Patients and families often feel lost when dealing with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder. It’s like getting lost in a maze of odd names, tricky treatments, and puzzling medications. Sound familiar?
We understand. These diagnoses are complex and life-changing. The options for psychiatric medication can also feel overwhelming.
Effective medication management can be a game changer for those with schizophrenia. With the right treatment, people can work, attend school, care for their families, and truly enjoy life again.
You may have heard of or been prescribed antipsychotic or antidepressant medications for schizophrenia. But what about a mood stabilizer? It may not be an expected addition, and you may be hesitant to add another medication. Let’s talk about it. Are you wondering:
- Do mood stabilizers actually help schizophrenia?
- Are the benefits of mood stabilizers proven?
- When and why should a mood stabilizer be added?
Iremia Psychiatric Care is here for you. Whether you’re newly diagnosed, seeking better long-term care, supporting someone you love, or just want to learn more, we can help. Let’s unpack the facts together.
We’re up to date on the current research and have looked at the real-world mood stabilizer effectiveness on schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. We’ll discuss the science behind mood stabilizers, why they’re used, and how this addition actually plays out in daily life–not just in clinical trials.
What is Schizophrenia?
Schizophrenia is a mental health disorder. It causes extreme changes in thinking, perception, emotions, and behavior. It also significantly impacts daily life. Schizophrenia affects around 1% of people and is one of the top 10 causes of disability!¹ Getting the right treatment is critical.
The hallmark symptom of schizophrenia is psychosis, meaning a disconnection from reality. Other common schizophrenia symptoms include:¹
- Visual or auditory hallucinations
- Delusions
- Disorganized thinking, speech, or behavior
- Emotional flatness
- Catatonic behavior
Schizoaffective disorder includes schizophrenia symptoms plus mood disorder symptoms like depression or mania.
Schizoaffective disorder is commonly misdiagnosed and is often under-treated. Schizoaffective disorder is typically not as disabling as schizophrenia. Despite this, getting the right treatment is still crucial.
The main signs of schizoaffective disorder are mood issues, including depression or mania. Common schizoaffective disorder symptoms include:²
- Depression
- Mania
- Mood swings
- Emotional lability
- Hallucinations and delusions are usually milder and less frequent than those in schizophrenia.
Schizophrenia and schizophrenia can be hard to tell apart. The key difference is that schizophrenia is marked by psychotic symptoms and a significant decline in daily functioning. Schizoaffective disorder includes both mood symptoms (like depression or mania) and psychotic symptoms, but people with it often function better than those with schizophrenia.
If you or a loved one shows any of the above symptoms, make sure you see an experienced mental health clinician. Grecia at Iremia Psychiatric Care specializes in spotting these conditions. She also creates effective, tailored treatment plans.
How Is Schizophrenia Treated?
Treatment for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder typically involves a combination of the following:
- Therapy
- Lifestyle changes
- Antipsychotic medications
- Antidepressant medications
- Mood stabilizing medications
Medications are needed to treat schizophrenia effectively. This helps you work, play, and live your best life.
Along with medication, a wide variety of professional therapies are also helpful. Therapy helps you learn to navigate your symptoms and manage your schizophrenia. A skilled clinician and solid support system can help identify and implement lifestyle changes that make it easier to live with your diagnosis and avoid potential triggers.
Prioritizing sleep, rest, and managing stress are skills you can learn that will positively impact your life and diagnosis. Now, let’s dive into one of the main medications used to treat schizophrenia: mood stabilizers.
What Are Mood Stabilizers?
Mood stabilizers are psychiatric medications often used for bipolar disorder and other mood disorders. They can also work well with other medications for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.³
Mood stabilizers even out the emotional highs and lows. They balance out the intense mood swings that come with these complex and life-changing mental health conditions.
Mood Stabilizer Side Effects
Mood stabilizers are effective at treating schizophrenia. But like most medications, they can come with side effects that you should be aware of. There are many different mood stabilizing medications, and some can have more significant side effects than others.
If a side effect is severely impacting your day-to-day life, you should let your provider know. The following are potential side effects of mood stabilizers:³
- Headache
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Weight gain
- Tremors
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Diarrhea
- Rash
Types of Mood Stabilizers
Now, let’s look at the most commonly used mood stabilizers and how they work. The following psychiatric medications are commonly used to treat schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder:³
- Carbamazepine / Tegretol: This medication works by regulating brain chemicals called neurotransmitters. It stabilizes the activity in your brain.
- Divalproex / Depakote: Stabilizes mood by increasing a brain chemical known as GABA.
- Lamotrigine / Lamictal: Helps balance mood. It does this by regulating proteins in the brain. These proteins stabilize brain activity, emotions, and mood.
- Lithium: This medication works by inhibiting the excitability of neurons in the brain, leading to a more stabilized mood.
Additional Types of Medications
The following psychiatric medications may also be used to treat schizophrenia. These medications are classified as atypical antipsychotic medications, and have strong mood-stabilizing properties.⁴
- Aripiprazole / Abilify: Helps stabilize mood. It does this by increasing dopamine and serotonin levels in the brain.
- Cariprazine / Vraylar: Regulates mood by increasing dopamine and serotonin.
- Quetiapine / Seroquel: Also stabilizes mood by improving dopamine and serotonin levels.
There are many options for medication, and you and your psychiatric provider will work closely together to determine which medication, or medications, are right for you.
How Are Mood Stabilizers Used With Schizophrenia?
Mood stabilizers are not usually the first medication option for schizophrenia. Antipsychotics and antidepressants are usually the first choices. In some cases, mood stabilizers may be used too.
They are often added when mood symptoms are significant, to fine-tune treatment and symptom management, and to reduce the risk of hospitalization.
Research shows that mood stabilizer use with other medications drops the risk of hospitalization and relapse by 12%.⁵ You read that right: adding in a mood stabilizer means a lower risk of hospitalization and relapse!
It’s equally important to note that after one’s first schizophrenic episode, mood symptoms are often more severe. The addition of a mood stabilizer at these times and in these cases can be a game changer.
What Are Some Reasons Why a Mood Stabilizer is Added to Treat Schizophrenia?
Now that we’ve learned about mood stabilizers for schizophrenia, let’s discuss why they’re used. If any of the below are present, it may be time to add a mood stabilizer to your schizophrenic treatment plan:
- You’re no longer responding adequately to antipsychotics or antidepressants.
- You’re having mood episodes, such as mania or depression.
- You’ve been diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder.
- You’ve noticed increased aggression or impulsivity.
In these cases, using both antipsychotics and mood stabilizers creates a better treatment plan, leading to more effective relief. Your psychiatric provider needs a detailed history to see if a mood stabilizer can help you.
Do Mood Stabilizers Work Better Than Antipsychotics for the Treatment of Schizophrenia?
What about mood stabilizer effectiveness in schizophrenia? Do mood stabilizers get better results than antipsychotic medications? The short answer is no–but they can help in combination.
Antipsychotic use remains the backbone of schizophrenia treatment. Real-world studies show that combining them with mood stabilizers can improve outcomes. Here’s what the science says on the effectiveness of mood stabilizer use:
- A 2022 study from the National Institute of Health found that mood stabilizer use helped patients with schizophrenia. They had fewer hospitalizations and emergency visits.⁵
- A 2019 study in JAMA Psychiatry found that patients with schizophrenia had lower relapse rates when they took both antipsychotics and mood stabilizers.⁶
It’s not about one medication replacing another–both are beneficial. Recent research shows good trends in using mood stabilizers for schizophrenia. This is encouraging! It’s about finding the correct combination of medications for your unique needs.
Interested to See if A Mood Stabilizer Can Help You?
If you or someone you care about is looking into treatment for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder, mood stabilizers can help.
This is especially true when mood symptoms are present or if antipsychotics alone haven’t provided enough relief. The effectiveness of mood stabilizer use is backed by science, studies, and real-world results.
At Iremia Psychiatric Care, Grecia understands just how complex, personal, and essential mental health treatment is. If you’re curious whether a mood stabilizer may be right for you, don’t hesitate to reach out for a personalized consultation.
FAQ: Mood Stabilizers and Schizophrenia
Do mood stabilizers help with schizophrenia?
Mood stabilizers can help with schizophrenia. They are especially beneficial for patients who have mood symptoms or schizoaffective disorder. Mood stabilizers are typically used in addition to antipsychotics, not as a replacement.
What is the miracle drug for schizophrenia?
No single drug is a cure-all, and many medications are available. What works best for you depends on your symptoms and diagnosis. Clozapine is often considered the most effective antipsychotic for certain types of schizophrenia.
How does lamotrigine help schizophrenia?
Lamotrigine helps stabilize mood. It can also treat schizophrenia symptoms, especially if other treatments fail. Lamotrigine is mainly used to treat schizoaffective disorder. In some cases, it may be used for schizophrenia.
References:
- Schizophrenia – (nih.gov)
- Schizoaffective Disorder – (nih.gov)
- Mood Stabilizers – (nih.gov)
- Mood Stabilizers of First and Second Generation – (nih.gov)
- Real-world Effectiveness of Mood Stabilizer Use in Schizophrenia – (nih.gov)
- Association of Antipsychotic Polypharmacy vs Monotherapy With Psychiatric Rehospitalization Among Adults With Schizophrenia – (jamanetwork.com)