Gary J. Kennedy, M.D., Montefiore Medical Center
Question: How do anticonvulsants (seizure medications) work in treating bipolar disorder?
Answer: Anticonvulsants, or anti-seizure medications, are the mood stabilizers. We think the way that they work is to make the nerve cells in the brain less excitable. And once they're less excitable it's less likely that mania or depression is going to occur.
Now, they're frequently used to reduce the mania and depression of manic depressive illness or bipolar disorder, but they also take a while to become effective.
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