alcohol | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Expert Q&A

Substance Use Disorders in Older Adults: A Growing Concern

May 11, 2023

Olivera J. Bogunovic, MD.

Medical director of ambulatory services in the Division of Alcohol, Drugs, and Addiction at McLean Hospital, Belmont, MA; assistant professor of psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA.

Dr. Bogunovic has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Older adults with substance use disorders present to clinicians in various stages of change. Dr. Bogunovic discusses brief clinical interventions including motivational interviewing and how to approach harm reduction.

Clinical Update

Medication Treatments for Alcohol and Opioid Use Disorder in Older Adults

May 11, 2023

Rehan Aziz, MD.

Rehan Aziz, MD. Associate program director, Geriatric Psychiatry Fellowship Program, Jersey Shore University Medical Center, Neptune, NJ; associate professor of psychiatry and neurology, Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ.

Dr. Aziz has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

With three FDA-approved medications for alcohol use disorders and three FDA-approved medications for opioid use disorders, it can be hard to know where to start. Here we review the pros and cons of these six medications—and provide recommendations for their use in older adults.

Expert Q&A

Managing Substance Use in Older Adults

May 9, 2023

Louis Trevisan, MD.

Louis Trevisan, MD.

Clinical professor of psychiatry, Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, NE; associate professor of psychiatry, adjunct, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

Dr. Trevisan has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

How do we best approach screening for substance use disorders in older adults? Dr. Trevisan walks us through his approach to choosing the right screening tools and speaking with patients.

Expert Q&A

Interpreting Urine Drug Tests

April 1, 2023

Karen Moeller, PharmD

Karen Moeller, PharmD. Clinical professor, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of Kansas School of Pharmacy. Lawrence, KS. Board-certified psychiatric pharmacist, inpatient psychiatry unit, University of Kansas Health Systems. Kansas City, KS.

Dr. Moeller has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

Drug screen accuracy depends on several factors, including the type of lab test, the number of hours since the patient’s use of the drug, and more.. Dr. Moeller reviews key points.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Thiamine Supplementation in Patients With Alcohol Use Disorder

January 30, 2023

Peter J. Farago, MD.

Peter J. Farago, MD. Dr. Farago has no financial relationships with companies related to this material.

We review an article that examines rates of thiamine supplementation for those with alcohol use disorder in the real world. Researchers wondered, how often is thiamine supplemented properly? The answer they found: not that often.

RESEARCH UPDATE

Phenobarbital vs Lorazepam in Alcohol Withdrawal

October 31, 2022

Clayton Barnes, MD

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

Barbiturates and benzodiazepines are both commonly used for alcohol detoxification. But how do they compare to one another? Here, researchers found some intriguing benefits of phenobarbital.

10 Psychopharm Commandments: Med Withdrawal

September 26, 2022

Chris Aiken, MD and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

When to stop meds quickly, and when to do it slowly, in #2 of our 10 Commandment series.

Teen Drinking: Risks and Responses

July 14, 2021

Amy Yule, MD

Amy Yule, MD
Director of Adolescent Addiction Psychiatry, Boston Medical Center, Boston, MA. Dr. Yule has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

What is the problem with a little teenaged experimentation with alcohol? Don’t most kids do it? Learn the risks related to this ubiquitous substance and help protect your patients from potentially life altering or life-threatening outcomes now and for their futures.

Disulfiram: An Underused Strategy for Alcohol Use Disorders

June 29, 2021

Stephen Wyatt, DO.

Stephen Wyatt, DO. Private practice psychiatrist with certification in addiction psychiatry, Charlotte, NC. Dr. Wyatt has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

We unravel the myths that keep psychiatrists from using disulfiram (Antabuse) in alcohol use disorders. In the right patient, this medication is very effective and far less dangerous than the alternative: continued drinking.

Does Low to Moderate Alcohol Drinking Help or Hurt Cognition?

December 10, 2020

Deepti Anbarasan, MD.

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

We’re often presented with mixed messages regarding mild or moderate alcohol consumption and its effect on brain and/or cardiovascular health. This current study tracks alcohol consumption and its effects on cognition performance among middle-aged and older adults in the U.S.