Risperidone for bipolar disorders.

Atypical antipsychotic medications are a relatively new, increasingly prominent component of the treatment armamentarium for bipolar disorder -- a development that provides more options for potentially improved outcomes for patients and families affected by bipolar disorder. The US Food and Drug Administration-approved bipolar indications for risperidone include monotherapy for the short-term treatment of acute manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder and combination therapy with lithium or valproate for the short-term treatment of acute manic or mixed episodes associated with bipolar I disorder. Risperidone is also approved in over 30 countries worldwide for bipolar mania either as monotherapy, adjunct therapy, or both monotherapy and adjunct therapy. A number of controlled and open-label treatment trials have shown risperidone's efficacy and tolerability in the manic phase of bipolar disorder. Risperidone has also been reported to be useful in the longer-term treatment of bipolar disorder. This drug profile of risperidone for bipolar disorder will address the chemistry, pharmacodynamics, pharmacokinetics and metabolism of risperidone, clinical trials in bipolar disorder, postmarketing surveillance, safety, tolerability and regulatory issues. Finally, a discussion of potential future directions, a summary of key issues and information resources are provided.