Common Medications for Bipolar Disorder
Common medications for bipolar disorder
Unlike unipolar depression, bipolar disorder requires treatment that accounts for the risk of mania, hypomania, and recurrence. Medication choice depends on whether the current phase is mania, bipolar depression, or maintenance.
| Medication | Common clinical role | Key considerations |
|---|---|---|
| Lithium | Mania and maintenance; relapse prevention | Requires blood levels and kidney/thyroid monitoring; interactions and pregnancy planning matter. |
| Quetiapine | Mania, bipolar depression, maintenance | Sedation and metabolic monitoring. |
| Lamotrigine | Prevention of depressive recurrence | Slow titration; serious rash warning; not a treatment for acute mania. |
| Valproate/divalproex | Acute mania | Liver and blood-count monitoring; major reproductive and fetal risks. |
| Lurasidone or lumateperone | Bipolar depression in appropriate patients | Movement-related and other adverse effects vary; indication-specific use. |
| Olanzapine | Mania and selected depressive/maintenance regimens | Substantial weight and metabolic risks. |
Based on AAFP summary of 2023 VA/DoD bipolar guidelines (2024) and AAFP Bipolar Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment (2021). Not every medication treats every phase. Antidepressant monotherapy is contraindicated in bipolar I disorder and manic/mixed episodes.