Psych Congress NetworkVitamin B6 Plus Lithium Helps Ease Mania Symptoms in Patients with Bipolar Disorder

Compared to placebo, vitamin B6 significantly affected mood improvement at 8 weeks but vitamin B1 did not, according to the study.

A recent study published in the Journal of Affective Disorders highlights the potential of vitamin B6 as an effective adjunctive therapy for managing mood symptoms in bipolar disorder patients during manic episodes. Conducted at the Imam Hossein Psychiatric Hospital in Iran, this research explores the role of vitamin B6 in enhancing the efficacy of lithium treatment, providing new insights into the management of this challenging mental health condition.

Key Points

• Study Overview: A randomized clinical trial at the Imam Hossein Psychiatric Hospital in Iran.
• Participants: 66 adult patients with bipolar disorder in manic episodes.
• Treatment Arms: Patients were randomly assigned to 100 mg of vitamin B1, 40 mg of vitamin B6, or a placebo daily for 8 weeks.
• Primary Outcome: Mood improvement was significantly higher in the vitamin B6 group compared to the placebo group after 8 weeks.
• Secondary Outcomes: Sleep quality, assessed by the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Scale, improved significantly in the vitamin B6 group compared to placebo, but not in the vitamin B1 group.
• Mechanism of Action: Vitamin B6 may regulate GABA, dopamine, serotonin, and glutamate neuroreceptors and decrease homocysteine serum levels.
• Implications: This study suggests vitamin B6 could be a beneficial adjunctive therapy to lithium in controlling manic episodes in bipolar disorder patients.

The use of adjunctive therapy for bipolar disorder is increasingly considered to increase the efficacy of standard treatments. In this randomized clinical trial, we evaluated the effect of vitamins B1 and B6 in separate treatment arms on mood symptoms, cognitive status, and sleep quality in hospitalized patients with bipolar disorder in manic episodes.

Norman Brad Schmidt, PhD
Florida State University Department of Psychology, Tallahassee, Florida

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