Depot aripiprazole as maintenance treatment in bipolar disorder: Report of a case

Introduction Recently, depot aripiprazole was approved as a maintenance treatment for schizophrenia. However, long-acting antipsychotics has not been established efficacy in manic episode or maintenance treatment of bipolar disorder. Aims Describe a clinical case of multiresistant bipolar disorder. Methods Thirty-nine years old male, diagnosed since 8 years ago with bipolar disorder, current episode manic with psychotic symptoms, admitted to Acute Psychiatrist Unit. It was his seventh internment. He was dysphoric, had insomnia, and showed many psychotic symptoms like grandiose delusions and delusions of reference. He thought he was a famous painter from nineteenth century. His disorder was refractory to mood stabilizers monotherapy and to many neuroleptic and, like olanzapine 30 mg/day, depot risperidone, zuclopenthixol, haloperidol, palmitate paliperidone, He was on treatment with lithium 1200 mg/day (lithemia 0.62 prior to admission) and oral aripiprazole 15 mg/day that he was not taking regularly. Poor compliance to oral treatment. No awareness of illness. Results during the patient admission, we started long-acting aripiprazole 400 mg per 28–30 days. First 3 days he persisted dysphoric, hostile, and showing delusions of mind being read. From the fourth day, delusions disappeared and later he was calmer and more friendly, He was discharged 9 days later fully euthymic. For 6 months follow-up, the patient came once a month to community center for aripiprazole injection and he was taking lithium regularly. Last lithemia 0.65 mEQ/L. Conclusion Long-acting antipsychotics, like depot aripiprazole could be a useful alternative to oral medication, specially when there is no awareness of illness and there is low adherence to oral treatment.