• Home
  • Store
    • Newsletter Subscriptions
    • Multimedia Subscriptions
    • Books
    • eBooks
    • ABPN SA Courses
  • CME Center
  • Multimedia
    • Podcast
    • Webinars
    • Blog
  • Newsletters
    • General Psychiatry
    • Child Psychiatry
    • Addiction Treatment
    • Hospital Psychiatry
    • Geriatric Psychiatry
    • Psychotherapy and Social Work
  • Log In
  • Register
  • Welcome
  • Sign Out
  • Subscribe
Home » In Brief

In Brief

May 7, 2020
From The Carlat Psychiatry Report
Issue Links: Learning Objectives | Editorial Information | PDF of Issue

Psychiatric Effects of the Chloroquines: During the coronavirus outbreak, prescriptions for chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine have climbed 5-fold to 10-fold as as people turn to these experimental therapies for COVID-19. Their psychiatric properties are worth knowing. The chloroquines readily cross the blood-brain barrier, where they create a number of undesirable effects, increasing serotonin, acetylcholine, and glutamatergic transmission and causing toxic metabolites to accumulate. The drugs have known associations with suicide, psychosis, mania, and depression (Mascolo A et al, Inflammopharmacology 2018;26(5):1141–1149).


Drug interactions are another problem. As moderate CYP2D6 inhibitors, the chloroquines can raise levels of many psychiatric medications. They also prolong QTc and increase the risk of neutropenia on clozapine. These effects can linger, as the chloroquines have unusually long half-lives of 20–40 days.


Lithium and the Coronavirus: Lithium has also been proposed as a potential therapy for COVID-19. Lithium improves immune function, increasing neutrophils, lymphocytes, leukocytes, and natural killer cells. It also has direct antiviral activity. It has been used to treat herpes and impedes the replication of over a dozen viruses, including four coronavirus strands. Lithium has never been tested against the current novel coronavirus (Nowalk JK and Walkowiak J, F1000Research 2020;9(93)).


While lithium’s properties may be welcome news for patients who are taking it, they should be warned that viral illnesses raise the risk of lithium toxicity, mainly through dehydration, diarrhea, and the use of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatories (NSAIDs), which raise lithium levels by unpredictable degrees.


General Psychiatry
    www.thecarlatreport.com
    Issue Date: May 7, 2020
    SUBSCRIBE NOW
    Table Of Contents
    CME Post-Test - Telepsychiatry, TCPR, May 2020
    In Brief
    Trazodone: The Forgotten Antidepressant
    Telepsychiatry: From Crisis to Opportunity
    A Potentially Lethal Side Effect You Probably Never Heard Of
    Study Ignites Controversy Over Trazodone and Suicide
    DOWNLOAD NOW
    Featured Book
    • PB4e_Cover2.png

      Psychiatry Practice Boosters, Fourth Edition (2023)

      Teaches you the key points of 63 of the most clinically relevant studies in psychiatry.
      READ MORE
    Featured Video
    • therapist_canstockphoto9201097.jpg
      General Psychiatry

      Using SAMe In Clinical Practice with Garrett Rossi, MD

      Read More
    Featured Podcast
    • canstockphoto6759394.jpg
      General Psychiatry

      Throwback Thursday: Brief Therapy for ADHD

      You started a stimulant medication for a young woman with ADHD. When she returns her symptoms are 70% better, but what can we do about the rest? Today a conversation with...

      Listen now
    Recommended
    • Approaches to Autism Intervention

      January 31, 2022
      canstockphoto2240982_child-bubbles_thumb.jpg
    • Currently Available Cannabis Products

      September 1, 2022
    • Interpreting Assessment Discrepancies from Multiple Sources

      October 17, 2022
      ChildAssessment.png
    • Approaches to Autism Intervention

      January 31, 2022
      canstockphoto2240982_child-bubbles_thumb.jpg
    • Currently Available Cannabis Products

      September 1, 2022
    • Interpreting Assessment Discrepancies from Multiple Sources

      October 17, 2022
      ChildAssessment.png
    • Approaches to Autism Intervention

      January 31, 2022
      canstockphoto2240982_child-bubbles_thumb.jpg
    • Currently Available Cannabis Products

      September 1, 2022
    • Interpreting Assessment Discrepancies from Multiple Sources

      October 17, 2022
      ChildAssessment.png

    About

    • About Us
    • CME Center
    • FAQ
    • Contact Us

    Shop Online

    • Newsletters
    • Multimedia Subscriptions
    • Books
    • eBooks
    • ABPN Self-Assessment Courses

    Newsletters

    • The Carlat Psychiatry Report
    • The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report
    • The Carlat Addiction Treatment Report
    • The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report
    • The Carlat Geriatric Psychiatry Report
    • The Carlat Psychotherapy Report

    Contact

    info@thecarlatreport.com

    866-348-9279

    PO Box 626, Newburyport MA 01950

    Follow Us

    Please see our Terms and Conditions, Privacy Policy, Subscription Agreement, Use of Cookies, and Hardware/Software Requirements to view our website.

    © 2023 Carlat Publishing, LLC and Affiliates, All Rights Reserved.