Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis

Background: Lithium is the established standard in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder, but several new drugs have been assessed for this indication. We did a network meta-analysis to investigate the comparative efficacy and tolerability of available pharmacological treatment strategies for...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Miura, T, Noma, H, Furukawa, T, Mitsuyasu, H, Tanaka, S, Stockton, S, Salanti, G, Motomura, K, Shimano-Katsuki, S, Leucht, S, Cipriani, A, Geddes, J, Kanba, S
Format: Journal article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2014
_version_ 1826282850724347904
author Miura, T
Noma, H
Furukawa, T
Mitsuyasu, H
Tanaka, S
Stockton, S
Salanti, G
Motomura, K
Shimano-Katsuki, S
Leucht, S
Cipriani, A
Geddes, J
Kanba, S
author_facet Miura, T
Noma, H
Furukawa, T
Mitsuyasu, H
Tanaka, S
Stockton, S
Salanti, G
Motomura, K
Shimano-Katsuki, S
Leucht, S
Cipriani, A
Geddes, J
Kanba, S
author_sort Miura, T
collection OXFORD
description Background: Lithium is the established standard in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder, but several new drugs have been assessed for this indication. We did a network meta-analysis to investigate the comparative efficacy and tolerability of available pharmacological treatment strategies for bipolar disorder. Methods: We systematically searched Embase, Medline, PreMedline, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomised controlled trials published before June 28, 2013, that compared active treatments for bipolar disorder (or placebo), either as monotherapy or as add-on treatment, for at least 12 weeks. The primary outcomes were the number of participants with recurrence of any mood episode, and the number of participants who discontinued the trial because of adverse events. We assessed efficacy and tolerability of bipolar treatments using a random-effects network meta-analysis within a Bayesian framework. Findings: We screened 114 potentially eligible studies and identified 33 randomised controlled trials, published between 1970 and 2012, that examined 17 treatments for bipolar disorder (or placebo) in 6846 participants. Participants assigned to all assessed treatments had a significantly lower risk of any mood relapse or recurrence compared with placebo, except for those assigned to aripiprazole (risk ratio [RR] 0·62, 95% credible interval [CrI] 0·38-1·03), carbamazepine (RR 0·68, 0·44-1·06), imipramine (RR 0·95, 0·66-1·36), and paliperidone (RR 0·84, 0·56-1·24). Lamotrigine and placebo were significantly better tolerated than carbamazepine (lamotrigine, RR 5·24, 1·07-26·32; placebo, RR 3·60, 1·04-12·94), lithium (RR 3·76, 1·13-12·66; RR 2·58, 1·33-5·39), or lithium plus valproate (RR 5·95, 1·02-33·33; RR 4·09, 1·01-16·96). Interpretation: Although most of the drugs analysed were more efficacious than placebo and generally well tolerated, differences in the quality of evidence and the side-effect profiles should be taken into consideration by clinicians and patients. In view of the efficacy in prevention of both manic episode and depressive episode relapse or recurrence and the better quality of the supporting evidence, lithium should remain the first-line treatment when prescribing a relapse-prevention drug in patients with bipolar disorder, notwithstanding its tolerability profile. Funding: None.
first_indexed 2024-03-07T00:50:03Z
format Journal article
id oxford-uuid:86113e1d-f73f-412b-9ba6-1eccce11f798
institution University of Oxford
language English
last_indexed 2024-03-07T00:50:03Z
publishDate 2014
publisher Elsevier
record_format dspace
spelling oxford-uuid:86113e1d-f73f-412b-9ba6-1eccce11f7982022-03-26T22:01:43ZComparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysisJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:86113e1d-f73f-412b-9ba6-1eccce11f798EnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordElsevier2014Miura, TNoma, HFurukawa, TMitsuyasu, HTanaka, SStockton, SSalanti, GMotomura, KShimano-Katsuki, SLeucht, SCipriani, AGeddes, JKanba, SBackground: Lithium is the established standard in the long-term treatment of bipolar disorder, but several new drugs have been assessed for this indication. We did a network meta-analysis to investigate the comparative efficacy and tolerability of available pharmacological treatment strategies for bipolar disorder. Methods: We systematically searched Embase, Medline, PreMedline, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for randomised controlled trials published before June 28, 2013, that compared active treatments for bipolar disorder (or placebo), either as monotherapy or as add-on treatment, for at least 12 weeks. The primary outcomes were the number of participants with recurrence of any mood episode, and the number of participants who discontinued the trial because of adverse events. We assessed efficacy and tolerability of bipolar treatments using a random-effects network meta-analysis within a Bayesian framework. Findings: We screened 114 potentially eligible studies and identified 33 randomised controlled trials, published between 1970 and 2012, that examined 17 treatments for bipolar disorder (or placebo) in 6846 participants. Participants assigned to all assessed treatments had a significantly lower risk of any mood relapse or recurrence compared with placebo, except for those assigned to aripiprazole (risk ratio [RR] 0·62, 95% credible interval [CrI] 0·38-1·03), carbamazepine (RR 0·68, 0·44-1·06), imipramine (RR 0·95, 0·66-1·36), and paliperidone (RR 0·84, 0·56-1·24). Lamotrigine and placebo were significantly better tolerated than carbamazepine (lamotrigine, RR 5·24, 1·07-26·32; placebo, RR 3·60, 1·04-12·94), lithium (RR 3·76, 1·13-12·66; RR 2·58, 1·33-5·39), or lithium plus valproate (RR 5·95, 1·02-33·33; RR 4·09, 1·01-16·96). Interpretation: Although most of the drugs analysed were more efficacious than placebo and generally well tolerated, differences in the quality of evidence and the side-effect profiles should be taken into consideration by clinicians and patients. In view of the efficacy in prevention of both manic episode and depressive episode relapse or recurrence and the better quality of the supporting evidence, lithium should remain the first-line treatment when prescribing a relapse-prevention drug in patients with bipolar disorder, notwithstanding its tolerability profile. Funding: None.
spellingShingle Miura, T
Noma, H
Furukawa, T
Mitsuyasu, H
Tanaka, S
Stockton, S
Salanti, G
Motomura, K
Shimano-Katsuki, S
Leucht, S
Cipriani, A
Geddes, J
Kanba, S
Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
title Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
title_full Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
title_fullStr Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
title_full_unstemmed Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
title_short Comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder: a systematic review and network meta-analysis
title_sort comparative efficacy and tolerability of pharmacological treatments in the maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder a systematic review and network meta analysis
work_keys_str_mv AT miurat comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT nomah comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT furukawat comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT mitsuyasuh comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT tanakas comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT stocktons comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT salantig comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT motomurak comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT shimanokatsukis comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT leuchts comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT cipriania comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT geddesj comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis
AT kanbas comparativeefficacyandtolerabilityofpharmacologicaltreatmentsinthemaintenancetreatmentofbipolardisorderasystematicreviewandnetworkmetaanalysis