Bipolar Disorder: Lithium Now Safe For Child Patients

New findings published in the journal Pediatrics led by researchers at Johns Hopkins Children's Center show that lithium is safe for children with bipolar disorder.

The drug has been used for decades to successfully treat adult bipolar disorder. It has also been used, in some cases, for children. However, a lack of significant data has prevented widespread use of the drug among children. Thus, many child patients have been treated with medications used for schizophrenia, which may carry harsher unwanted side-effects.

"Lithium is the grandfather of all treatments for bipolar disorder, but it has never been rigorously studied in children," Dr. Robert Findling, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, said in a news release.

In this recent study, researchers worked with 81 patients between the ages of 7 and 17 who were treated at nine medical centers. For up to eight weeks of treatment, 53 received lithium at a standard dose that was increased over time as needed. The other 28 patients received a placebo during the study period.

Researchers used the Young Mania Rating scale to measure reaction to treatment. They also tracked side effects from the drug's use, including weight gain. However, the drug did not result in serious side effects that are sometimes linked to anti-psychotics, such as risperidone or olanzapine.

Findings revealed that 47 percent of patients on lithium had significant improvement in symptoms when compared to 21 percent who received the placebo.

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