Pharmacology - Articles | CARLAT PUBLISHING

Building a Better Alliance with Allen Frances

December 23, 2024

Kellie Newsome, PMHNP, Allen Frances, MD, and Chris Aiken, MD

Allen Frances shows us how to adjust our therapeutic approach for problems that are simple and those a bit more complex.

Clinical Update

Benzodiazepines: The Basics and Beyond

October 31, 2023

Audrey Abelleira, PharmD, BCPP

Audrey Abelleira, PharmD, BCPP. Clinical pharmacist practitioner, VA Connecticut Healthcare System; clinical instructor, Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, CT.

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

Benzodiazepines vary widely in their pharmacologic properties such as half-life, lipophilicity, and medication interactions. Here, we review the essential pharmacology of the prominent benzodiazepine agents and draw clinical correlates to how these properties translate to patient care.

To Benzo, or Not to Benzo: An Interview With Carl Salzman

July 18, 2022

Carl Salzman MD, Chris Aiken, MD, and Kellie Newsome, PMHNP

Carl Salzman removes the stigma from the much maligned benzo, reminding us of when they are essential to treatment and when they cause harm. Dr. Salzman is the past chairman of the American Psychiatric Association’s Benzodiazepine Task Force.

Thyroid Augmentation in Bipolar Disorder

April 5, 2022

Tammas Kelly, MD.

Tammas Kelly, MD. Clinical Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Jacobs School of Medicine and Clinical Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University School of Medicine. Author of The Art and Science of Thyroid Supplementation for the Treatment of Bipolar Depression. Dr. Kelly has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

A primer on the role of thyroid augmentation in bipolar depression, including dosing tips, side effects, interactions, and when and if to perform labs. With Tammas Kelly, MD.

How to Treat ADHD in Bipolar Disorder

November 5, 2021

Chris Aiken, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of TCPR. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Aiken has disclosed no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Are stimulants risky in bipolar disorder? And which is safer – methylphenidate or amphetamine? Chris Aiken, MD, lays out a practical approach to the overlap of bipolar disorder and ADHD.

Buspirone: Still Effective After All These Years?

February 3, 2021

Eugene Rubin, MD.

Eugene Rubin, MD. Psychiatrist in private practice, Bingham Farms, MI. Dr. Rubin has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Buspirone (Buspar) is approved for generalized anxiety disorder, but its efficacy there is often questioned. Here we find out how it stacks up against the benzos and SSRIs, and explore its off-label potential in depression, sexual dysfunction, alcoholism, traumatic brain injury, and premenstrual dysphoric disorder.

How to Switch Antipsychotics

February 3, 2021

Peter Smith, PsyD.

Peter Smith, PsyD. Dr. Smith has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Should you stop the old antipsychotic and start the new? Or gradually cross-taper them? This new meta-analysis compared three titration strategies to find the best way to switch from one antipsychotic to another in schizophrenia.

CLINICAL UPDATE

How to Use Lamotrigine

January 1, 2021

Chris Aiken, MD.

Chris Aiken, MD. Editor-in-Chief of TCPR. Practicing psychiatrist, Winston-Salem, NC. Dr. Aiken has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Lamotrigine is approved for the prevention of bipolar episodes, but Dr. Aiken explains why it may also treat active bipolar depression. This mood stabilizer is among the most tolerable in its class, and has additional benefits in OCD, borderline personality disorder, and depersonalization disorder.

Keeping Up With Trintellix

October 6, 2020

Michael Posternak, MD.

Michael Posternak, MD. Psychiatrist in private practice, Boston, MA. Dr. Posternak has disclosed that he has no relevant financial or other interests in any commercial companies pertaining to this educational activity.

Not satisfied with its claim to improve cognitive features of depression, Trintellix has ventured into new therapeutic arenas. Sometimes with success, sometimes with failure, we review where this novel antidepressant stands in schizophrenia, anxiety, cognitive decline, ADHD, sexual dysfunction, and binge eating disorder.

Mood Stabilizers: What You Don’t Know Can Hurt Them

October 6, 2020

Nicholas Rosenlicht, MD.

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

There are many mood stabilizers to choose from, but which ones are the best tolerated? This meta-analysis looks at how they stack up in terms of weight gain, sedation, and overall discontinuation.