Antipsychotics Update (February)

Date of Issue: 02/01/2015 | Volume: 13 | Number: 2

Issue Links:Learning Objectives | Editorial Information

Latuda (lurasidone) has become a popular antipsychotic since it was approved in 2010…but how useful is it? We dig into the data. And stepping back a bit, do antipsychotics actually help our patients function in the community. In this month’s Q&A, McLean Hospital’s Dost Ongur says he’s not so sure.

In This Issue

Article

Latuda: An Evaluation of Its Usefulness

Topics: Antipsychotics

With nine other atypical antipsychotics already on the market (some of which are available as generics), did we really need another one? Given the pesky side effects of antipsychotics, maybe we did. Let’s take a look at what we know so far about Latuda (lurasidone) in an effort to figure out how to incorporate it into our clinical toolbox. Latuda was first approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use in schizophrenia in late 2010.

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Expert Q&A

The New Emphasis on Community Functioning in Schizophrenia

Topics: Antipsychotics

Learn about the new emphasis on community functioning for patients with schizophrenia, in an interview with Dost Ongur, MD, PhD, chief of the psychotic disorders division at McLean Hospital and an associate professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School.

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Research Update

Suicide: Family History and Suicide Attempts

Topics: Research Updates

We’ve known for some time that if your patient has a parental history of a mood disorder or suicide attempt, his or her risk of a suicide attempt increases, and a new study adds some more information that might help us prevent bad outcomes.

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News of Note

FDA Issues Alert for Geodon

Topics: Antipsychotics | News of Note

In December 2014, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued a safety announcement warning that the antipsychotic drug ziprasidone (Geodon) has been associated with a rare but potentially fatal skin reaction.

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News of Note

FDA Approves New Weight Drug

Topics: News of Note | Weight Loss Medications

There’s a new drug in the arsenal to fight obesity.

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