Pharmacology - Articles - Page 3

Amphetamines and Topiramate for Cocaine Use Disorder

June 10, 2020

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

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.

Does Baclofen Titrated to High Doses Reduce Alcohol Use?

June 10, 2020

Thomas Jordan, MD.

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

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.

Gabapentin for Alcohol Use Disorder, Redux

June 10, 2020

Rehan Aziz, MD.

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

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.

Oxcarbazepine: Close, but no Cigar

March 9, 2020

Oxcarbazepine is thought of as a kinder, gentler cousin of carbamazepine, but it brings new safety issues of its own and does not fully escape the drug interactions that hinder carbamazepine. We pull on the published and unpublished trials to figure out where this anticonvulsant stands in bipolar disorder.

Lumateperone and lemborexant

March 9, 2020

The antipsychotic lumateperone (Caplyta) and the hypnotic lemborexant (Dayvigo) are the newest in their class. Both of them claim to improve on the safety of older medications, and we look at the data to see how those claims hold up.

Optimal Antidepressant Doses in Major Depression

March 9, 2020

Kristen Gardner, PharmD.

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

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.

Highlight From This Issue

March 9, 2020

Quick summary of the issue.

Agitation in Dementia (Part 1)

February 17, 2020

Nuedexta. A 60 year old cough medicine gets approve for uncontrollable crying, but the drug company has its eyes on a bigger target: Agitation in dementia. Follow the trail of pseudoscience, bribery, and indictments, and learn a few clinical pearls about this dextromethorphan-quinidine combination along the way.Published On: 2/17/20Duration: 15 minutes, 51...

An Answer for Psychotic Depression

February 10, 2020

Randall Moore, MD.

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

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.

PrEP: Introduction to the Basics

November 22, 2019

With the rate of new HIV infections at just under 40,000 new infections per year, it is important for addiction practitioners to be on the front lines of HIV prevention. This article and corresponding table cover the pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) with Truvada.