Lithium Is the Safest Mood Stabilizer for Kids
A systematic meta-review for psychiatric drugs for children assessed safety profiles of 80 medications. Lithium was identified as the safest among mood stabilizers. The study by Solmi et al. was published in World Psychiatry.
The study included 1,621 children and adolescents treated with mood stabilizers.
What Is a Mood Stabilizer
Doctors prescribe mood stabilizers for bipolar disorder and other mood dysregulation conditions. These drugs help reduce manic and depressive episodes, prevent relapses, and stabilize emotions long term.
The meta-review included these mood stabilizers: lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, oxcarbazepine, and topiramate.
Lithium Has the Highest Safety Profile
A safety profile shows the potential of a drug to cause harm. For example, the main adverse events for mood stabilizers were sedation and weight gain. For lithium, the additional major concerns included thyroid and kidney damage.
However, lithium didn’t show any significant adverse side effects. The mood stabilizer with the most side effects was valproate.
Researchers point out that the lithium studies reviewed had limitations. Most studies lasted around three months, so long-term effects couldn’t be assessed. Researchers also considered the sample for the lithium studies to be small.
At the same time, other scholars warn that lithium is underutilized in the U.S. and deserve more attention.