Mood stabilizers are those drugs used to treat and prevent acute episodes of
bipolar disorder. The concept includes a host of agents: lithium, several anticonvulsants,
and antipsychotics, notably, second-generation compounds. This chapter reviews the
different drugs labelled as mood stabilizers and where available introduces some
considerations on their use in old age. Given the lack of controlled trials enrolling
elderly bipolar patients, most information derives from application to geriatric patients’
characteristics of those data obtained in studies with other age groups, and also from
decades of clinical experience, especially with lithium.
Keywords: Antidepressants, Aripiprazole, Bipolar disorder, Carbamazepine,
Divalproex, First generation antipsychotics, Gabapentin, Haloperidol,
Hypothyroidism, Johnson syndrome, Lamotrigine, Levetiracetam, Lithium, Lyell
syndrome, Mood Stabilizer, Olanzapine, Oxcarbazepine, Quetiapine, Renal
impairment, Risperidone, Second generation antipsychotics, Stevens, Topiramate,
Valproate, Valproic acid.