Deprescribing Anti-Anxiety Medications in Older Adults

Topics: anticonvulsants | antihistamines | Antipsychotics | Anxiety | Benzodiazepines | Buspirone | Deprescribing | EMPOWER trial | gabapentin | Mirtazapine | SNRIs | SSRIs | taper | Trazodone | Z-drugs

Our inclination may be to “not rock the boat” when a patient is stable and not misusing prescribed medication. However, tapering anti-anxiety medications in older adults is often a good idea when considering the risks of falls, sedation, and accidents. Which meds to taper? The risks of anti-anxiety medications increase with age. Here are some of t

Gabapentin Misuse and Diversion

Topics: Deprescribing | gabapentin | Opioid epidemic | Opioid Use Disorder | Opioids | Pain

CATR: Could you start by telling us a little bit about yourself and your current work? Dr. Vickers-Smith: I am an epidemiologist, and my work has primarily been on gabapentin as an emerging drug of recreational and unhealthy use. This interest came about while I was working for Dr. Jennifer Havens on her cohort of about 500 individuals in central Appal

Gabapentin for Alcohol Use Disorder, Redux

Topics: Alcohol | Alcohol Use | Alcohol use disorder | gabapentin | Pharmacology | Research | Research Update

Review of: Anton RF et al, JAMA Intern Med 2020;180(5):1–9 Gabapentin has had mixed results in the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD), but it is clearly effective in the treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). In this study, researchers tested whether gabapentin might be effective specifically in treating adults with AUD who also had a

An Off-Label Guide to Gabapentin

Topics: Alcohol use disorder | Anxiety | Anxiety Disorder | Cannabis | Free Articles | gabapentin | Pregabalin

Gabapentin (Neurontin) is not a medication that would make the FDA proud. Less than 1% of its outpatient use is for an FDA indication, and a good portion of the off-label use takes place in psychiatry. These trends sparked a backlash in the 2000s, when Pfizer paid a $1.3 billion fine for misleading marketing practices. Recent reports of misuse of gabape

Mood and Menopause

Topics: Antidepressants | Citalopram | Depressive Disorder | Effexor | Escitalopram | Female Issues in Psychiatry | Fluoxetine | gabapentin | Gender | Hormone Replacement Therapy | Oral Contraceptives | Prozac | Serotonin Specific Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs) | SSRIs | Women’s Issues in Psychiatry

TCPR: When does perimenopausal depression tend to start?Dr. Nonacs: It’s during the transition into menopause that women are most vulnerable to depression. And that transition can actually take quite a while, like 5–7 years. TCPR: How does it present?Dr. Nonacs: Often they’ve had a history of depression, but have done fairly well up to this point