Lamotrigine treatment of aggression in female borderline patients, Part II: an 18-month follow-up.
Borderline patients often display pathological aggression. We previously tested lamotrigine, an anti-convulsant, in therapy for aggression in women with borderline personality disorder (BPD) (J Psychopharmacol 2005; 19: 287-291), and found significant changes on most scales of the State-Trait Anger Expression Inventory (STAXI) after eight weeks. To assess the longer-term efficacy of lamotrigine in therapy for aggression in women with BPD, this 18-month follow-up observation was carried out, in which patients (treated with lamotrigine: n = 18; former placebo group: n = 9) were tested every six months. According to the intent-to-treat principle, significant changes on all scales of the STAXI were observed in the lamotrigine-treated subjects. All subjects tolerated lamotrigine relatively well. Lamotrigine appears to be an effective and relatively safe agent in the longer-term treatment of aggression in women with BPD.
Leiberich
P
P
Inntalklink, Simbach am Inn, Germany.
Nickel
M K
MK
Tritt
K
K
Pedrosa Gil
F
F
D000328:Adult; D000374:Aggression / Q000187:drug effects*; D018692:Antimanic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001883:Borderline Personality Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D000077213:Lamotrigine; D011569:Psychiatric Status Rating Scales; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014227:Triazines / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D018692:Antimanic Agents; D014227:Triazines; D000077213:Lamotrigine