The Schizophrenia-OCD Overlap

Topics: Antipsychotics | Aripiprazole | Clozapine | Comorbidity | Diagnosis | Lamictal | Lamotrigine | Obsessive Compulsive Disorder | OCD | olanzapine | Pharmacology Tips | polypharmacy | Quetiapine | Risperidone | Schizoaffective disorder | Schizophrenia

TCPR: What is schizo-obsessive disorder?Dr. Poyurovsky: Schizo-obsessive disorder (schizo-OCD) is not a DSM diagnosis. The term is used to refer to patients with schizophrenic disorders that have comorbid features of OCD. We see these obsessive-compulsive symptoms in schizophrenia more often than would be expected by chance. About one in four patients h

In Brief: Lamotrigine Gets a New Warning

Topics: Antipsychotics | Carbamazepine | Lamotrigine

A new warning now sits beneath the list of life-threatening allergic reactions that can happen with lamotrigine. The anticonvulsant is suspected of causing cardiac arrhythmias in susceptible patients by slowing ventricular conduction and widening the QRS. A similar warning has long been in effect with carbamazepine, and both drugs are thought to exert t

How to Use Lamotrigine

Topics: Bipolar Depression | Bipolar Disorder | Bipolar II | Borderline Personality Disorder | BPD | Hypomania | Lamictal | Lamotrigine | Medication | Mood Stabilizers | OCD | Pharmacology | Psychopharmacology

Lamotrigine is FDA approved as maintenance treatment for bipolar disorder—that is, for delaying episodes of depression, hypomania, or mania. However, it is not approved for active depression or mania—which has given it a reputation as a “light” mood stabilizer. For patients who appreciate tolerability, that’s a good thing, but it isn’t the f

How COVID-19 Affects the Brain

Topics: C-Reactive Protein | Coronavirus | COVID19 | CRP | Lamictal | Lamotrigine | Medical Comorbidities | Neurology | Neuroscience in Psychiatry | Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)

The COVID-19 pandemic is a source of many stress-related conditions, from grief to depression to PTSD. But there’s another problem we need to look out for in those who’ve been infected with the virus: neuropsychiatric effects. The novel coronavirus can potentially invade neurons, and the immune response to this virus can affect the brain as well. Si

The Psychopharmacology Algorithm Project

Topics: Antidepressant Augmentation | Antidepressants | Antipsychotics | Bipolar Disorder | Bupropion | Depression | Depressive Disorder | Escitalopram | Lamictal | Lamotrigine | Lithium | Mood Stabilizers | olanzapine | Psychopharmacology | Psychopharmacology Tips | Wellbutrin

TCPR: What would be the biggest change in practice if psychiatrists followed your algorithms?Dr. Osser: One area is bipolar depression. This is a disorder where there is an exceptionally large deviation between what the evidence says and what people are doing, especially when it comes to antidepressants. They are still being used rampantly, even in pati