder in children and adolescents, according to study findings presented Oct. 26 in Boston at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
As part of the Pediatric Bipolar Collaborative Mood Stabilizer Trial, Dr. Robert A. Kowatch, M.D., Ph.D., of Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center in Ohio, randomized 153 children aged 7 to 17 with bipolar I disorder with mixed or manic features to receive either lithium, divalproex or placebo. The double-blind testing phase ran for eight weeks, followed by an additional 16 weeks for those patients who responded.
After eight weeks, patients randomized to the divalproex group had significantly lower levels of manic symptom severity compared to the placebo group, as measured on the Young Mania Rating Scale. A reduction of manic symptoms of 50 percent or greater occurred in 56 percent of patients in the divalproex group, 41 percent of those in the lithium group, and 30 percent in the placebo group.
"Divalproex and lithium are the most widely used mood stabilizers for children and adolescents diagnosed with bipolar disorder," Kowatch explained in a statement. "Our study now proves that these agents definitely work, which may give clinicians and families peace of mind."
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