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Bipolar Disorder/Zyprexa 10mg for acute mania

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Expert: - 12/5/2009


Question
Hi,
I've been on Zyprexa 10mg for an acute manic episode for almost 2 weeks now. I am hoping to come off soon after my lithium levels are increased. My pdoc said that I can break these in half when I am tapering down. I just wanted to get a second opinion and be sure it is ok to break them.

Also, as far as lithium levels. Is the increase in blood level linearly proportional to dosage? In other words if 600mg/day equals 0.3 and 1200mg/day equals 0.7 then wouldn't 1500mg/day equal 0.9 and 1800mg/day equal 1.0?

Thanks,

Answer
Hi Kevin . . .

I often have my patients split tablets of Zyprexa when tapering the dose in preparation of discontinuing it.

The relationship between lithium dosage and plasma level is essentially a linear one. Doubling the lithium dose approximately doubles the plasma level.

Best regards . . .

Ivan
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Ivan Goldberg, M.D.

Expertise

I am a psychiatrist/psychopharmacologist with many years of expereince in treating individuals with depressions, manic-depression (Bipolar Disorder), other mood disorders,. I am especially interested in the psychopharmacologic treatment of individuals with so called "treatment-resistant" syndromes.

Experience

I have been on the staff of the National Institute of Mental Health, Columbia's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the Columbia-Presbyterian Medical Center. I am currently in full-time private practice in New York City.

A.B. Johns Hopkins University
M.D. N.Y.U. College of Medicine

I am the creator of Depression Central:http://www.psycom.net/depression.central.html

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