Cariprazine

What is cariprazine?

The treatment of bipolar disorder is complex due to the presence of varying configurations of symptoms in patients. The primary treatments for bipolar disorder are pharmacological, and often involve second generation antipsychotic drugs, such as cariprazine. Based on its high affinity for dopamine receptors, cariprazine has been proposed as a treatment for bipolar disorder.

What is the evidence for cariprazine as treatment for bipolar disorder?

High quality evidence suggests cariprazine is associated with greater improvements in mania and depression than placebo, but is associated with more adverse effects including akathisia, tremor, restlessness, and weight gain.

Moderate quality evidence finds similar improvement in depression symptoms with low (0.75-1.5 mg) and high (3 mg) dose cariprazine.

Moderate quality evidence finds a medium-sized effect of greater improvement in mania symptoms with cariprazine than with topiramate, but less improvement when compared to tamoxefin.

November 2021

Image: ©cassis – stock.adobe.com

Last updated at: 1:19 pm, 1st December 2021
To view documentation related to this topic download the files below
Fact Sheet Technical Commentary

NeuRA Libraries

Title Colour Legend:
Green - Topic summary is available.
Orange - Topic summary is being compiled.
Red - Topic summary has no current systematic review available.