An investigational, orally dissolving film formulation of dexmedetomidine (BXCL501, BioXcel Therapeutics) may offer rapid relief from acute agitation related to schizophrenia or bipolar disorder (BD), results of two phase 3, randomized, placebo-controlled trials show. Dr Leslie Citrome For both disorders, BXCL501 showed "superiority over placebo" by meeting the primary endpoint of reduction of agitation as [...]
Cannabis sativa has a long history of use both as a textile and as an intoxicant used for medicinal, spiritual, and recreational purposes. California voted to regulate cannabis for medical use in 1996, and in recent years there has been a wave of US states and other countries passing legislation [...]
SUMMARY In this study, we observed that compared to women with no prior cancer, breast cancer survivors had higher risk of anxiety, depression, sleep problems, sexual dysfunction, fatigue, receipt of opioid analgesics, and pain. Relative risks estimates tended to decrease over time, but anxiety and depression were significantly increased for [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
Although currently available antidepressants increase monoamine levels soon after the start of treatment, therapeutic benefits are often delayed by several weeks and the majority of patients with major depressive disorder fail to achieve an adequate response to first- or second-line therapies targeting monoamines. The recent approval of the NMDA (N-methyl-d-aspartate) [...]
A novel, noninvasive, over-the-counter electromagnetic neuromodulation device (ActiPatch, BioElectronics Corp.) appears to deliver long-lasting relief in chronic pain patients. Results of a long-term prospective study that included 240 patients who had previously experienced chronic pain relief with the device showed that at 6 months, 97% of the 240 participants sustained [...]
Daily intranasal insulin may be effective in slowing progression of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or Alzheimer's disease (AD), new research suggests. The findings were presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference (AAIC) 2019. Investigators found intranasal insulin administered via a novel delivery device slowed the rate of cognitive decline by [...]