Side effects of mood stabilisers

There are side-effects with all medications. Many you will find that you can learn to live with over time.

If you are worried about the side-effects of the drug you are taking you should call you doctor to discuss them. Sometimes a lower dose or a change of medication will reduce side-effects.

  •  Lithium

Side effects are directly related to how much lithium is in the blood stream. You can get an upset stomach when you start taking lithium but this will usually pass. You may get fine hand tremor, mild thirst and need to go to the toilet frequently. Certain skin conditions such as psoriasis and acne can be aggravated by lithium. In the longer term you may develop an under active thyroid but this is easily treated. If the lithium levels become toxic, you may experience disorientation, seizures, muscle weakness, drowsiness, coarse tremor, and muscle twitching. If you experience any of these side-effects you should contact your doctor immediately.

  • Sodium valproate

Side effects can include stomach upset and vomiting, feeling tired and confused, significant weight gain, hair loss, and fluid retention. Rarely, it can cause liver failure. In women valproate can cause problems with the ovaries. Most side-effects are increased at high doses.

Valproate may increase testosterone levels in teenage girls and produce polycystic ovary syndrome in women who begin taking the medication before age 20. Increased testosterone can also lead to your periods stopping, obesity and abnormal growth of hair. Therefore, young female patients prescribed valproate should be monitored carefully. You will also need regular blood tests possibly every month in the first 6 months of treatment, to make sure that valproate is not affecting your liver function.

  • Carbamazepine

Problems associated with carbamazepine therapy are dizziness, drowsiness, shaky movements and feeling sick. These can be largely avoided by starting at a low dose and increasing it slowly. Around 3% of people taking carbamazepine develop a red rash.

Carbamazepine can also cause a chronic low white blood cell count. This can leave you more susceptible to infection. This can be monitored when you have a regular blood test.

  • Lamotrigine

Can cause a rash, shaky movements, double vision, headache and vomiting. More rarely it causes swelling in the limbs, skin rashes, and most rarely, seizures.