Compulsive water drinking, or psychogenic polydipsia, is surprisingly common on inpatient psychiatric units. We learn how to diagnose and manage this potentially life-threatening condition.

Naltrexone has shown efficacy for the treatment of alcohol use disorder in tightly controlled trials. Here, researchers demonstrate the efficacy of naltrexone in a large scale naturalistic study.

Buprenorphine and long acting injectable naltrexone are both effective for the treatment of opioid use disorder; however, until now, we had little data to predict which patients would do better on which medications. Here, researchers identify patient characteristics predictive of success on buprenorphine versus naltrexone.

With so many weight loss medications on the market, it’s hard to know which to choose. Dr. Khorassani tells us everything we need to know to about selecting and prescribing these agents. Also, she gives us additional tips for managing antipsychotic-induced weight gain.

This research update summarizes the results of the landmark COMBINE study which evaluated the effectiveness of stand-alone and combined pharmacological and behavioral interventions for treating alcohol use disorder.

We have five main medications to offer patients with alcohol use disorder: acamprosate, disulfiram, gabapentin, naltrexone (PO or IM), and topiramate. The combination of naltrexone and gabapentin may work better than either of these two medications alone.

Addiction treatment during incarceration is limited, and release from incarceration presents its own set of challenges. In this QA interview, Dr. Karen Cropsey discusses effective treatment options for patients with substance use disorders transitioning to or from incarceration.

Extended-release (XR) naltrexone (Vivitrol) is FDA approved for opioid use disorder and has shown efficacy in several trials. It works best for patients who have already successfully detoxed from opioids and who are highly motivated to abstain. But what about oral naltrexone?

Extended-release (XR) naltrexone (Vivitrol) is an injectable version of naltrexone that lasts for 4 weeks and is FDA approved for opioid use disorder (OUD). Although effective, there is some concern that XR naltrexone may cause or worsen psychiatric symptoms because of its opioid blockade.