Final answer:
Other drugs that can be used as mood stabilizers in treating bipolar disorder include anticonvulsants like valproate and lamotrigine, antipsychotics like olanzapine, and cautiously-used antidepressants like bupropion. Some calcium channel blockers and atypical antipsychotics may also be used off-label for mood stabilization.
Step-by-step explanation:
Aside from lithium, which is commonly known as a mood stabilizer, there are other classes of drugs used to treat bipolar disorder. These include certain anticonvulsants, like valproate (Depakote), lamotrigine (Lamictal), and carbamazepine (Tegretol), which were originally developed to treat seizure disorders but were later found to help stabilize moods in bipolar disorder. Another class includes antipsychotic medications, such as olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), and risperidone (Risperdal), which can also serve as mood stabilizers and treat mania or mixed episodes associated with bipolar disorder. Additionally, some off-label options exist, such as certain calcium channel blockers and atypical antipsychotics.
Antidepressants can be prescribed as well; however, they need to be used with caution in people with bipolar disorder because they can potentially trigger manic episodes. Therefore, they are often combined with a mood stabilizer or antipsychotic medication in this population. Specific examples of antidepressants include bupropion (Wellbutrin) and mirtazapine (Remeron). These pharmacological treatments are often accompanied by psychotherapy and may sometimes be augmented with other methods such as electroconvulsive therapy or deep-brain stimulation for treatment-resistant cases.