Antipsychotics - Articles - Page 5

Sleepwalking on Antipsychotics and Lithium

November 5, 2021

Thomas Jordan, MD. Dr. Jordan has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Sleepwalking is a rare side effect on psychiatric medications, particularly hypnotics and antidepressants. A new analysis explores whether lithium and the antipsychotics should be added to that list.

EXPERT Q&A

The Schizophrenia-OCD Overlap

September 28, 2021

Michael Poyurovsky, MD

Michael Poyurovsky, MD

Ma’ale HaCarmel Mental Health Center, Tirat Carmel, Israel; Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Haifa, Israel. Dr. Poyurovsky has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

OCD and schizophrenia often overlap, but treatment of this comorbidity is risky terrain. Dr. Poyurovsky explains when antidepressants should be avoided and details which antipsychotics are more likely to exacerbate OCD and which ones are more likely to help it.

Q&A

Treating Agitation in Patients with Dementia

September 13, 2021

Eran Metzger, MD

Eran Metzger, MD

Medical Director of Psychiatry, Hebrew SeniorLife, Boston, MA. Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

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

The behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia can be challenging to manage. Dr. Metzger discusses his approach in the diagnosis and treatment of agitated patients with dementia.

Medications to Rapidly Treat Psychotic Agitation

September 13, 2021

Daniel Carlat, MD

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Editor in Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View UCLA Medical Center.

Daniel Carlat, MD. Publisher, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Hendrick and Dr. Carlat have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

How do you choose medications to calm an acutely psychotic and agitated patient? We'll tell you which ones are the safest and most effective.

IM Olanzapine Plus Benzodiazepines: Safe or Unsafe?

September 13, 2021

Daniel Carlat, MD

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Editor in Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report. Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View UCLA Medical Center.

Daniel Carlat, MD. Publisher, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report.

Dr. Hendrick and Dr. Carlat have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

If you have ever tried to electronically prescribe IM olanzapine with an IM/IV/subcutaneous benzodiazepine, you have probably received an interaction alert warning about the potential for excessive sedation and cardiorespiratory depression. Is this warning justified? Let’s look at the data.

Finally, Effective Treatments for Tardive Dyskinesia

May 21, 2021

Farah Khorassani, PharmD.

Farah Khorassani, PharmD. Clinical Assistant Professor of Pharmacy Practice, St. John’s University, Queens, NY. Dr. Khorassani has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

VMAT-2 inhibitors significantly reduce the symptoms of tardive dyskinesia. We learn how to prescribe them and what side effects and drug interactions to watch for.

In Brief: Lamotrigine Gets a New Warning

May 4, 2021

Chris Aiken, MD, and Sarah Rivelli, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD, and Sarah Rivelli, MD. Dr. Aiken and Dr. Rivelli have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

A new warning now sits beneath the list of life-threatening allergic reactions that can happen with lamotrigine. The anticonvulsant is suspected of causing cardiac arrhythmias in susceptible patients by slowing ventricular conduction and widening the QRS.

Antipsychotic Dosing: How High?

April 12, 2021

Paul Barkopoulos, MD.

Paul Barkopoulos, MD. Dr. Barkopoulos has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

How high should we go when dosing antipsychotics in schizophrenia? A recent meta-analysis of 68 studies examined dose-response relationships in randomized controlled trials of antipsychotic medications for schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

Antipsychotic Use Associated With Increased Risk of Mortality

March 11, 2021

Michael Posternak, MD.

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

The study is not without flaws, but it raises some concerns about the long term health-effects of antipsychotic augmentation.

How to Switch Antipsychotics

February 3, 2021

Peter Smith, PsyD.

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

Should you stop the old antipsychotic and start the new? Or gradually cross-taper them? This new meta-analysis compared three titration strategies to find the best way to switch from one antipsychotic to another in schizophrenia.