Effectiveness of Risperidone in Comorbid Bipolar Disorder and Substance Abuse: An Observational Study

ABSTRACT

This report will describe clinical experience using risperidone in substance-dependent patients with bipolar disorder. Method. Thirty-six male patients with SUD and bipolar disorder (DSMIII-R), who were admitted to a voluntary, post-detoxification, intermediatecare inpatient substance abuse program, were assessed weekly using the Clinical Global Impressions scale to assess overall functioning. All patients were treated with risperidone (mean dose 2.3 mg/day) in an open-label, naturalistic trial. 20 Results. Of the 36 patients, 11 dropped out before a follow-up appointment. Twenty patients (56%) reported improved or much improved on the CGI scale, and 5 (%) were rated unchanged. Conclusion. The results of this observational trial suggest that risperidone is moderately effective and well tolerated in bipolar patients with substance use disorders and comorbid psychiatric illnesses. In the short-term, risperidone treatment may also contribute to the likelihood of completing substance abuse treatment.

KEYWORDS:

• Bipolar disorder
• substance use disorders (SUD)
• addiction
• risperidone

This research was supported by a grant from the Janssen Research Foundation. A portion of this paper was presented in a poster session at the 13th Annual Meeting and Symposium of the American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry, December 12-15, 2002, Las Vegas, NV.