The definitive pocket reference for convenient everyday use. This invaluable clinical companion, the latest in the American Psychiatric Association?s popular Concise Guides series, begins with an overview of the general principles relevant to the safe and effective use of psychotropic medications. Subsequent chapters focus on the major classes of psychotropic medications and the disorders for which they are prescribed?with the caveat that the nomenclature is somewhat artificial because, for example, many antidepressant medications are also used to treat anxiety disorders. Antidepressants?Presents clinically relevant information for tricyclic and heterocyclic antidepressants, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, bupropion, venlafaxine, nefazodone, trazodone, mirtazapine, and
… read more...monoamine oxidase inhibitors, including details on choosing one antidepressant over another and discontinuing or switching medications. Anxiolytics, sedatives, and hypnotics?Discusses the sometimes transitional use of benzodiazepines, zolpidem, and zaleplon, presenting diagnosis-specific guidelines, dosages, and the clinical use of antidepressants in anxiety disorders, stating that in most cases of anxiety and insomnia, it is better to treat the underlying disorder (often with an antidepressant) than to reflexively institute treatment with a nonspecific anxiolytic. Antipsychotics?Describes the properties common to most antipsychotics, focusing on atypical antipsychotics (clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine, ziprasidone), now used as first-line agents (except for clozapine) because of their favorable efficacy and neurological side-effect profiles, particularly for the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Mood stabilizers?Details the use of lithium, valproate, carbamazepine, lamotrigine, and other anticonvulsants in stabilizing mood oscillations, regardless of etiology, and expands on the use of antipsychotics for treating bipolar disorder. Stimulants?Covers the clinical use, contraindications, risks and side effects, dosing strategies, and monitoring guidelines for methylphenidate hydrochloride, dextroamphetamine, pemoline, and modafinil, used to treat attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in children and adolescents, narcolepsy, and (potentially) treatment-resistant depression and cognitive impairment in adults. Cholinesterase inhibitors?Discusses the clinical use, drug interactions, and side effects of tacrine, donepezil, rivastigmine, and galantamine, which preserve functioning and slow further deterioration in the pharmacological management of cognitive impairment in mild-to-moderate dementia of the Alzheimer?s type. Packed with practical information that is easy to access via detailed tables and charts, this pocket-sized volume (it literally fits into a lab coat or jacket pocket) is designed to be immediately useful for students, residents, and clinicians working in a variety of treatment settings, such as inpatient psychiatry units, outpatient clinics, consultation-liaison services, and private offices.Read More read less...
