Psychopharmacology_tips - Articles - Page 7

Four Newer Antidepressants: Should You Use Them?

April 1, 2016

Steve Balt, MD and Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP

Steve Balt, MD Research fellow, Addiction Pharmacology Research Laboratory, California Pacific Medical Center Dr. Balt discloses that his spouse is employed as a sales representative for Bristol Myers Squibb. Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP Clinical psychopharmacology consultant in private practice, Los Angeles, CA. Dr. Puzantian has disclosed that she has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial company pertaining to this educational activity.

Since 2011, 3 new antidepressants have been approved by the FDA, and another (ketamine) has been generating buzz as a potential off-label medication for depression. In this article, we’ll take a step back and review the data on vilazodone (Viibryd), levomilnacipran (Fetzima), vortioxetine (Brintellix), and ketamine.

Thinking Creatively About Treatment-Resistant Depression

April 1, 2016

J. Alexander Bodkin, MD

J. Alexander Bodkin, MD Director of the Clinical Psychopharmacology Research Program at McLean Hospital in Belmont, MA; assistant professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School Dr. Bodkin has disclosed that he has been a principal investigator in a study of brexpiprazole. Dr. Carlat has reviewed his interview and has found no evidence of bias in this educational activity.

Dr. Bodkin discusses methods for approaching treatment resistant depression and his perspective on depressive illness as a final common pathway for a number of different brain problems.

How to Treat Opiate Use Disorders

March 1, 2016

Michael Weaver, MD, FASAM

Michael Weaver, MD, FASAM.

Professor and medical director at the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions at the University of Texas Medical School.

Dr. Weaver has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Opiate use disorder is increasingly common, and it is important to develop a systematic approach for treating it. In this article, I will discuss some of the more important elements of treatment, starting with the need to address patients’ denial and moving on to some of the nitty gritty aspects of medication-assisted treatment.

Naloxone and the Harm Reduction Approach

March 1, 2016

Eliza Wheeler, MA, MS

Eliza Wheeler, MA, MS

DOPE (Drug Overdose Prevention Education) project manager, San Francisco Bay Area

Ms. Wheeler has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity

Eliza Wheeler gives her insight into harm reduction as a model for practicing public health that seeks to provide services in a nonjudgmental way. Harm reduction seeks behavior change while acknowledging the need to meet a person where they are—especially in their particular journey through substance use. Abstinence is not a prerequisite for treatment or a condition that someone must meet to receive services.

Before You Write That Prescription: Guidelines for Ordering Lab Tests

November 1, 2015

Rajnish Mago, MD

Rajnish Mago, MD Director, Mood Disorders Program, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, Thomas Jefferson University Dr. Mago discloses that he has received research grants from Alkermes, Allergan (formerly Forest Laboratories), Genomind, and Takeda, and that he has been a paid consultant to Genomind, Guidepoint Global, Otsuka, and Lundbeck. Dr. Carlat has reviewed this article and found no evidence of bias in this educational activity.

Mental health clinicians often ask for a single, black-and-white answer to the question: Which lab tests should I order before starting this particular medication? Inevitably, the answer is that it depends. Here are some guidelines that are useful.

Distinguishing Between Medical and Psychiatric Conditions

November 1, 2015

Barbara Schildkrout, MD

Barbara Schildkrout, MD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Part-Time Harvard Medical School, in the Department of Psychiatry at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts. Author of “Unmasking Psychological Symptoms” and “Masquerading Symptoms,” both published by John Wiley and Sons, Inc.

Dr. Schildkrout has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Dr. Schildkrout discusses strategies for differentiating medical and psychiatric disorders. The interview covers how mental health professionals can catch red flags for medical conditions such as dimentia and seizures.

Cariprazine (Vraylar): A drug for negative symptoms? Don’t be positive.

November 1, 2015

Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP

Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP Clinical psychopharmacology consultant in private practice, Los Angeles, CA. www.taliapuzantian.com Dr. Puzantian has disclosed that she has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial company pertaining to this educational activity.

On September 17, the FDA approved cariprazine (Vraylar) for the treatment of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. There’s already some buzz about whether this medication has advantages over other atypicals for treating negative symptoms of schizophrenia.

Antidepressant Use in Children and Teenagers

November 1, 2015

This Expert Q&A covers key things that John Walkup, MD, looks for in child and adolescent patients with depression to determine how they are likely to respond to different kinds of medication.

Foster Care and Child Psychiatry: A Primer

September 1, 2015

Glen R. Elliott, PhD, MD

Nearly one in three foster children have significant psychiatric problems during their time in foster care—especially those related to trauma and neglect that brought them into the system. This article is a brief primer on how foster care works, and how psychiatrists get involved.

A Narcolepsy Primer, With a Focus on Xyrem

September 1, 2015

Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP and Daniel Carlat, MD

Talia Puzantian, PharmD, BCPP Clinical psychopharmacology consultant in private practice, Los Angeles, CA. www.taliapuzantian.com Dr. Puzantian has disclosed that she has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial company pertaining to this educational activity. Daniel Carlat, MD Editor-in-Chief, Publisher, The Carlat Report. Dr. Carlat has disclosed that he has no relevant relationships or financial interests in any commercial company pertaining to this educational activity.

Narcolepsy affects about 1 out of 2000 people, for a prevalence rate of 0.05%. This puts it officially in the category of rare diseases. So why are we asking you to read about such a rare disorder? Partly because there’s a lot of comorbidity between narcolepsy and most psychiatric disorders. And partly because Jazz Pharmaceuticals is placing lots of ads in psychiatric journals urging us to diagnose more narcolepsy so that we’ll use their new drug Xyrem.