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

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

Study Ignites Controversy Over Trazodone and Suicide

Topics: Hypnotics | Research Update | Suicidality | Trazodone

Review of: Lavigne JE et al, J Gen Intern Med 2019;34(8):1554–1563 Study Type: Observational comparative safety study Trazodone is one of the most widely prescribed sleep aids in the US despite lacking FDA approval for insomnia. But what if patients taking trazodone attempted suicide at a rate over 1.5 times that of those taking zolpidem (Ambien)? L