Benzodiazepines - Articles - Page 4

A Longer Acting Lorazepam

March 4, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report.

The straight facts on Loreev, a new extended-release formulation of lorazepam (Ativan).

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.

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.

CLINICAL UPDATE

Six Tips for Working With Older Adults

March 26, 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.

Rehan Aziz, MD, explains how to interview older adults and which medications to use and which ones to avoid in this population.

How to Come Off a Psych Med Part 2: Antidepressants, Stimulants, and Benzos

March 11, 2021

Swapnil Gupta, MD

Swapnil Gupta, MD

Associate Professor at Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Co-author of Deprescribing in Psychiatry (Oxford, 2019). Dr. Gupta has disclosed that she has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

What do you do when a patient comes to you on a high dose of Adderall and Klonopin without any clear reason to be on them? Swapnil Gupta tackles this in part II of our interview on deprescribing, and describes how to fine-tune and microdose antidepressants and benzodiazepines to manage withdrawal symptoms.

Buspirone: Still Effective After All These Years?

February 3, 2021

Eugene Rubin, MD.

Eugene Rubin, MD. Psychiatrist in private practice, Bingham Farms, MI. Dr. Rubin has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Buspirone (Buspar) is approved for generalized anxiety disorder, but its efficacy there is often questioned. Here we find out how it stacks up against the benzos and SSRIs, and explore its off-label potential in depression, sexual dysfunction, alcoholism, traumatic brain injury, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

Rest Easy: Benzos, Z-Drugs, and Dementia

December 31, 2020

James Jenkins, MD.

James Jenkins, MD. Dr. Jenkins has disclosed that he has stock in Alkermes, Sage Therapeutics, Teva Pharmaceutical Industries, Trevena, and Viatris. Dr. Aiken has reviewed this article and has found no evidence of bias pertaining to this educational activity.

It may not be perfect, but this study has the best data yet on the controversial link between benzodiazepines and dementia.

Is Ramelteon an Effective Hypnotic?

November 12, 2020

Randall Moore, MD, JD. and Chris Aiken, MD.

Randall Moore, MD, JD. Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine. Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of TCPR. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Moore and Dr. Aiken have disclosed that they have no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Ramelteon (Rozerem) is one of the safer sleep medications, but how well does its efficacy stack up against other hypnotics? The answer surprised us.