- •Table of Contents
- •Case Studies
- •Volume 2 Stephen m. Stahl
- •Thomas l. Schwartz
- •It furthers the University’s mission by disseminating knowledge in the pursuit of education, learning and research at the highest international levels of excellence.
- •Information on this title: www.Cambridge.Org/9781107607330
- •Illness – Chemotherapy – Examinations, questions, etc. |
- •Isbn 978-1-107-60733-0 Paperback
- •Introduction
- •Learning objectives
- •Accreditation and credit designation statements
- •Optional posttest and cme credit instructions (see p. 441) Peer review
- •Disclosures
- •Authors/developers
- •Disclosure of off-label use
- •Disclaimer
- •Cultural and linguistic competency
- •Provider
- •Support
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four weeks later
- •Question
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through 12 months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 24 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Psychotherapy moment
- •Psychopharmacology components
- •Psychotherapy
- •Documentation
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through six months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through nine months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: nine-month follow-ups
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up through nine months (continued)
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups to 24 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Tardive dyskinesia
- •Tardive dyskinesia facts
- •Tardive dyskinesia treatments
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through four months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through nine months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: 9–12 month follow-ups
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through 12 months
- •Case outcome: multiple interim follow-ups through 16 months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: 16-month follow-ups
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (aims)
- •Aims instructions
- •Case outcome: use of outcome measures
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: four months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through six months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up, nine months (continued)
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups to 12–120 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Mechanism of action moment How does vns theoretically work?
- •Vns side effects
- •Neurostimulation and neuromodulatory devices other than vns
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through one month
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through two months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: four-month follow-ups
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through four months (continued)
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-ups through four months
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups to six months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Is quetiapine (Seroquel) an antipsychotic, anti-manic, antidepressant, anxiolytic, or a hypnotic?
- •Pharmacodynamics of quetiapine and norquetiapine
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Further investigation
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through one month
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through two months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: two months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through two months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through three months
- •Question
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups up to six months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Pharmacodynamic moment
- •What is worse in causing escalated mania or mixed features, antidepressants or stimulants?
- •Should unipolar antidepressants be used in bipolar disorder?
- •Does clonazepam (Klonopin) work in bipolar mania?
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Question
- •Case outcome
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Tips and pearls
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: four months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through nine months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: nine-month follow-ups
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up, nine months (continued)
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups to 24 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Treating aawg with metformin
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through six months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through 18 months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: through 20 months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through 24 months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: 24-month follow-ups
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up, 36 months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: 48-month follow-ups
- •Question
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups to 48 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Techniques for switching antipsychotics
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Question
- •Case outcome
- •Case debrief
- •Clozapine sialorrhea statistics and etiology
- •Possible antidotes for cis
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through three months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through 12 months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-ups through 12 months (continued)
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: 12 month follow-ups
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up, 24 months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: 36-month follow-ups
- •Case outcome and multiple interim follow-ups to 60 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •A pharmacodynamic moment
- •Antihistamine and the sleep–wake switch
- •Serotonin receptor antagonism and sleep
- •What about 5-ht1d receptor antagonism?
- •What about 5-ht7 receptor antagonism?
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four weeks later
- •Question
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through seven months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through seven months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 24 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Mechanism of action moment
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit eight weeks later
- •Question
- •Case outcome: second and third interim follow-up visits at three months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through five months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 12 months
- •Attending physician mental notes
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 15 months
- •Question
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Pharmacoeconomic and regulatory moment
- •How many ways can a drug be turned into a slow-release preparation?
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Medication history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Social and personal history
- •Medical history
- •Family history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four to six weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through three months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through three months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Overview
- •Classification
- •Clinical manifestations
- •Therapy and management
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit six weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visit through six months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 15 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Neurocircuitry moment
- •Treatments for ocd
- •Posttest-self assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Social and personal history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at two months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through four months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through four months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through 12 months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 18 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Mechanism of action moment
- •Diagnosis
- •Etiology
- •Rls and comorbidity
- •Rls treatment
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at two months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits at three months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visit at four months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through four months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Pharmacokinetic moment
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 12 months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through 24 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit three months later
- •Question
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit three months later (continued)
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at six months
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at six months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 36 months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 48 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visits four and eight weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at three months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three months (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 15 months
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Neuropsychiatric moment
- •Causes, incidence, and risk factors
- •Symptoms
- •Signs and tests
- •Treatment
- •Prognosis
- •Pharmacodynamic moment
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit four weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at two months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through five years
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through five years
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six years
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim visits through year six
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six years (continued)
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim visits through year six (continued)
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Mechanism of action moment
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visits one to two weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: second interim follow-up visit at three to four weeks
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visit at three to four weeks
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through four to six weeks later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through six weeks
- •Case outcome interim follow-up visits through 10 weeks
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Chronic risks
- •Acute risks predictive of future suicide attempt include*
- •Summary
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visits through 12 months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: second interim follow-up visits through 12 months (continued)
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim visits through 18 months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 18 months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 24 months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up visits through 24 months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 24 months (continued)
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Gaba-a receptors and the positive allosteric modulation of the bZs
- •Gaba-a receptors: desensitization, tachyphylaxis, and tolerance
- •Why does this happen?
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visits through three months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through four months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through six months
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: visits through six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through nine months
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through nine months (continued)
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Case outcome: via telephone
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up six hours later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: six hours later
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up information through 72 hours
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up information through 72 hours
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits through 80 hours
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: interim follow-up information through 72 hours (continued)
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up information through 92 hours
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Delirium primer
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Pretest self-assessment question (answer at the end of the case)
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current psychiatric medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: initial visit
- •Further investigation
- •Question
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit one week later
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Mechanism of action moment
- •Disulfiram (Antabuse)
- •Naltrexone (ReVia)
- •Acamprosate (Campral)
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Social and personal history
- •Medical history
- •Family history
- •Medication history
- •Psychotherapy history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Current psychiatric medications
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: initial visit
- •Further investigation
- •Case outcome: first interim follow-up visit two months later
- •Question
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits three to six months later
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: follow-up visit, six months
- •Case outcome: interim follow-up visits eight to 12 months later
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
- •Tips and pearls
- •Medication management of adhd in children versus adults
- •Posttest self-assessment question and answer
- •Patient evaluation on intake
- •Psychiatric history
- •Patient evaluation on initial visit
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation
- •Case outcome: initial visit
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim visit at six weeks
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Patient’s genetic summary
- •Case outcome: initial visit
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim visit at four weeks
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •A short tutorial on the scientific background of this case
- •Patient’s genetic summary
- •Case outcome: initial visit
- •Question
- •Attending physician’s mental notes: initial evaluation (continued)
- •Case outcome: interim visit through 16 weeks
- •Case debrief
- •Take-home points
- •Cme online posttest and certificate instructions
- •Index of drug names
- •Index of case studies
Case debrief
This patient does not have a clear categorical diagnosis outside AUD
In the DSM-5, there continues to be the categorical use of the intoxication and withdrawal diagnoses, but the use of “abuse” and “dependence” has been removed
– Instead, the term for AUD is employed to describe patients who overuse this substance and develop consequences in psychosocial functioning
– If two or more symptoms of abuse/dependence are noted, then the patient would be classified as suffering from mild AUD
Four or more symptoms is moderate AUD
Six or more symptoms is severe AUD
The depression, anxiety, and insomnia are problematic and likely fuel some of his excessive alcohol use. These are viewed as adjustment disorders and that he has limited coping skills to manage new stressors at times
He tapered off his sedative and hypnotic after being placed on gabapentin (Neurontin) 900 mg/d in divided doses for one week
He continued his sertraline (Zoloft) 50 mg/d
He returned, stating that he was sleeping well and that his mood and anxiety were gradually and constantly improving
He remained alcohol sober
He had mild headaches as the only side effect
He was returning to graduate school shortly, wanted to continue both medications, and had set up an appointment with a psychodynamically oriented psychotherapist there
Take-home points
Some patients do not have bona fide DSM-5 categorical disorders. In this case, the patient may have had AUD, other specified depressive disorder (recurrent brief depression), other specified anxiety disorder, adjustment disorder, and insomnia disorder
They do have impairing symptoms, target symptoms, that can be quantified and treated psychopharmacologically
In these cases, instead of choosing several medications to treat each individual DSM-5 minor entity or each clinical subsyndromal symptom cluster, attempt to choose a single medicine that may be able address multiple phenomenological symptom clusters
Performance in practice: confessions of a psychopharmacologist
What could have been done better here?
– Would a monotherapy of a non-SSRI be helpful?
Perhaps, in that he had two low therapeutic-dose trials of SSRIs. He may also have been better served by using an SNRI, SARI, or NaSSA monotherapy
Using a more sedating antidepressant with antihistamine properties could possibly treat his dysphoria, worry, and insomnia
– Could his BZ have been more adequately dosed?
His sedative–anxiolytic was dosed low and increasing it may have been able to better treat his anxiety and insomnia
This might be considered risky given his excessive AUD patterns
Possible action items for improvement in practice
– Research the risks of sedative dose escalation and abuse in non-addictive patients and those with previous or current addictive histories
– Research non-addictive treatment options for treating anxious and insomnic patients who suffer from comorbid addictions
– Research strategies for treating resistant anxiety and resistant insomnia
Tips and pearls
Non-addictive strategies for treating target symptoms of anxiety include
– Antihistamines
Hydroxyzine (Vistaril/Atarax)
– Serotonergic agents
Buspirone (BuSpar)
SSRI
SNRI
SARI
SPARI
– Antiepileptics
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Topiramate (Topamax)
– Antipsychotics
Typical
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
Perphenazine (Trilafon)
Atypical
Sedating atypical antipsychotics
Quetiapine (Seroquel)
Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
Asenapine (Saphris)
Non-addictive strategies for treating target symptoms of insomnia include
– Antihistamines
Doxepin (Silenor)
Diphenhydramine (Benadryl)
Doxylamine (Unisom)
– Sedating antidepressants
TCA (imipramine, amitriptyline, clomipramine, doxepin)
NaSSA
– Antiepileptics
Gabapentin (Neurontin)
Pregabalin (Lyrica)
Tiagabine (Gabitril)
– Melatonin agonists
Ramelteon (Rozerem), tasimelteon (Hetlioz)
– Antipsychotics
Typicals
Sedating typical antipsychotics
Chlorpromazine (Thorazine)
Thioridazine (Mellaril)
Atypicals
Sedating atypical antipsychotics
Quetiapine (Seroquel)
Olanzapine (Zyprexa)
Asenapine (Saphris)
