Pharmacology - Articles - Page 7

Tips for Good Medication Practice

June 28, 2019

The following are some recommendations on good medication practice from child psychiatrist Mark Chenven, MD, who offered his expertise in The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report:Start low, go slow: Most side effects are dose related, so gradual up-titration is simple common sense. This allows for the body’s homeostatic and regulatory mechanisms...

Managing Medications with Adolescents

June 20, 2019

Just getting adolescents to even find their medicine or remember to take it is a big challenge, says Jess Shatkin, MD, Professor of Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatrics at the New York University School of Medicine, and author of “Born to be Wild: Why Teens Take Risks, and How We Can...

Ginger Ale and Normal Hallucinations

June 10, 2019

Does ginger ale really help nausea? Are hallucinations ever normal? Some of the answers may surprise as we bring you highlights from the June/July double issue of the Carlat Report. Included are practical tips on how to assess spectrum symptoms of mental illnesses, how to intervene in patients at risk...

A Second Look at Genetic Testing

March 29, 2019

Chris Aiken, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD.
Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Aiken has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Genetic tests are marketed with a bold claim: that a handful of genes can predict medication response. AssureRx’s GeneSight is the most popular of these tests, and in 2015 we reviewed the evidence behind its panel. In short, it was lacking, but the company has just released new data that may move it a little closer to the mainstream.

Ask the Editor: Should You Prescribe Lithium to Suicidal Patients?

March 29, 2019

Chris Aiken, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD.

Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.

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

It would seem intuitive, then, that withholding lithium, which is toxic in overdose, from a suicidal patient is a safe move. However, intuition doesn’t match up with the evidence here.

Benzodiazepines in Children and Adolescents

March 1, 2018

Murat Pakyurek, MD

Murat Pakyurek, MD Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry Division, University of California, Davis Medical Center Dr. Pakyurek has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Because of their quick action, benzodiazepines (BZDs) are frequently prescribed to treat patients with anxiety and other conditions. However, clinicians need to consider the potential for unintended and problematic consequences of benzodiazepine use.

The History of Depakote

July 1, 2008

Valproate originally saw the light of day in the German laboratory of Beverly Burton, in 1882. She was engaged in research on fatty acids, and synthesized a new one, called 2-propylvaleric acid.