psychosomatics | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Clinical Update

Anorexia: An Update for the Psychopharmacologist

January 31, 2023

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of The Carlat Psychiatry Report. Assistant Professor, NYU Langone Department of Psychiatry. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC.
Garrett Rossi, MD. Adult psychiatrist, AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Pomona, NJ.

Dr. Aiken and Dr. Rossi have no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

A half-dozen reviews have concluded that no medication is effective for anorexia. We agree, but they may have overlooked a common supplement with evidence to help: Zinc.

EXPERT Q&A

Psychiatric Issues in Organ Transplantation

January 2, 2023

Paula C. Zimbrean, MD, FAPA, FACLP

Paula C. Zimbrean, MD, FAPA, FACLP

Associate professor of psychiatry and surgery (transplant), Yale University School of Medicine; Chair, Transplant Psychiatry Special Interest Group, Academy of Consultation Psychiatry. New Haven, CT.

Dr. Zimbrean has consulted for Ultragenyx and Vivet Therapeutics, and has consulted and advised for Alexion. Relevant financial relationships listed for the author have been mitigated.

Growing numbers of patients receive organ transplants every year. This Q&A reviews the unique considerations that arise when these patients require psychiatric care.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Office-Based Opioid Treatment

October 31, 2022

Joshua Blum MD

Joshua Blum, MD. Dr. Blum, author of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Some providers may be reluctant to treat patients with opioid use disorders with MOUD, especially in a busy primary care setting, fearing that these patients are “too complex.” In this observational study, investigators found that patients on MOUD are not all that different from everyone else.

Psychopharm Commandment 3: Lithium Toxicity

October 10, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Lithium toxicity: How to avoid it, and what to do when it happens.

EXPERT Q&A

QT Intervals in Psychiatric Practice

October 1, 2022

Victoria Hendrick, MD and Paul Barkopoulos, MD.

Paul Barkopoulos, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor, Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences, UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine and Olive View UCLA Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.

Victoria Hendrick, MD. Editor-in-Chief, The Carlat Hospital Psychiatry Report; Chief, Inpatient Psychiatry, Olive View UCLA Medical Center.

Dr. Barkopoulos and Dr. Hendrick, authors for this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Several psychiatric medications prolong the QTc interval and place patients at risk of the dreaded torsade de pointes. Some patients are particularly vulnerable to QTc prolongation: the elderly, patients with heart disease and electrolyte imbalances, and patients taking certain medications, like thioridazine and ziprasidone. We provide a step-by-step guide so that you can keep your patients safe from this cardiovascular side effect.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Do White Matter Hyperintensities Predict Memory Loss with Electroconvulsive Therapy?

October 1, 2022

Dax Volle, MD

Dax Volle, MD. Dr. Volle, author of this educational activity, has no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

We can continue to recommend ECT to patients with severe white matter hyperintensities and cognitive impairment, as cognition seems to return to baseline following ECT.

Medication Management of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain in Children and Teens

July 25, 2022

Joshua Feder, MD and Mara Goverman

Second-generation antipsychotics routinely breach the FDA’s level of concern of >7% body weight gain. This article examines the efficacy and safety of using off-label medications, such as metformin, to manage this side effect.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Should Prolonged Abstinence From Alcohol Be Required Before Liver Transplant?

July 1, 2022

Deepti Anbarasan, MD. and Sonya Bakshi, MD

Sonya Bakshi, MD, and Deepti Anbarasan, MD.

Dr. Bakshi and Dr. Anbarasan, authors for this educational activity, have no relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.

Patients with alcohol-associated liver disease have traditionally needed to demonstrate an ability to refrain from drinking for 6 months before being deemed eligible for a liver transplant, despite the absence of research findings to support this requirement. Findings from this retrospective study show that a waiting period is not associated with improved outcomes.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Topiramate Improves Weight in Schizophrenia in South Asians

June 1, 2022

Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH.

Brian Miller, MD, PhD, MPH. Dr. Miller has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

This study looked at adjunctive topiramate for weight in a patient population inherently more vulnerable to cardiometabolic disturbance.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Omega-3s and Metabolic Risks in Schizophrenia

September 28, 2021

Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW, and Chris Aiken, MD.

Batya Swift Yasgur, MA, LSW, and Chris Aiken, MD. The authors have disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Omega-3s are helpful for negative symptoms in schizophrenia, and this study suggests they may have metabolic benefits as well.