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Category: Psychiatry

Drugs in Context Psychiatry welcomes a broad range of article types including original research, study protocols and review articles.

In line with the principle of providing context for healthcare professionals (HCPs) to properly inform and improve disease management in real world medicine, we especially encourage the submission of articles that provide context for trials of drug interventions in order to motivate improvements in disease management by HCPs practising medicine in the front line.

Inpatient resource use and costs associated with switching from oral antipsychotics to aripiprazole once-monthly for the treatment of schizophrenia

Michele Wilson, Benjamin Gutierrez, Steve J Offord, Christopher M Blanchette, Anna Eramo, Stephanie Earnshaw, Siddhesh A Kamat

Article Type

Original Research

Published

11 Mar 2016

Schizophrenia is associated with high direct healthcare costs due to progression of disease and frequent occurrence of relapses. Aripiprazole once-monthly (AOM) has been shown to reduce total psychiatric hospitalizations among patients who switched from oral standard of care (SOC) therapy to AOM. In this paper the authors report the results of an economic model study to evaluate the psychiatric hospitalization-related medical costs and antipsychotic pharmacy costs during a 6-month period before and after initiation of AOM treatment.

Effectiveness, tolerability and practical application of the newer generation anti-obesity medications

Jeffrey S MacDaniels, Thomas L Schwartz

Article Type

Review

Published

08 Mar 2016

In this paper, the authors compare the efficacy and tolerability of five newer anti-obesity medications to guide clinical decision making, examining bupropion–naltrexone combination, liraglutide, lorcaserin, orlistat, and phentermine–topiramate combination.

Antidepressant efficacy and side-effect burden: a quick guide for clinicians

Daniel Santarsieri, Thomas L Schwartz

Article Type

Review

Published

08 Oct 2015

Prescribing of antidepressant treatment (ADT) for major depressive disorder (MDD) has increased substantially over the last two decades. In this paper, the authors discuss the evidence that supports the use of ADT based on FDA approvals, data from randomized controlled trials or meta-analyses and where these are not available, the authors discuss and apply theoretical pharmacodynamic principles to help guide treatment choice in MDD.

Alpha-2 receptor agonists for the treatment of posttraumatic stress disorder

Molly R Belkin, Thomas L Schwartz

Article Type

Review

Published

14 Aug 2015

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is thought to be related to a hyperactive sympathetic nervous system. Sometimes, use of the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medications for PTSD, the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) sertraline and paroxetine, may not lead to full remission and symptoms of hyperarousal may persist. In this article the authors review the literature on the alpha-2 receptor agonists clonidine and guanfacine for the treatment of PTSD and conclude that while the evidence base is limited, these agents might be considered useful when SSRIs fail in patients with PTSD.

Effect of variations in treatment regimen and liver cirrhosis on exposure to benzodiazepines during treatment of alcohol withdrawal syndrome

Pavel Gershokovich, Kishor M Wasan, Charles Ribeyre, Fady Ibrahim, John H McNeill

Article Type

Case Report

Published

07 Aug 2015

Benzodiazepines (BDZ) are the drugs of choice to prevent the symptoms of alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS). Differences in treatment regimens, the choice of BDZ, as well as the presence of liver cirrhosis can substantially alter the exposure of patients to drugs used for AWS treatment so patients should be carefully monitored.