Carbamazepine or valproic acid? Both have been used to augment lithium for decades, but which one works best? A new trial tests them head-to-head.

Small studies have shown promise for treating cocaine use disorder with combination amphetamine salts/topiramate. In this larger trial, the combination was tested against a placebo.

Previous trials of baclofen for alcohol use disorder have used fixed or rather low doses, and the results have been mixed. This was the first randomized trial to allow up-titration of the dose depending on the patient’s response.

Which patients with alcohol use disorder might benefit from gabapentin most? This randomized controlled trial focused on gabapentin’s impact on alcohol use among patients with alcohol use disorder and who had also had alcohol withdrawal symptoms in the past.

More is not necessarily better in psychopharmacology. Some medications have plateau effect, while others follow a “U-shaped curve,” causing more problems as the dose goes too high. This metaanalysis looked at 77 dose-response trials with antidepressants to quantify their optimal therapeutic window.

Research often does not describe the patients who come to our clinics. One of the chief reasons for this is that research studies typically have exclusion criteria that creates more pure populations of subjects with one diagnosis while comorbid diagnosis is more the rule than the exception in child and adolescent mental health care. This article will help clinicians to grapple with this thorny problem.

Research tells us how to start meds, but rarely when to stop them. This study brings some needed answers on discontinuing antipsychotics after recovery from psychotic depression.

Prolonged exposure is one of the best treatments available for patients with PTSD. This study examines the advantages of using prolonged exposure for patients who have PTSD with co-occurring alcohol use disorder.

This research update unpacks the details behind the landmark “EAGLES” trial (Evaluating Adverse Events in a Global Smoking Cessation Study), which led to the removal of the varenicline black box warning.

This research update summarizes the results of the landmark COMBINE study which evaluated the effectiveness of stand-alone and combined pharmacological and behavioral interventions for treating alcohol use disorder.