If we prescribe an antidepressant, what dose do we start and how do we increase it? A slower antidepressant up-titration may reduce side effects and improve initial adherence, but it may also delay clinical response
How do you individualize antidepressant prescribing? (Part 2) Read More »
Understanding the patient’s prior experiences with psychotropic medications allows you to individualize your prescribing – pick the right medication, the right starting dose, and the right titration for this person.
How do you individualize antidepressant prescribing? (Part 1) Read More »
Adding bupropion to an SSRI/SNRI is not an effective augmentation strategy for major depression.
Is adding bupropion to an SSRI/SNRI an effective depression augmentation strategy? Read More »
Bupropion is associated with a dose-dependent risk of seizures that is highest at the time of peak plasma concentrations.
The rate of seizures from bupropion XL 300mg is no higher than from SSRIs.
Does this patient’s history of binging and purging make it unsafe to start bupropion? Read More »
Benzodiazepines are effective treatments for anxiety disorders in the short and long term. When treating anxiety disorders in low risk populations, the risk of dose escalation or tolerance to the anxiolytic effects of BZDs is very low.
Drug-induced sexual dysfunction is a common reason that people stop SSRI/SNRIs. By evaluating and managing sexual side effects, we can improve antidepressant treatment adherence.
How do you manage SSRI/SNRI-induced sexual side effects? (part 2) Read More »
There are three strategies for switching between antidepressant medications: sequential titration, cross-titration, and direct switch. In most situations, I use the cross-titration strategy.
How do you switch from one antidepressant medication to another? Read More »
Strategies to manage sexual side effects include deprescribing, reducing the dose, temporarily reducing the dose via drug holidays, switching medications, adding a medication to treat the side effect, and accepting the sexual side effects given the benefits of the medication.
How do you manage SSRI/SNRI-induced sexual side effects? Read More »
Donepezil and other acetylcholinesterase inhibitors are the first-line medications used for cognitive and neuropsychiatric symptoms of Alzheimer’s Dementia, including mild-to-moderate anxiety, depression, irritability, and agitation.
Trauma focused therapies, including prolonged exposure, EMDR, and cognitive processing therapy are the first-line treatments for PTSD because their effect sizes are larger and more durable than those of medications.
What are first-line treatments for PTSD? Read More »
