Natural Medications Carlat Reports

Clinical Update

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Living With Mental Illness

Omega-3 fatty acids (“fish oil”) claim broad benefits in physical and mental health and have even made it into a few treatment guidelines in psychiatry. But most products on the shelf do not have the right ingredients for psychiatric use. In this article, I’ll review how and when to use omega-3s. Mechanism Omega-3s are “essential fatty acids

Clinical Update

How to Use SAMe in Clinical Practice

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, The Difficult Patient

S-adenosylmethionine (SAMe) is an over-the-counter supplement that’s usually lumped with the complementary and alternative (CAM) therapies in psychiatry. However, it is one of a few CAM therapies with efficacy that rivals standard medications. SAMe raises levels of serotonin, dopamine, and norepinephrine, acting in some ways like the fabled triple reu

Research Update

Omega-3s and Metabolic Risks in Schizophrenia

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Mood Disorders

REVIEW OF: Pawełczyk T et al, Schizophr Res 2021;230:61–68 TYPE OF STUDY: Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial Patients with schizophrenia are at greater risk for metabolic syndrome, whether from lifestyle, antipsychotic side effects, or the illness itself. Omega-3 fatty acids have metabolic benefits in the general population, and lev

Expert Q&A

Probiotics in Psychiatry

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Mind-Gut Connection

TCPR: What is the gut microbiome? Dr. Dinan: It is the collection of microorganisms within the intestine. It functions like a separate organ and is about the same weight as an adult brain. Mainly it’s made up of bacteria, which is where our research has focused, but there are viruses and fungi in there as well. The traditional view was that these org

Clinical Update

Silexan: A Novel Anxiolytic

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Traumatic Brain Injury

Patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) often look to medications for help, but GAD is one of the disorders where medications are likely to disappoint. Effect sizes tend to fall in the small range (0.2–0.3) with meds for GAD, including SSRIs, SNRIs, buspirone, and pregabalin (Lyrica). Only the benzodiazepines have an effect in GAD that’s bi

Expert Q&A

Micronutrients in Mental Health

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Adult ADHD

TCPR: You’ve studied micronutrients in ADHD and other psychiatric disorders. What are micronutrients?Dr. Rucklidge: They are small nutrients—vitamins, minerals, and amino acids—that are essential for your brain to function optimally. They include cofactors like B6, zinc, and magnesium that are involved in the synthesis of neurotransmitters and h

Article

l-Methylfolate for Depression: Costly Mistake or Good Thinking?

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Side Effects Part II

Folate (Vitamin B9) has a long track record as a low-cost, low-risk augmentation strategy in depression. It’s also available in a more expensive form, l-methylfolate (Deplin), that promises better results but at a premium price. So, is the cost worth it? Folate pathwaysFolate (the natural form of folic acid) is a B vitamin that’s important in psych

Article

ConsumerLab.com: Guiding Patients Toward OTCs That Won’t Hurt Them

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Antidepressants

Topics: Anxiety Disorder | Natural Medications | Practice Tools and Tips

“It’s rare that my patients don’t at some point or another try an over-the-counter sleep aid, anxiety preparation, or antidepressant supplement,” says TCPR board member Richard Gardiner, MD, who practices psychiatry in Mendocino County, California. While supplements may be helpful—we covered this topic in TCPR’s November/December 2016 issue�

Article

Using Natural Supplements

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Psychiatry

Topics: Natural Medications | Practice Tools and Tips

Patients are increasingly asking us about complementary and alternative treatments for their psychiatric issues. If you don’t know much about these treatments, you may end up saying something like, “Well, we don’t have as much data on these as we do for standard treatments—they might help, but we just don’t know. Let me refer you to….”

Expert Q&A

Benefits of Alpha-Stim

From The Carlat Psychiatry Report, Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Psychiatry

Topics: Brain Devices | Depressive Disorder | Natural Medications | Practice Tools and Tips

Research Update

Fish Oil Doesn’t Curb Aggressive Behavior

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Medication Side Effects

Topics: Child Psychiatry | Natural Medications | Research Updates

Article

Nutritional Supplements in the Treatment of Childhood ADHD

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Diet and Nutrition

Topics: Natural Medications

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), such as nutritional supplements, is common in children with ADHD, despite limited evidence for its effectiveness. Many consumers use these treatments, often without telling their physicians. Asking patients about them allows for a discussion of the risks and benefits. Nutritional supplements in

Article

Placebo: It’s Good for What Ails You

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Diet and Nutrition

Topics: Natural Medications

The most studied psychiatric medication for children, and arguably the most broad-spectrum medication available, is placebo. It has proven itself repeatedly to be as good or better than a number of FDA-approved medications that are effective in adults. It has been found to be effective in up to half of pediatric patients for conditions as different as s

Expert Q&A

Can Diet Really Improve Autism?

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Diet and Nutrition

Topics: Autism Spectrum Disorder | Natural Medications

News of Note

Probiotics: Good for the Mind?

From The Carlat Child Psychiatry Report, Diet and Nutrition

Topics: Natural Medications | News of Note

Article

OTC Agents for Depression, Anxiety, and Insomnia