FDA Approves Adhansia XR

Topics: Adhansia XR | ADHD | adolescents | Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder | Child Psychiatry | children | extended-release | methylphenidate | News of Note | pediatric | teens | treatment

We are always in need of a new formulation of stimulant medication that might capture a few more of our patients who just do not quite tolerate or respond well enough to the many existing formulations. So whenever a new one is released, we try to set aside our natural skepticism and take a look at the stated facts before judging its merit. Adhansia X

“What About the Implant, Doc?” Appraising Various Formulations of Buprenorphine

Topics: Buprenorphine | extended-release | Medication | Medication adherence | Opioid epidemic | Opioid Use Disorder | Pharmacology | safety | Side Effects

With other epidemics in the world dominating our attention, let’s not forget the epidemic of opioid-related deaths. Unlike the current viral epidemic, the opioid epidemic is eminently treatable. The figure on page 3 shows the reduction in heroin overdoses in Baltimore, MD, as increasing numbers of patients received opioid agonist treatment (Schwartz R

Gabapentin Enacarbil XR Efficacy Less Than Expected for AUD

Topics: Addiction | Addiction Treatment | Alcohol | Alcohol use disorder | Alcoholism | Clinical practice | extended-release | Medication | Novel Medications | Pharmacology | Psychopharmacology | Research Update

Review of: Falk DE et al, Alcohol Clin Exp Res 2019;43(1):158–169 Gabapentin enacarbil extended-release (GE-XR) (Horizant) is an extended-release version of gabapentin. GE-XR is a prodrug, meaning that once ingested it is metabolized into gabapentin. It is currently approved for treatment of postherpetic neuralgia and restless legs syndrome. It di

Trazodone: The Forgotten Antidepressant

Topics: Antidepressants | Depression | Depressive Disorder | extended-release | Pharmacology Tips | Psychopharmacology | Psychopharmacology Tips | Trazodone

If your practice is anything like mine, trazodone is your go-to hypnotic. As an antidepressant, it’s an afterthought, dismissed as ineffective or intolerable since its release in 1981. Four decades and over 200 clinical trials later, it’s a good time to see if we’ve missed any opportunities in this forgotten antidepressant. How trazodone worksTra

A Longer Acting Lorazepam

Topics: Anxiety | Anxiety Disorder | Benzodiazepines | extended-release | Sleep

Lorazepam (Ativan) received a new coating this year as Loreev XR, which promises a 24-hour duration for this benzodiazepine that is otherwise divided in two or three daily doses. It joins alprazolam (Xanax) as the only benzos with extended-release (XR) formulations (clorazepate ventured into this territory as Tranxene SD in 2002, but that medication is