Treating Bipolar Disorder, Nerve Pain, and Fibromyalgia – The Anticonvulsants
Source: Consumer Reports

Anticonvulsant drugs are prescribed widely to treat a range of medical conditions. Among those are bipolar disorder, fibromyalgia, and nerve pain (neuralgia) caused by injuries or diseases that adversely affect the nervous system.

Overall, the evidence supporting the use of anticonvulsants by people with one (or more) of the three conditions is mixed. Other treatment options exist for all three which may work better than an anticonvulsant. Some anticonvulsants have been linked to clear clinical benefits, however, and several have been approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use by people with bipolar disorder, nerve pain, or fibromyalgia.

The anticonvulsants are generally safe, but in rare cases can cause serious side effects. Newer anticonvulsants marketed since the late 1990s have sometimes been put forth as safer and posing less risk of adverse effects than older ones. Studies do not support this conclusion.

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This entry was posted on Wednesday, September 5th, 2007 at 7:56 pm and is filed under Diseases and conditions, Health and healthcare, Prescription drugs. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.