Treatment of Antipsychotic-Induced Weight Gain

Topics: Antipsychotics | Bupropion | Dosing | Lithium | Schizophrenia

Antipsychotic-induced weight gain can decrease medication adherence, with a domino effect of negative consequences on the psychiatric illness. Recently the FDA approved the first therapy to address this problem: Lybalvi, a combination of olanzapine and samidorphan. In this article, I’ll look at how it compares with other treatments for antipsychotic-i

Six Tips From Prescribing Psychotropics

Topics: Antipsychotic | Bupropion | Dosing | Lithium | olanzapine | Psychotropic medication | Side Effects

Every day we are faced with prescribing dilemmas that don’t have ready answers. Instant or extended release? Brand or generic? With food or without? How should we adjust dosing to account for drug interactions, age, gender, ethnicity, or genetic testing results? Our new textbook Prescribing Psychotropics: From Drug Interactions to Pharmacogenetics is

Quetiapine Reconsidered

Topics: Antipsychotics | Anxiety | Bipolar Depression | Depression | Dosing | Psychopharmacology | Psychopharmacology Tips | PTSD | Quetiapine | Schizophrenia

It is the best of drugs; it is the worst of drugs. Quetiapine (Seroquel) has benefits in some disorders that are unmatched by other medications, but it is also one of the most difficult antipsychotics to tolerate. In this article, I’ll look at where this medication fits and whether its numerous off-label uses are justifiable, including PTSD, generaliz

Tricyclic Antidepressants: When and How to Use Them

Topics: Antidepressants | Dosing | Side Effects | Treatment-Resistant Depression | Weight gain

Tricyclics have been used in psychiatry since the 1950s, when imipramine was introduced as the first mass-marketed antidepressant. Fluoxetine and the other SSRIs largely supplanted the tricyclics in the 1990s, but these medications still have their uses.  There are two kinds of tricyclics:  Tertiary amines—the “originals” Secondary amines—t

Establishing a Dose-Response Relationship for Lurasidone in Acute Schizophrenia

Topics: Antipsychotics | Dose Response | Dosing | Lurasidone | Schizophrenia

REVIEW OF: Srisurapanont M et al, Sci Rep 2021:11(1):5571 STUDY TYPE: Network meta-analysis Lurasidone is FDA approved in schizophrenia, but we lack good evidence to guide its dosage. This study compared the efficacy, safety, and acceptability of lurasidone at different doses to establish a dose-response relationship for its therapeutic and adverse ef