New research links the use of glucocorticoids with changes in white matter microstructure — which may explain the development of anxiety, depression, and other neuropsychiatric side effects related to these drugs, investigators say. Results from a cross-sectional study showed that use of both systemic and inhaled glucocorticoids was associated with widespread reductions in fractional anisotropy … Read more
Thursday Night It was 9 o’clock at night when my phone rang. I didn’t recognize the number but decided to answer it anyway. It was my doctor. “Chase, I got your labs back and you have a critically low level. I spoke with someone at the hospital, I think I know what is happening, but … Read more
Discontinuing Stable, Long-TERM OPIOIID Therapy May Not BE NECESAY FOR PATIENTS who show no Signs of Misuse ― and IT COUL Even Be Safer Than Tapering Or Aburt Discontinism, New Research Suggests. Investigators Analyzed Data for Almost 200,000 Patients who did not have signs of OPIOOID USE DISEORDER (Oud) and Were Receiving Opioid Treatment. The … Read more
Two drugs have emerged as the optimal medications for treating insomnia based on the “best-available evidence,” but there are caveats. In a comprehensive comparative-effectiveness analysis, lemborexant and eszopiclone showed the best efficacy, acceptability, and tolerability for acute and long-term insomnia treatment. However, eszopiclone may cause substantial side effects — and safety data on lemborexant were … Read more
Triptan use during pregnancy does not increase the risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in offspring, new research suggests. Hedvig Nordeng, PhD “The findings should satisfy women who need to take this class of drugs during pregnancy,” study author Hedvig Nordeng, PhD, professor and head of the Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety Research Group at the University … Read more
Cannabis-based products may control chronic pain as effectively as opioids, but adverse effects are common, and long-term safety remains unknown, according to a new study. Several other systematic reviews have recently evaluated cannabinoids for treating chronic pain, but the new study’s methodology was “distinct” in “important ways,” leading to “conclusions that differ from other reviews,” … Read more
NEW ORLEANS – Patients with severe schizophrenia who fail to respond to treatment with standard doses of second-generation antipsychotics show significant improvement with – and tolerance of – higher maintenance doses of the drugs, new research shows. Dr Juan Jose Fernandez-Miranda The use of [higher doses of] long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotics shows improvement not only … Read more
The good, the bad, and the ugly. It’s easy to talk about the good, but when it comes to having real conversations about mental health, it’s sometimes an uphill battle. We see so much about mental well-being, services, and hotlines available for those in need. In fact, it’s almost expected for schools and workplaces to … Read more
Standard therapies for depression are antidepressants and psychotherapy. In particularly severe cases, electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) or vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) may also be indicated. VNS is an approved, effective, well-tolerated, long-term therapy for chronic and therapy-resistant depression, write Christine Reif-Leonhardt, MD, and her team of researchers from the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main, Germany, in … Read more
The prevalence of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is difficult to evaluate, and the diagnosis is based primarily on clinical criteria. In 2008, a French study estimated the prevalence to be between 3.5% and 5.6%, but the study’s design was questionable. Treatment of this disorder consists first and foremost in educational, social, and psychotherapeutic management. Only if … Read more