The pooled data presented by UNC researchers today (Nov. 18) at the 17th annual U.S. Psychiatric and Mental Health Congress in San Diego are results from two of the first trials to use an extended-release form of carbamazepine capsules manufactured by Shire Pharmaceuticals.
"People affected by bipolar disorder experience intense highs and-or irritability, which may be followed or paired with crippling lows. Bipolar patients also may be affected by additional disorders including anxiety disorders, attention deficit disorder and substance abuse," said Dr. Richard H. Weisler, primary investigator of both clinical trials and adjunct professor of psychiatry at UNC's School of Medicine.
"Many patients at present still either fail to respond or have trouble tolerating medications for their bipolar disorder. For this reason, finding a treatment regimen that works effectively in both manic states and the large number of mixed patients who are both seriously depressed and manic at the same time is a very important addition to our treatment options for patients and their doctors."
Weisler also is adjunct assistant professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University Medical Center and has a private practice in Raleigh.
More than 2 million American adults are estimated to have bipolar disorder in any given year. In fact, recent research suggests approximately one in 30 adults suffer from bipolar disorder. Bipolar disorder, also known as manic-depressive illness, is characterized by episodes of mania and depression while experiencing periods of normal mood in betwee
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Contact: Stephanie Crayton, UNC School of Medicine
919-966-2860
Porter Novelli
18-Nov-2004