From: JAMA Psychiatry. Published online October 16, 2020. doi:10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2020.3746 By Christine Moutier, MD Introduction International and US experts on suicide have expressed concerns about the potential the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has to increase the risk of suicide through its effects on a number of well-established suicide risk factors.1,2 Suicide surveillance [...]
According to the a survey conducted by the a prominent medical association, living in the United States in 2020 is a stressful experience, even for the most even-keeled among us. And the impending political contest ranks high on the list of factors keeping us up at night. A survey conducted [...]
With a vast range of medical and therapeutic benefits, CBD, or cannabidiol, is a derivative of the hemp plant. Researches have supported the claims that CBD may be a potential natural alternative to several traditional medicines. Consequently, CBD has become an ever-increasing industry. From pain-relieving balms to skin serums and [...]
The current maintenance treatment for opiate withdrawal usually includes using a different, controlled, opiate, either methadone or buprenorphine. Alpha-2 receptor agonists, such as lofexidine, can be used to manage the acute symptoms during withdrawal. Lofexidine is effective and safe and is FDA approved for the management of withdrawal symptoms. It [...]
According to Urits and Viswanath, Opioid medications are fundamental in anesthesia and analgesia and are often used to treat acute and chronic pain. They achieve their desired effects by modulating pain perception in the central nervous system; however, they also act on opioid receptors in the periphery, causing many undesirable [...]
Chronic use of antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) can induce the development of adverse effects on bone metabolism. In epileptic patients treated with AED, the monitor- ing of biochemical markers of bone turnover, such as the measurement of serum 25 (OH) vitamin D, bone mineral density, before the beginning of the treatment [...]
ABSTRACT ~ Objective: Off-label use of prazosin for posttraumatic stress disorder-related sleep disturbances (PTSD-SD) is widespread in Veterans Health Administration (VA) settings, but clinical trials have had mixed results. Trial criteria may exclude significant sub-groups, and therefore a 2018 study may not provide the final evidence of prazo- sin efficacy [...]
ABSTRACT ~ Objectives: To sequentially study the effectiveness of lithium and divalproex monotherapy and adjunctive therapy with quetiapine or lamotrigine in the acute and continuation treatment of bipolar I or II disorder at any phase of illness and at least mild symptom severity. Methods: From June 2011 to December 2016, [...]
ABSTRACT ~ Purpose of Review: This is a comprehensive review of the association between cannabis use and psychological disorders. It reviews the latest and seminal evidence that is available and attempts to conclude the strength of such association. Recent Findings: Cannabis is a flowering plant with psychoactive properties, attributed to [...]
In a recent study, researchers described treatment-emergent sexual dysfunction (TESD) and tolerability following a switch from selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI: citalopram, paroxetine, or sertraline) monotherapy to vortioxetine or escitalopram monotherapy in adults with well-treated major depressive disorder (MDD) and SSRI-induced sexual dysfunction. The study was published in CNS Spectrums. [...]