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Tamoxifen for Bipolar Disorder

Tamoxifen is an oral medication that has been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for the treatment and prevention of breast cancer. The drug works by blocking the normal activity of the female hormone, estrogen. New evidence indicates that tamoxifen is also effective in reducing certain symptoms associated with bipolar disorder.

  1. Identification

    • Bipolar disorder is a disorder of the brain that is marked by severe mood swings and rapid changes in the patient's energy level along with unusually intense emotional states. People suffering from bipolar disorder were formerly called manic-depressives due to the wild shifts in their personalities. Because the symptoms can apply to a number of different disorders, bipolar disorder can be difficult to diagnose.

    Features

    • It is believed that the protein kinase C enzyme (PKC), which is important for regulating brain cell activity, becomes overactive in patients suffering from bipolar disorder during their manic period. Previous medications worked to alleviate symptoms by interfering with PKC indirectly through biochemical reactions.

    Function

    • Unlike earlier treatment options, tamoxifen acts to block the effects of PKC directly in much the same way that it interferes with the activity of the estrogen hormone. The result is a medication that works much faster than existing medications to alleviate symptoms of the manic phase of bipolar disorder.

    Considerations

    • Tamoxifen treatment for bipolar disorder is still in the experimental phase as of 2009. Current formulations typically take a week or more to become effective, but the discovery that PKC blockers are effective in treating bipolar disorder opens the door for faster acting medications to be developed.

    Warning

    • Long-term use of tamoxifen may be linked to the development of endometrial cancer. Tamoxifen is also an effective estrogen blocker, which makes it useful in the treatment of breast cancer. However, because estrogen has been shown to play a role in protecting women against heart attack, tamoxifen may not be appropriate for patients who are at a higher risk for heart attack. Physicians can best determine whether tamoxifen is an appropriate treatment for an individual after a thorough examination and medical history.

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