By IANS
London : Tamoxifen, a drug typically used in treating breast cancer, could possibly decrease symptoms of mania in cases of bipolar depression too, a new study contends.
A low-key, three-week trial of the drug showed promising results, according to a report in the latest issue of the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
Tamoxifen interferes with effects of oestrogen, a hormone that also accounts for similar outcomes against breast cancer, according to the article.
However, tamoxifen also inhibits actions of a family of enzymes known as protein kinase C. Abnormal levels of activity by these enzymes have been associated with bipolar disorder and related dysfunctions, such as distractibility, impaired judgements and disorganised thoughts.
Animal studies and human pilot trials have suggested that tamoxifen may be effective in treating bipolar mania. It is an abnormally elevated mood that features impulsive behaviour, higher energy and activity levels, and disconnected thoughts.
Ayegül Yildiz of Dokuz Eylül University Medical School, Turkey, and colleagues conducted a clinical trial with 66 patients age 18 to 60, diagnosed with bipolar disorder and were currently in a manic state or a mixed state that included mania.
Participants were randomly assigned to take tamoxifen (40 milligrams to 80 milligrams per day) or identical placebo tablets twice daily for up to three weeks.
Participants in both groups also were given up to five milligrams per day of the sedative lorazepam as needed to control their symptoms.
A total of 50 patients, 29 assigned to take tamoxifen and 21 assigned to take a placebo, completed the 21-day trial. Patients in the tamoxifen group had significantly lower scores on tests used to measure the severity of mania at the end of the three-week period.
While those in the placebo group had scores that slightly increased, almost half (48 percent) of patients taking tamoxifen responded to the drug, defined as a reduction of at least half in mania scores, compared with five percent of those taking placebo, and 28 percent versus zero achieved cut-off scores for mania remission.