Which one of the following drugs is a mood stabilizer?

Appeared in: SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)

Explanation

Lithium Carbonate is the prototypical mood-stabilizing drug, indicated for the treatment of manic episodes in bipolar disorder and for maintenance therapy to prevent or diminish the intensity of subsequent episodes.
Its mechanism of action is thought to involve altering sodium ion transport in nerve cells and potentiating serotonergic neurotransmission, which helps stabilize mood.
Unlike other drugs listed, its primary therapeutic purpose is to manage the underlying mood swings of bipolar disorder, not just anxiety, depression, or psychosis alone.

Option A: Librium (chlordiazepoxide) is a benzodiazepine. Its primary action is anxiolytic (anti-anxiety) and sedative.
Option C: Tofranil (imipramine) is a tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) used to treat major depressive disorder.
Option D: Haloperidol is a typical (first-generation) antipsychotic drug used to treat psychosis and control acute agitation.

Clinical Relevance

Nursing practice connection: This is primarily an exam-oriented knowledge point with limited direct bedside application, so retain Pharmacology: Classification of psychotropic medications, specifically mood stabilizers as background academic context rather than a clinical decision trigger.
Accurate drug classification is fundamental to safe nursing practice. Administering the wrong class of psychotropic medication can lead to ineffective treatment or severe adverse events, such as inducing mania in a bipolar patient by giving an antidepressant alone.
A critical nursing responsibility for patients on Lithium is monitoring for toxicity due to its narrow therapeutic index (0.6-1.2 mEq/L). Early signs like nausea, vomiting, and coarse tremors require immediate intervention and reporting.
Patient education regarding consistent salt and fluid intake is a key safety measure to prevent fluctuations in lithium levels.

How to Approach the Question

First, identify the core of the question, which asks to identify a 'mood stabilizer' from a list of drugs.
This is a factual recall question based on pharmacological knowledge of psychotropic medications.
Mentally classify each drug option into its respective therapeutic category:
Librium: Benzodiazepine (Anxiolytic)
Lithium Carbonate: Mood Stabilizer
Tofranil: Tricyclic Antidepressant (TCA)

Concept Tested & Keywords

Concept Tested: Pharmacology: Classification of psychotropic medications, specifically mood stabilizers.
Stem keywords: drug, mood stabilizer
Lead-in keywords: Which one
Negative lead-in flag: false

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E6 Pharmacology Nursing Lilley 11e Part 1 p. 272-274

E6 Kaplan Sadock's Synopsis of Psychiatry-2022 (pp 1-3768 of 3768) p. 2046-2048

E6 Pharmacology KD Tripathi Essentials 9e Part 2 p. 118-120

Practise the full SCTIMST Staff Nurse - 2015 (Set-A)

Attempt every question from this paper in a timed mock, then review the full solution for each one.