Treatment with lithium, alone or in combination with olanzapine, relieves oxidative stress but increases atherogenic lipids in bipolar disorder.

The changes in antioxidant-oxidant balance play important roles in the pathophysiology of neuropsychiatric conditions. Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric condition with recurrent mood disturbances. This study evaluates the effects of treatment with lithium, alone or in combination with antipsychotic olanzapine, on oxidant-antioxidant status and atherogenic character in patients with BD. The blood samples from 15 patients were tested before the treatment (pre-treatment phase) and at the ends of two consecutive treatment periods: period I, treatment with lithium and an antipsychotic drug, olanzapine (first 6 months) and period II, treatment with only lithium (6 months following period I). We measured serum atherogenic lipids (total cholesterol, triglycerides, and LDL-cholesterol), plasma lipid peroxides (thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances), antioxidant enzymes (glutathione peroxidase, superoxide dismutase, and catalase) in neutrophils and lymphocytes, and total antioxidant status in plasma. Compared with pre-treatment phase, the lipid parameters were increased with each treatment; especially, LDL-cholesterol was significantly increased only with lithium treatment. These findings alert to be cautious about use of lithium in patients with atherogenic conditions. Moreover, plasma lipid peroxides were decreased significantly after the combination therapy and further decreased with lithium treatment. Antioxidant enzyme activities in lymphocytes were decreased after both types of treatment. Importantly, plasma total antioxidant status was increased only with lithium treatment. Thus, treatment with lithium alone decreases already up-set oxidant status in BD. In conclusion, the combination therapy with olanzapine is better in terms of atherogenic profile, while lithium alone produces better antioxidant status in patients with BD.