Depression mood stabilisation: novel concepts and clinical management.

No currently available mood stabiliser has equivalent efficacy in both phases of bipolar disorder; therefore, patients may require combination therapy with agents that possess complementary mood-stabilising properties. Emerging data demonstrate that combination therapy with lamotrigine, other mood stabilisers, and/or short-term antidepressants or antipsychotics, is a realistic treatment option. Lamotrigine has a side-effect profile compatible with treatment adherence and is well tolerated in combination therapy. Practical guidance is provided on the use of lamotrigine in combination therapy. Lamotrigine represents a valuable addition to the current therapeutic armamentarium for bipolar disorder, allowing a therapeutic balance between the treatment of mania and depression.