The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update 
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This is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.Study finds dextromethorphan‐quinidine reduces agitation in Alzheimer's patients
A study using a sequential design with two 5‐week treatment stages has found that the combination of dextromethorphan hydrobromide and quinidine sulfate significantly reduced symptoms of moderate to severe agitation compared with placebo in a group of patients with Alzheimer's disease. The researchers found that this treatment generated minimal side effects relative to the side‐effect profiles of other drugs used to address agitation and aggression in Alzheimer's patients, including antipsychotics. Study results were published Sept. 22/29, 2015, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Source: The Brown Uni...
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Geriatric Psychiatry Source Type: research
Approvals
(Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: From the FDA Source Type: research
Research Roundup
Review finds modafinil yields some cognitive benefit
Meta‐analysis finds mixed results for adult ADHD pharmacotherapy
Study suggests violence risk linked to youth SSRI use
L‐tyrosine enhances cognition under specific conditions
Study finds disproportionate use of medication in intellectually disabled (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Research Roundup Source Type: research
Clozapine REMS deadlines for prescribers and pharmacies extended
Due to ongoing implementation challenges with the new Clozapine Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) Program (see the December 2015 issue of The Update), the Food and Drug Administration is extending the Nov. 23, 2015, prescriber certification deadline and the Dec. 14, 2015, pharmacy certification deadline to help ensure that health care professionals have sufficient time to complete this process and that patient access to clozapine is maintained. The FDA is also carefully evaluating next steps regarding the Dec. 14, 2015, pre‐dispense authorization (PDA) launch. The FDA will communicate the revised certificati...
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Update Source Type: research
Depression severity does not moderate differences between medication and CBT
A meta‐analysis of 16 studies comparing depression outcomes from antidepressant medication and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in outpatients has concluded that baseline depression severity is not a moderator of differences in outcome between the two treatment approaches. Authors of the meta‐analysis suggest that this indicates that CBT could serve as an effective first‐line treatment even in cases of severe depression. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: What's New in Research Source Type: research
Effects of ketamine on depression beneficial but short‐term
A review and meta‐analysis of the effects of N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonists in treating major depression has confirmed that ketamine is the only such drug to date that has demonstrated antidepressant efficacy across multiple trials. Authors of the review stated, however, that the findings regarding ketamine should be viewed with caution because the beneficial effects are not sustained over time and because ketamine is associated with several possible adverse effects. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: What's New in Research Source Type: research
Valproate‐associated hyperammonemia in elderly psychiatric inpatients
Valproate is frequently used in the management of various neuropsychiatric disorders, particularly mania. One of the side effects associated with its use is idiosyncratic hyperammonemia in the setting of normal liver enzyme levels, including the aminotransferases and bilirubin. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Y. W. Francis Lam Tags: Drug‐Drug Interactions Source Type: research
Study challenges concerns about risk of antipsychotic use during pregnancy
Use of a second‐generation antipsychotic during the first trimester of pregnancy did not significantly increase the risk of major malformations in infants, a study that analyzed results from 303 women has concluded. These findings challenge the common practice of discontinuing maintenance treatment for psychotic disorders during pregnancy, study authors stated. The study was published online Oct. 6, 2015, in the American Journal of Psychiatry. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - December 21, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Women's Treatment Source Type: research
FDA approves revised prescribing for clozapine; new REMS in effect
EDITOR'S NOTE: We don't usually publish contributions from outside our own staff. However, at the request of the Food and Drug Administration, and given the importance of the topic, we've made an exception for the following article on changes in prescribing procedures for clozapine. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Tiffany R. Farchione Tags: Risk Evaluation Source Type: research
Approvals
(Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: From the FDA Source Type: research
Research Roundup
DHA study finds no effect on PTSD symptoms after injury
Extended‐release guanfacine effective for youths with autism
Retrospective study of varenicline finds no evidence of adverse risk
Adjunctive quetiapine may improve outcomes in PMDD treatment
Tricyclic antidepressants associated with recurrence of stroke
Cognition not altered in postmenopausal women on hormones (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Research Roundup Source Type: research
Antidepressants block effect of D‐cycloserine in OCD treatment
The effects of the partial N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (NMDA) agonist D‐cycloserine in augmenting cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) in patients with obsessive‐compulsive disorder (OCD) were blocked in individuals taking an antidepressant concurrently, a new study has found. Concomitant antidepressant use did not have any effect in a group of patients receiving placebo in the study. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: What's New in Research Source Type: research
Omega‐3 fatty acids may prevent long‐term progression to psychosis
Extending the findings of previously published research by analyzing results over a longer follow‐up period, a study has found that 12 weeks of treatment with long‐chain omega‐3 polyunsaturated fatty acids reduced the risk of progression to psychotic disorder over a 7‐year period in young people with subthreshold psychotic states. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: What's New in Research Source Type: research
Cushing's syndrome with concurrent use of fluvoxamine, budesonide
Crohn's disease is a chronic inflammatory bowel disease affecting the small and large intestine, although it also can affect other areas of the gastrointestinal tract, including the mouth, esophagus, and stomach. Currently, there is no pharmacological cure for Crohn's disease, but many medications have been used to reduce symptoms, maintain remission, and prevent relapse. One of these medications is budesonide, an oral glucocorticoid available in a controlled ileal release (CIR) formulation that allows ileocecal localization. In addition, 80 to 90% of budesonide is metabolized by the cytochrome P450 3A4 isoenzyme (CYP3A4) ...
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Authors: Y. W. Francis Lam Tags: Drug‐Drug Interactions Source Type: research
Longitudinal study shows no effect of supplements on cognition in elderly
The second phase of a longitudinal study examining the effects of nutritional supplements on macular degeneration has found no significant beneficial or detrimental effect on cognitive function of omega‐3 fatty acids or the combination of lutein and zeaxanthin. The study population's average age of nearly 73 leaves unanswered the question of whether individuals could derive greater benefits from supplementation if it were started earlier in life. Study results were published Aug. 25, 2015, in the Journal of the American Medical Association. (Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update)
Source: The Brown University Psychopharmacology Update - November 20, 2015 Category: Psychiatry Tags: Alternative Treatments Source Type: research
