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Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
Management of antipsychotic medication polypharmacy
June 13, 2013
Within our healthcare-driven society, the increase in the identification and diagnosis of mental illnesses has led to a proportional increase in the prescribing of psychotropic medications. The prevalence of mental illnesses and subsequent treatment approaches may employ monotherapy as first-line treatment, but in many cases the use of combination of therapy can occur, leading to polypharmacy.1 Polypharmacy can be defined in several ways but it generally recognized as the use of multiple medications by one patient and the most common definition is the concurrent use of five more medications. The presence of polyharmacy has the potential to contribute to non-compliance, drug-drug interactions, medication errors, adverse events, or poor quality of life.
72nd American Diabetes Association Scientific Sessions: Clinical updates review findings on risk of malignancy with pioglitazone, as well as various risk factors associated with insulin glargine use
August 01, 2012
A review of drug therapies and research presented at the 2012 Scientific Session of the American Diabetes Association.
American Psychiatric Association 2012 Annual Meeting: Clinical updates review findings on long-acting levomilnacipran in major depressive disorder, depot versus oral antipsychotics for schizophrenia
July 01, 2012
A review of drug therapies and research presented at the 2012 Annual Meeting of the American Psychiatric Association
OIG report evaluates claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs prescribed to nursing home residents
May 20, 2011
More than half of Medicare claims for atypical antipsychotic drugs are erroneous, amounting to $116 million, according to a 48-page report released May 4 by the Office of the Inspector General.
FDA warns of risks associated with the use of antipsychotic medications in pregnancy
April 01, 2011
FDA recently announced that the 'Pregnancy' sections of labeling for all antipsychotic medications will now have to include wording about the potential risk for extrapyramidal side effects and withdrawal symptoms in newborns whose mothers were treated with these drugs during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Brand-name, generic antidepressants share similar discontinuation rates and healthcare costs during 6 months of treatment
April 01, 2011
Patients using brand-name or generic antidepressant medications to treat major depressive disorder have similar drug discontinuation rates and accrue comparable healthcare costs during the first 6 months of treatment, according to a study published in March 2011 in the Journal of Managed Care Pharmacy.
Black box warnings accelerate reduced antipsychotic use in dementia
February 24, 2011
The rate of decline in the use of atypical antipsychotics in outpatients with dementia accelerated following a black box warning by FDA, according to a multicenter study of national Veterans Affairs data.
FDA approves vilazodone HCl for MDD
January 28, 2011
FDA has approved vilazodone HCl tablets (Viibryd, Clinical Data) for the treatment of adults with major depressive disorder.
FDA approves Vyvanse for treating ADHD in teens
December 20, 2010
FDA has approved Lisdexamfetamine dimesylate (Vyvanse, Shire) capsules CII for the treatment of ADHD in adolescents aged 13 to 17 years.
Guanfacine extended-release tablets (Intuniv): Selective alpha2a-adrenergic receptor agonist approved for the treatment of ADHD
October 01, 2009
New formulation: Guanfacine extended-release tablets (Intuniv) were approved on September 2, 2009, for the treatment of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)