What Are Mood Stabilisers and Why Might They Be Prescribed
Mood stabiliser is a broad term used for medicines that can help manage significant changes in mood in conditions such as bipolar disorder.
Mood stabiliser is a broad term used for medicines that can help manage significant changes in mood in conditions such as bipolar disorder.
It is not one single type of medicine. Different medicines used as mood stabilisers can come from different drug groups and have different effects, risks and monitoring requirements.
Being prescribed a mood stabiliser does not tell you everything about your diagnosis or how long you will need treatment. Those questions should be discussed with the clinician responsible for your care.
What does ‘stabilising mood’ mean?
In clinical care, mood stabilisation is concerned with reducing or preventing episodes of unusually high, unusually low or markedly changing mood where these form part of a recognised mental-health condition.
That is different from ordinary day-to-day changes in emotion.
A general guide cannot tell you whether changes in your own mood require medication or whether a particular medicine is appropriate.
Why are different types of medicine used?
Some medicines commonly described as mood stabilisers were developed specifically for mood disorders, while others belong to drug classes that also have other medical uses.
This can make the terminology confusing.
The important question is not what category a medicine originally came from, but why it has been prescribed for you and what your clinical team expects it to help.
Why might monitoring be important?
Some mood-stabilising medicines require regular blood tests or other physical-health checks.
For example, NICE recommends ongoing clinical and laboratory monitoring for lithium because safe and effective treatment depends on keeping track of the medicine and its effects on the body.
Other medicines can have different monitoring requirements.
MH360 does not reproduce target blood levels, testing schedules or instructions because these should come from the healthcare professionals managing the prescription.
Interactions and physical health can matter
Some mood-stabilising medicines can interact with other prescribed medicines, over-the-counter products, illness or changes in physical health.
Tell your GP, specialist team or pharmacist what medicines and supplements you use and ask before making changes that could affect your prescription.
If you have been given a monitoring plan or medicine-specific safety information, keep it available and follow the advice provided by your clinical team.
Do not stop because you feel well
Feeling better can naturally raise questions about whether medication is still needed.
That question belongs in a medication review. NICE advises that treatment decisions should take account of benefits, risks, relapse prevention and the person’s circumstances.
Do not stop or change a mood-stabilising medicine because symptoms have improved or because somebody else stopped theirs.
Questions worth taking to a review
You may want to ask what the medicine is intended to help, what monitoring is required, what side effects or interactions you should know about, what changes in your health should be reported and when the treatment will next be reviewed.
Those questions help you understand your care without turning general information into treatment instructions.
Last reviewed
6 September 2026
Important medication and mental health information
This guide provides general information only and is not medical advice. It is not intended to recommend any particular medicine, treatment, dose, change to medication or course of action.
Medicines can affect people differently. The appropriate treatment will depend on your individual circumstances, health, other medicines you take and the reason treatment has been prescribed.
Do not start, stop, reduce, increase, change or switch prescribed medication based on information in this guide. If you have questions or concerns about your medication, side effects, missed doses, withdrawal symptoms, monitoring or whether treatment is helping, speak to your GP, prescribing clinician, pharmacist or another appropriately qualified healthcare professional.
Some medicines used in mental-health treatment can require regular clinical monitoring or can be associated with withdrawal symptoms or other important risks. Follow the monitoring and prescribing advice given for your own medicine.
If you think you may be experiencing a serious reaction to medication, seek urgent medical advice.
If you or somebody else is in immediate danger or there is a life-threatening emergency, call 999 or go to A&E. If you are experiencing a mental health crisis and need urgent help but it is not a life-threatening emergency, contact NHS 111 and select the mental health option, or use your local NHS urgent mental health service.