In the article we discuss the effectiveness and safety of the first non-drug treatment for ADHD in kids. The FDA has recently granted medical device approval for its external Monarch Trigeminal Nerve Stimulation (eTNS) System for treating kids with ADHD ages 7–12 who are not currently taking medications.

Opioids have a bad name these days. But let’s not forget that they were once consid­ered a first-line treatment for depression before the discovery of MAOIs and tricy­clics in the 1950s. That history has been revived recently by buprenorphine, a par­tial opioid agonist that was fast-tracked by the FDA for treatment-resistant depression.

There is a need for rapid treatment in postpartum depression, as each month of this potentially severe condition can take a toll on infant development. That is why brexanolone (Zulresso), which was recently fast-tracked for approval by the FDA, is causing such a splash.

On May 16, 2018, the FDA announced its approval of Lucemyra (lofexidine) as a drug to help patients withdraw from opioids. Like clonidine, lofexidine is an alpha-2 agonist, but it is touted as causing less orthostatic hypotension and therefore being somewhat safer to use.

We know that transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) works for treatment-resistant depression (TRD), but one disadvantage is the length of the treatment sessions.

Prescribing bedtime stimulants sounds like a recipe for a bad night’s sleep. But the FDA recently approved Jornay PM, which is an extended release (ER) formulation of methylphenidate that is, in fact, dosed at night.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Ingrezza (valbenazine) for the treatment of tardive dyskinesia (TD), a disabling movement disorder that afflicts 10%–20% of people on chronic antipsychotic ­medication.

If you have not yet heard of kratom (usually pronounced kray-tom or krah-tom), consider this an introduction. Kratom preparations are gaining popularity among substance users because of the plant’s opioid-like and stimulant properties.

In November 2016, the FDA announced that it was requiring two companies to withdraw their generic versions of Concerta (OROS methylphenidate) because of efficacy concerns. Such actions are quite unusual, and when they occur, they tend to shake doctors’ confidence in the generic drug system—which branded drug companies are often eager to encourage. But the Concerta case is hardly an indictment of generic drugs, or even of generic stimulants. Let’s dig a little deeper for some insight into the generic drug process.

Mental health clinicians often ask for a single, black-and-white answer to the question: Which lab tests should I order before starting this particular medication? Inevitably, the answer is that it depends. Here are some guidelines that are useful.