Pharmacotherapy - Articles | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Research Update

Best Evidence-Based Pharmacotherapy Options for Sleep in PTSD

February 24, 2026

Sy Clark, MD

Sy Clark, MD. Dr. Clark has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

A sweeping review of 99 RCTs identifies which medications actually improve sleep, nightmares, and sleep quality in PTSD

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CLINICAL UPDATE

Pharmacotherapy for Panic Disorder: What Therapists Need to Know

August 6, 2024

Daniel Carlat, MD

Daniel Carlat, MD. Medical Director of Inpatient Psychiatry/Chairman of Psychiatry at Melrose Wakefield Healthcare. Publisher, Carlat Publishing.

Dr. Carlat has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

An overview of current pharmacotherapy for panic disorder, including the use of antidepressants, benzodiazepines, and emerging treatments like pregabalin, as well as the importance of combining medication with psychotherapy and guidance for therapists when discussing medication concerns with their clients.

Clinical Update

Special Report: Refractory Anxiety Disorders Part 1: First-Line Treatments

March 1, 2024

Sarah Rivelli, MD.

Sarah K. Rivelli, MD, FACP, FAPA. System Director, Consult Liaison, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Medicine, Carilion Clinic. Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Psychiatry Report; Assistant Professor, NYU Langone Department of Psychiatry; practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.

The authors have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

When it comes to anxiety disorders, first-line options are more or less the same: SSRIs, SNRIs, and psychotherapy. But when those don’t work, a broader array of options opens up, and the choice is different for each disorder.

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.

Anticholinergic Drugs and Risk of Cognitive Impairment and Dementia

September 13, 2021

Shelly L. Gray, PharmD

Shelly L. Gray, PharmD

Professor and Plein Endowed Director, Plein Center for Geriatric Pharmacy Research, School of Pharmacy, University of Washington, Seattle, WA.

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

Might anticholinergic medications increase the risk of long-term cognitive impairment? Dr. Gray reviews the data.

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.

Can We Treat Depression by Targeting Inflammation?

September 13, 2021

Christina Guest, MD.

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

If inflammation plays a role in mood, it makes sense to explore the effects of antibiotics on depression. This study does just that.

Psilocybin: The New Holy Grail for the Rapid Relief of Major Depression?

July 14, 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.

Like ketamine, psilocybin works quickly to relieve depression, but it’s not habit-forming and its effects might last longer.

Pharmacotherapy for Stimulant Use Disorders

May 21, 2021

Rehan Aziz, MD.

Rehan Aziz, MD. Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology, Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Aziz has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

There are no approved pharmacotherapies for stimulant use disorders. Lots of medications have been studied and the results have been mixed. Here we provide you with the latest data, and some treatment recommendations.

Diagnosing and Treating Stimulant Use Disorders

May 21, 2021

Adriane dela Cruz, MD, PhD

Adriane dela Cruz, MD, PhD

Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX. Dr. dela Cruz has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Dr. de la Cruz gives advice for working with patients with addiction to prescription and illicit stimulants. She provides concrete strategies for diagnosis, harm reduction, evidence-based treatments, and contingency management in this challenging patient population.