Kelly Gable, PharmD, BCPP
Assistant professor of pharmacy practice Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville, School of Pharmacy
Daniel Carlat, MD
Editor-in-chief, The Carlat Psychiatry Report
They used to be called “depot” antipsychotics, but the powers that be have renamed them “long acting injectables” (LAIs), presumably to help remove some of the stigma associated with their use. But no matter what you call them, suddenly every drug company is racing to introduce its own LAI neuroleptic.
Psychiatrists often have patients who come in bearing long lists of medications for various comorbid conditions. Is there any evidence that we should evaluate and treat such patients differently than patients without medical illnesses?
Due to their inhibition of both serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake, the SNRIs venlafaxine (Effexor) and duloxetine (Cymbalta) have been billed as possessing an advantage over SSRIs.
Given that taking B vitamins can lower plasma homocysteine levels, a group of researchers recently examined whether supplemental B vitamins could low the rate of brain atrophy in elderly people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI).
The last time TCPR covered the topic of psychotropics in pregnancy was less than two years ago, in February of 2009. Since then, however, some new treatment guidelines have been published, and they appear to be useful to clinicians.
As a pharmacist specializing in psychopharmacology, I am commonly consulted by psychiatrists to provide updated information on the safety of medications in pregnancy and breastfeeding.