Gabapentin (Neurontin) is a “novel anticonvulsant” and is FDA indicated for partial seizures and post-herpetic neuralgia. But the drug has long been heavily marketed to psychiatrists to treat a range of conditions from bipolar disorder to anxiety to alcohol withdrawal

As clinicians, we’re more interested in preventing excessive drinking than curing hangovers. But it’s always nice to have some helpful advice for patients, which we found in a recently published literature review of clinical trials of hangover treatments.

A challenging barrier for patients with opi­oid use disorders is the discomfort that can occur during the “induction phase” of their treatment, which is the period between discontinuation of opioids and initiation of medication-assisted therapy (MAT).

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After reading these articles, you should be able to…

We’re pleased to introduce Kirk J. Brower, MD, as the new editor-in-chief of The Carlat Addiction Treatment Report. Dr. Brower is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Michigan (UM) Medical School. He graduated from medical school at the University of California at Irvine, and completed his residency in psychiatry at UCLA.

In this article, I’ll start by briefly outlining what the research tells us about the risks of substance use to the fetus. The more informed you are about these risks, the more persuasive and helpful you can be to patients. I’ll then move on to discussing how, as an OB/GYN, I approach the evaluation and treatment of these patients, emphasizing issues of interest to clinicians.

Typically, the most frequent problem that I’m referred is the pregnant patient who’s dependent on opioids. And this could be either someone who’s using illicit drugs, such as heroin, or is prescribed prescription opioids.

Mindfulness is a growing trend in mental health treatment, but it often requires hours of practice to become proficient. What if you could provide your patients with an introductory mindfulness lesson in less than 15 minutes and see meaningful reductions in their risky drinking?

Research has shown that heavy cannabis use is associated with new-onset psychosis, so a study exploring the drug’s use as a treatment for schizophrenia is surprising, to say the least.