Lithium prophylaxis of corticotropin-induced psychosis
W. E. Falk, M. W. Mahnke and D. C. Poskanzer
Corticotropin is one of the few accepted treatments for acute exacerbations
of multiple sclerosis and retrobulbar neuritis. Psychosis is a serious side
effect usually necessitating discontinuation of the drug therapy. Because
mood disorders preponderated in most patients previously described with
this psychosis, 27 patients were empirically treated with lithium carbonate
concurrently with corticotropin. In none of the patients treated with
lithium did a psychotic reaction occur, although in a comparable group of
44 patients previously treated identically with corticotropin but without
lithium, six (14%) became psychotic.
