Table 2.
Clinical trials with lithium and VPA in Huntington's disease patients.
| Drug Treatment | Duration | Dosage/Interval | Subjects (n) |
Major Findings | Treatment Beneficial? | Reference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lithium + Baclofen | 4 weeks | N.A.*; 15-90 mg Baclofen | 3 | Baclofen, a GABA derivative, worsened motor function, while lithium "further improved" patients | Yes | 150 |
| Lithium | 1.5 weeks + | 24.3 mEq/day | 6 | Lithium reduced hyperkinetic movements, improved voluntary movements, and stabilized irritable mood | Yes | 151 |
| Lithium + Haloperidol | ? | 300 mg lithium; 2 mg haloperidol, both 3x per day | 1 | Patient's motor function improved significantly when lithium was added to haloperidol treatment | Yes | 153 |
| Lithium | 6.5 weeks | N.A.* | 4 | Lithium stabilized mood in 3 out of 4 cases | Yes | 154 |
| Lithium | ? | N.A.* | 2 | Lithium plus unspecified neuroleptics improved mood and hyperkineses, clinicians were blind to treatment | Yes | 155 |
| Lithium | 7 weeks | N.A.* | 9 | In a double-blind trial, lithium did not improve mood or motor function | No | 156 |
| Lithium + Haloperidol | 3 weeks | N.A.* | 6 | In a double-blind trial, lithium plus haloperidol stabilized mood but did not affect motor function | Yes | 157 |
| Lithium | 6 weeks | N.A.* | 6 | In a placebo-controlled trial, lithium did not improve motor function, but authors did not assess mood | No | 158 |
| Lithium | 3-5 years | 150-300 mg/day | 3 | Lithium significantly improved mood and stabilized chorea progression in all patients | Yes | 161 |
| Lithium | 40 weeks - 2 years | 150-300 mg, 2x per day | 5 | Lithium reduced suicidal ideation and improved depression in all patients | Yes | 162 |
| VPA | 4 weeks | 200-600 mg, 3x per day | 3 | VPA did not affect involuntary movements | No | 159 |
| VPA | ? | 600-1200 mg/day | 5 | VPA did not improve choreiform movements; no mention of mood changes or improvement | No | 166 |
| VPA | 13-26 weeks | 500-2400 mg/day | 14 | VPA was ineffective at improving chorea; authors did not discuss mood stabilization | No | 167 |
| VPA | 12 weeks | 600-900 mg, 3x per day | 1 | Development of a state of tolerance for VPA | No | 168 |
| VPA | 9 weeks | 800-2000 mg, 4x per day | 6 | VPA normalized sleep and reduced awakenings, but did not observe change in motor function | Yes | 160 |
| VPA + Olanzapine | 8 weeks | 125-500 mg, 2x per day; 5-10 mg/day | 2 | VPA and olanzapine improved motor function and stabilized mood | Yes | 164 |
| VPA | ? | 900-1200 mg/day | 8 | VPA enhanced mood stabilization and improved basic motor coordination tasks | Yes | 165 |
N.A.* = Lithium within or below therapeutic blood serum concentration; specific dose not available.