Introduction: several medications are available for the treatment of different phases of bipolar disorder, yet many of the drugs that are currently approved carry a substantial burden of side effects or do not lead all treated patients to remission.
Areas covered: this paper comprises a review and commentary regarding the use of oral and intramuscular aripiprazole in the acute and maintenance phases of bipolar disorder. Basic principles in dosing, switching, management of side effects and co-administration of aripiprazole with other medications are provided. This paper presents practical strategies to translate the data from clinical research into clinical practice.
Expert opinion: aripiprazole has proven to be an effective medication for the acute treatment of manic and mixed episodes, as well as for the prophylactic-maintenance phase of bipolar disorder in patients recovering from a manic/mixed episode. Choosing the appropriate dosing and tapering strategy, addressing the side effects, controlling withdrawal symptoms from previous medications and using adjunctive medications when necessary are key to successful treatment with aripiprazole.