ONCE-DAILY VERSUS DIVIDED DOSAGE LITHIUM THERAPY IN ACUTE MANIA

The aim of the study was to compare once-daily with divided dosage lithium treatment in acute mania. In 79 retrospectively studied subjects who met the DSMIII-R criteria for mania, 26 independent and dependent variables were analyzed. The two groups of patients (categorized according to dosage schedule) were broadly comparable with respect to demographic and clinical characteristics. The two groups also did not differ on the outcome measures of lithium efficacy and lithium adverse effects. It is concluded that single dose lithium therapy is clinically comparable with divided dose lithium therapy in acute mania. Possible advantages of switching over to once-daily lithium regimes are discussed.

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