prescribing-patterns | CARLAT PUBLISHING

The “Z-Drugs”: Safety Issues and Misuse Potential

June 10, 2020

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

Once heralded for their relative safety compared to benzodiazepines, the “Z-drugs” are now known to be one of the most common causes of adverse drug events. Here we review the risks of Z-drugs and highlight updated dosing recommendations for zolpidem.

Muscle Relaxants: Sedatives Often Under the Radar

June 10, 2020

Michael Weaver, MD, FASAM.

Michael Weaver, MD, FASAM. Professor and medical director at the Center for Neurobehavioral Research on Addictions at the University of Texas Medical School. Author of Addiction Treatment (Carlat Publishing, 2017). Dr. Weaver has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Muscle relaxants encompass medications with different mechanisms of action—many of which have been used for decades. Yet most are sedating, can have significant side effects, and can interact with opioids and other substances to worsen CNS and respiratory depression.

EXPERT Q&A

Benzodiazepines: Old Medicines, New Concerns

June 10, 2020

Kenneth Morford, MD

Kenneth Morford, MD
Assistant Professor and Program Director, Collaborative Behavioral Health & Addiction Medicine in Primary Care (CHAMP) at Yale School of Medicine. Dr. Morford has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Benzodiazepine use is on the rise, and is implicated with a significant portion of opioid-related overdose deaths. Dr. Morford gives the latest on benzodiazepine prevalence and suggests strategies to employ in addiction treatment settings when working with patients who use benzodiazepines.

Prescribing Patterns for Children With Anxiety Disorders

June 11, 2019

Pavan Madan, MD.

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

Anxiety disorders are some of the most common conditions we encounter in children and adolescents, and clinicians employ a variety of medications to treat them. This study examined prescribing patterns for the initial treatment of pediatric anxiety.