This Month in Psychopharmacology

THIS MONTH IN
PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

Adjunct Psychotropic Medications in Schizophrenia: Comparative Effectiveness
March 14, 2019

When a patient with schizophrenia does not adequately respond to an antipsychotic, clinicians are faced with several options: switch to a different antipsychotic; add on another antipsychotic or a psychotropic medication from a different class (polypharmacy); or increase the dose of the original...

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FDA Says Varenicline Is Not Effective in Children
March 11, 2019

The nicotinic receptor agonist, varenicline, is a useful tool that has helped many nicotine-addicted adults with cessation from use of tobacco products. However, the FDA has recently updated the varenicline label highlighting that varenicline...

FDA Approves Esketamine Nasal Spray for Treatment-Resistant Depression
March 7, 2019

Treatment-resistant depression (TRD -the failure to respond to 2 or more antidepressant medications) is a serious issue in mental health. Unfortunately, standard oral antidepressants (e.g., SSRIs, SNRIs) can take weeks before becoming fully effective...

FDA Advisory Committee Recommends to Approve Esketamine Nasal Spray for Treatment-Resistant Depression
February 25, 2019

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) advisory committee recently recommended that the FDA approve SPRAVATO (esketamine nasal spray) as a potential therapeutic for adults with treatment-resistant depression (TRD)...

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Association of Aripiprazole With Risk for Psychiatric Worsening
February 17, 2019

Several cases of abrupt psychotic worsening have been reported in patients who began taking aripiprazole after being treated with other antipsychotic drugs. A recent population-based cohort study...

FDA Update to Clozapine REMS Program
February 13, 2019

The atypical antipsychotic, clozapine, is a medication that differs from other atypical antipsychotics in both its receptor binding profile and its efficacy, particularly for treatment-resistant schizophrenia and psychosis associated with violent and aggressive behavior. However...

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Featured Encore Presentations from NEI Congress
February 1, 2019

The 2018 NEI Congress featured presentations from the top influential leaders in psychiatry and neuroscience covering the full spectrum of mental health diagnosis, management, and treatment. Hear from some of these experts by diving into these featured recorded presentations from the 2018 NEI Congress to learn about the latest in mental health management...

FDA Takes Steps to Encourage Drug Companies to Increase Access to Naloxone
January 28, 2019

Lethal opioid overdose may be prevented if the opioid antagonist, naloxone, is immediately administered; however, naloxone is currently available by prescription only, limiting necessary access to this opioid overdose antidote...

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New Study Raises Questions About Association Between Antidepressants and Risk of Hip Fracture
January 20, 2019

In a recent nationwide cohort study, the relationship between antidepressant medication use, and hip fractures was examined. The study included 204,072 patients in the Prescribed Drugs Register of Sweden’s National Board of Health and Welfare aged 65 and older who had...

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Drugs Most Frequently Involved in Overdose Deaths (2011–2016)
January 15, 2019

Lethal overdose from either illicit substances or prescription medications is a tragic occurrence. Unfortunately, a recent report from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) indicates that such occurrences are on the rise. In fact, total deaths from overdose have increased by an alarming...

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