In maintenance trials atypical antipsychotics had significantly fewer relapses to depression or mania than placebo or active comparator .
Conclusion Atypical antipsychotics are effective in treating both phases of bipolar disorder compared with placebo , and as effective as established drug therapies .
Atypical antipsychotics produce fewer extrapyramidal symptoms , but weight gain is more common ( with olanzapine ) .
There is insufficient data confidently to distinguish between different atypical antipsychotics
Background Atypical antipsychotics are increasingly used for treatment of mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder , and considered to have fewer extrapyramidal effects than older antipsychotics .
Acute and continuation risperidone monotherapy in bipolar mania: a 3-week placebo-controlled trial followed by a 9-week double-blind trial of risperidone and haloperidol
In a r and omized , double-blind trial , patients with acute bipolar mania received 1 - 6 mg/day of risperidone , 2 - 12 mg/day of haloperidol , or placebo for 3 weeks , followed by double-blind risperidone or haloperidol for 9 weeks . Of 438 patients , 154 were r and omized to risperidone , 144 to haloperidol , and 140 to placebo .  The mean+/-S.D. modal doses were 4.2+/-1.7 mg/day of risperidone and 8.0+/-3.6 mg/day of haloperidol during the initial 3-week phase and 4.1+/-1.8 and 7.4+/-3.7 mg/day during the 12-week period . At week 3 , mean Young Mania Rating Scale ( YMRS ) score reductions from baseline were significantly greater in patients receiving risperidone than placebo ( p<0.001 ) . Differences between risperidone and haloperidol on this efficacy measure were not significant . Further reductions in YMRS scores were seen in patients receiving risperidone or haloperidol during the subsequent 9 weeks . No unexpected adverse events were reported . Extrapyramidal disorder and hyperkinesias , the most commonly reported adverse events with antipsychotic use , occurred less frequently with risperidone than haloperidol . We conclude that risperidone monotherapy was an effective and well-tolerated treatment for bipolar mania and that efficacy was maintained over the long term
In maintenance trials atypical antipsychotics had significantly fewer relapses to depression or mania than placebo or active comparator .
Conclusion Atypical antipsychotics are effective in treating both phases of bipolar disorder compared with placebo , and as effective as established drug therapies .
Atypical antipsychotics produce fewer extrapyramidal symptoms , but weight gain is more common ( with olanzapine ) .
There is insufficient data confidently to distinguish between different atypical antipsychotics
Background Atypical antipsychotics are increasingly used for treatment of mental illnesses like schizophrenia and bipolar disorder , and considered to have fewer extrapyramidal effects than older antipsychotics .