Topics: Psychopharmacology Tips

In surveys, it’s clear that most psychiatrists practice as unimaginatively as I typically do, meaning that their drug of first choice for most depressed patients is an SSRI (Petersen T, et al., Prog Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry 2002; 26:177-187).

Topics: Psychopharmacology Tips

How high can we safely dose common psychotropics? Given the poor performance of medication combinations in recent studies, it’s time for a close look at the safety and efficacy of raising doses, sometimes known as “dose optimization.”

Dr. Pies, how would you recommend that psychiatrists approach the management of medication-related side effects?

Topics: Bipolar Disorder | Child Psychiatry

The controversy over pediatric bipolar disorder has heated up over the past year. A recent study offers evidence for those favoring “narrow” criteria for the pediatric bipolar diagnosis.

In a study only partially funded by the manufacturer of Provigil (modafinil), 85 patients with bipolar depression, already taking mood stabilizers, were randomly assigned to augmentation with Provigil (N=41) or placebo (N=44).

It was a sorely needed study: compare sibutramine (Meridia) with topiramate (Topamax) in patients with psychotropicassociated weight gain. Sibutramine is generally considered one of the most effective weight loss agents.