Olanzapine/fluoxetine combination for bipolar depression

Abstract

Bipolar depression remains one of the most difficult to treat of all mental disorders. Until recently, no treatments, including antidepressants, have consistently shown to be effective in this condition. Olanzapine, an atypical antipsychotic, has been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for the acute treatment of mania and maintenance prevention of relapse into depression or mania. A clinical trial tested the relative effectiveness of the combination of olanzapine and fluoxetine in bipolar type I depression, against olanzapine alone or placebo. The combination produced a very robust clinical effect acutely and a long-term follow-up study indicated that there was a low rate of induction of mania or mixed states. Therefore, the olanzapine/fluoxetine combination represents a viable alternative for bipolar depression. However, uptake of this combined product in practice has been modest. This is likely to be the result of several factors, including resistance to the use of fixed combination preparations and, more recently, evidence of effectiveness of the atypical quetiapine and the anticonvulsant lamotrigine. Perhaps the greatest resistance to the use of olanzapine alone or in combination has been the problem of weight gain and the attendant risk of type 2 diabetes and the metabolic syndrome. Vigorous management of this problem has been shown to mitigate the potential for weight gain and is required if this combination is to be used. However, many clinicians find management of weight gain in olanzapine treated patients a challenge. In addition, weight, waist circumference, lipids and glucose should be monitored.

Keywords::

• bipolar depression
• fixed dose
• olanzapine/fluoxetine
• quetiapine
• type 2 diabetes
• weight gain