Suvorexant May Prevent Delirium in Hospitalized Patients

Topics: Delirium | Geriatric Psychiatry | Suvorexant

REVIEW OF: Hatta K et al, J Clin Psychiatry 2017;78(8):e970–e979; Hatta K et al, J Clin Psychiatry 2019;81(1):19m12865 Delirium is an acute confusional state that occurs frequently in older hospitalized patients, especially those with serious illness in the ICU. We try our best to prevent it because it is associated with worse medical outcomes, inc

Is Ramelteon an Effective Hypnotic?

Topics: Belsomra | Benzodiazepines | Geriatric Psychiatry | Hypnotics | Lemborexant | Melatonin | Sleep | Suvorexant

Ramelteon (Rozerem) stands out from other hypnotics in several ways: It is not a controlled substance and has no risk of addiction or ­withdrawal. It is relatively safe in the elderly. It has a low risk of falls and complex sleep behaviors. However, ramelteon’s use has been limited by its high cost and modest efficacy. Now that it’s gone ge

Lumateperone and lemborexant

Topics: Antipsychotics | Belsomra | Caplyta | Dayvigo | Hypnotics | Lemborexant | Lumateperone | News of Note | Orexin | Pharmacology | Psychopharmacology | Suvorexant

Two new psychiatric medications were approved in the final days of 2019. One is the first of its kind, an antipsychotic with minimal dopaminergic blockade: lumateperone (Caplyta). The other is lemborexant (Dayvigo), a variation on the hypnotic suvorexant (Belsomra). Lumateperone (Caplyta)Though classified as an atypical antipsychotic, lumateperone is u