People with bipolar disorder suffer from repeated episodes of severe mood disturbance. These can vary from mania to severe depression. Sometimes manic and depressive symptoms can occur at the same time. Episodes may also fluctuate frequently, so-called ‘rapid cycling’. Periods of normal mood and function may occur in between these episodes, but this is not always the case.
Medications are used to treat these mood episodes and to prevent their recurrence. Tiagabine could be one such medication. Currently, it is only licensed for the treatment of epilepsy. Patients with epilepsy appear to tolerate tiagabine relatively well. However, the following adverse effects have been reported: dizziness, tiredness, sleepiness and incomplete seizure control.